You’ve been gifted some Hydrangeas and want to dry them so you can enjoy them longer? Are you wondering what to do with the beautiful Hydrangea blooms from your garden?
You’re in the right place.
As a florist, I often recommend the Hydrangea to my clients to start with floral art, whether it’s for creating bouquets or for decorations and accessories. In fact, it’s quite easy to work with, very popular, and allows for stunning arrangements thanks to its volume and delicacy as well as its variety of colors.
Today, I invite you to explore how to dry hydrangea flowers, either flat or in a bouquet, so you can use them to decorate your home and unleash your creativity.
Drying hydrangeas is a simple process that anyone can do. To preserve the volume of your flowers, just cut them with relatively short stems, and then let them air dry in a vase with a small amount of water until it evaporates. Flat drying is also quite easy: just take small sections of four petals, remove the central bud, and then dry them on absorbent paper pressed between two heavy books. Dried hydrangeas can then be used to create numerous crafts and decorations: head wreaths, decorative bouquets, hanging wreaths, resin inclusion jewelry, and holiday decorations …
Want to learn more? Keep reading to discover:
- How to preserve the beauty of Hydrangea flowers by drying them,
- A simple method for pressing them,
- Creative ideas using these flowers: wreaths, bouquets, jewelry…
- Video tutorials and practical tips to succeed in all your DIY projects,
- More information about stabilized Hydrangeas, which, like forever roses, remain timeless and do not wilt.
How to Dry Hydrangea Flowers While Preserving Their Volume
If you’re lucky enough to have a garden, you might have planted some Hydrangeas. These stunning, vibrant flowers are easy to grow and require little maintenance. Plus, when late summer rolls around, you can enjoy their beautiful blooms for several weeks.
Hydrangeas are unique in that they dry very well and can be preserved for a long time in this state. To achieve this, they should be cut at the beginning of autumn, right after they finish blooming. The process is simple:
🔹 Use pruning shears to cut just above a bud, leaving about 6 inches of stem.
🔹 Remove the leaves and clean any damaged flowers,
🔹 Place your flowers in a vase filled with just about 1 inch of water,
🔹 Let them dry naturally by allowing the water to evaporate. To preserve the colors of your flowers as much as possible, avoid placing them in direct sunlight, even behind a window.
Another method is to hang your hydrangeas upside down, one by one, in a dark, dry place like a garage. This helps to maintain the volume of the flowers, as they are not compressed like they would be in a bouquet.
👉 Some varieties of hydrangeas dry better than others. Additionally, some are truly stunning when dried. This short video highlights the names of these main species and details their unique characteristics!
How to Dry Hydrangeas Flat
Do you want to press Hydrangea flowers flat to create a herbarium, make dried flower arrangements, or just preserve them as a keepsake? Here are some tips to ensure the results meet your expectations:
🔸 Harvest your hydrangeas on a sunny day and wait for the dew to completely evaporate before picking the flowers.
🔸 Next, gather them by carefully cutting the small four-petaled flowers one by one, leaving as little stem as possible. You can remove the small ball at the center of the four petals to make it easier to flatten the leaf.
🔸 Next, place them on a blotting paper, face down, making sure to space them out a bit and not overlap them. You can create multiple layers, placing a blotting paper in between each layer.
🔸 Place everything between two large, flat-covered books or in a flower press, between two pieces of cardboard.
🔸 Let it dry for 15 to 20 days before opening!
Here’s a short tutorial video that summarizes and illustrates these tips:
👉 Want to learn more about the technique for pressing flowers flat? Seeking tips to create a flower and foliage herbarium? Check out our comprehensive guide, fully dedicated to this topic!
What to Do with Dried Hydrangea Flowers?
You’ve picked some Hydrangeas that you plan to dry (or have already dried), and you’re wondering what to do with them? I’ve put together a short list of creative ideas to help you out!
A Large Decorative Bouquet for Your Home
Even if you’re not a florist, you can easily create a hydrangea bouquet. It only takes a few of these large flowers to make a beautiful arrangement, which you can create by simply placing the stems in a vase after trimming them as needed to adjust their height.
A bouquet of dried hydrangeas is very advantageous: it doesn’t lose its petals, doesn’t fall apart, and creates a beautiful decorative touch when placed on a mantel or table.
A Flower Crown to Wear for a Wedding
The hydrangea is an ideal flower for starting crown making. It’s very easy to work with and allows you to quickly create beautiful floral hairstyles. These can be worn for a wedding, a baptism, or any other festive occasion. Their pastel colors make them very delicate and romantic, adding a soft touch to your face.
👉 Want to learn how to make your own flower crown? Check out our technical tips in our detailed tutorial article!
You can also check out our catalog of floral crowns to find inspiration, and who knows, you might come across a crown that you’ll fall in love with!
A Wreath to Hang
With the resurgence of dried flowers, another type of wreath has also made a comeback in recent years: the hanging decorative wreath. It’s very easy to set up in your home – just a simple nail will do – making it a great decorative choice for a lovely bedroom, living room, or even a kitchen. This will add a touch of softness and a rustic charm to the atmosphere of your home!
👉 The technique to create this is the same as that used for head crowns. You just need to start with a larger size, if that’s what you prefer. You can also make several identical crowns in different sizes to create a lovely coordinated decor.
Beautiful Party Decorations
As the holiday season approaches, there are often not many flowers left in your garden. Using dried hydrangeas is a great way to naturally and stylishly decorate your home without breaking the bank. You can create beautiful bouquets, use them as ornaments for your Christmas tree, or incorporate them into your Advent wreaths.
👉 Dried hydrangeas look fantastic when sprayed with silver, copper, or chrome paint. It really highlights their beauty!
Unique Jewelry
Do you enjoy making jewelry? Dried hydrangea petals are perfect for resin inclusion jewelry. They hold up well and retain their colors over time. You can use them to create pendants and earrings that are truly poetic, and they are sure to delight anyone who receives them.
Stabilized Hydrangea: The “Eternal Rose” Flower
You may already be familiar with the eternal rose, that natural flower that seems frozen in time? Well, this process is also used to stabilize hydrangeas, giving them a look that is closer to that of fresh blooms.
What is a preserved flower?
Preserved flowers, also known as eternal flowers, are real flowers that have had their sap replaced with a natural preservative, glycerin. This product is non-toxic and is found in many cosmetics.
Thanks to this laboratory treatment, the flower can last for years. Some are even dyed, which opens up countless creative possibilities!
Where to Find Preserved Hydrangeas?
You can order them from your florist, who will source them from wholesalers that cater to professionals.
👉 Looking to give or treat yourself to a forever flower? Check out our eternal roses, which you can order directly from our online store. We offer a variety of beautifully decorative rose dome designs.
What to Do with Preserved Hydrangeas?
With these types of flowers, you can create unique and natural jewelry that lasts over time. It’s also possible to make crowns using the same technique as with fresh and dried flowers. They also serve as beautiful decorative flowers that you can keep as they are or incorporate into your decor by placing them under a glass dome or in a frame, for example.
I hope this article inspires you to dry hydrangeas so you can enjoy their beautiful blooms for a long time. The drying technique is straightforward, so go for it!
Want to learn more about everlasting roses? Check out our article about them! 🌹