Tuesday 23 August 2011

Bloomin Tuesday-Drying Hydrangea

My Limelight Hydrangea  drooping after a rain..

Limelight

Yes we finally had a nice thunderstorm and rain....My rain dance worked!
The size of the blooms this year are exceptionally large.

Huge blooms
I have dried Hydrangea  a couple of years ago and they are now sad looking.... with a few very dark brown  spots... banged around and a bit crushed........Time to try drying  new ones..

Old   dried hydrangea
 Taking  some of the giant blooms on the Limelight  Hydrangea ...... the following method has worked for me..before ..
Picked when they are almost fully open, last few buds remain on top of  head. Try to pick them as pristine as possible, no  brown spots .

just a few buds on top left to open
Stripped leaves off.
Into vase half full of water.


Half full vase of water
Then leave them , water will evaporate. The Hydrangea gradually dries.
They stay full and lush...... and end up a light  gold colour...not crushed , retain the shape of the blossom..
I am also trying to dry some of my pink Endless Summer Hydrangea ..

Endless Summer
They are  a greeny pink colour right now  and I wonder if I have left them too long ...... Can't hurt to try , I do wonder what colour they will  dry to.

12 comments:

Diana LaMarre said...

Wow, Rosemary, that's what I call a nice hydrangea! Thanks for the drying tips. I really need to get one of those Limelights so I have some to dry.

Darla said...

Beautiful hydrangea bush. Have you ever considered spray painting the dried blooms?

Karen said...

Hello Rosemary, thank you for the tutorial on drying hydrangeas. I want to do this again this year, too, and I'm thankful for a different way to try to preserve them. I used to cut them down and hang the flowers from the rafters in the garage upside down until they dried. It works, but just so-so. I want to give your method a try, too.

I just read through your posts I missed; love your glasses from the sale and what a bargain! Homemade maple syrup is soooo good, isn't it? Puts the grocery store stuff to shame. And I agree with you, I look forward to a change in seasons too even though I'm trying to hang onto summer for as long as I can. Too much work to do yet before the snow flies!

Barbara F. said...

I am happy you got that much needed rain. Beautiful hydrangea bush. xo,

Rosanne said...

Thanks for details on the drying method.......I need to dry some new blooms too!

Suzanne said...

What a gorgeous bush! Hydrangeas have to be one of my favorite flowers and I don't have one of them in my garden -- must change that!

Donna Heber said...

Hi Rosemary,

Your Limelight and Endless Summer Hydrangeas are gorgeous! Maybe next year I will plant one. Thank you for the drying tips. I wonder if this also works best for drying roses.

Racquel said...

I always end up leaving mine to dry on the plant, love the way they look over the winter. :)

Jean said...

Thanks for the info! Now I'llknow how to dry mine! Jean

verobirdie said...

This limelight hydrangea is be beautiful!

Beth said...

Thanks for the tips, Rosemary! Your Limelight are so large and gorgeous.
Beth

Victoria Williams said...

I need to find room for one of these. I saw one at the botanical garden and it was just too big and beautiful for words.