• Home
  • Meet Kelly
  • My House
  • Contact

Kelly Elko

Love where you live - inspired decorating ideas

  • Eclectic Homes
  • Projects
    • My Projects
    • FREE Printables
    • Garden
    • Recipes
    • Tips & Tricks
    • Organization
  • Decorate
    • My House
    • Decorating
    • Outdoors
    • Christmas
    • Fall
    • Summer
    • Spring
    • Tablescapes
  • Life
    • Travel
    • Musings
  • Shop

Drying Hydrangeas 101

August 23, 2013  Garden | Tips & Tricks | Uncategorized

 

Drying Hydrangeas - follow these simple step by step directions to have beautiful dried flowers all year long!  kellyelko.com

Yes, I like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Not really …

what I really like is are margaritas and tons of hydrangeas (and having an umbrella and wellies when the downpour starts).

I also love peonies so be sure to read my tips on planting peonies.

Hydrangeas - see how to dry them for lasting blooms all year long!  kellyelko.com

In August, my hydrangeas start to fade so I have to quickly take action so I can enjoy them all year long.

How to dry hydrangeas - this is the easiest way I've seen!  kellyelko.com

Drying Hydrangeas

1) When blooms begin to fade and turn papery (sometime between August and October depending on where you live), clip them leaving some stem (around 12″ or so)

Note:  fresh, colorful blooms won’t dry well – experiment with the best time to dry your hydrangeas

2) Strip the stems off all leaves

3) Put stems in vases of water (about 4″ to 5″)

4) Don’t overcrowd the stems – a few per vase – so the air circulates and they dry more evenly

5) Store in a cool, dry location out of direct sunlight (mine are on my dining room table)

6) Let water evaporate (if they are still not dry, add a bit more water and let that evaporate)

7) Enjoy your dried hydrangeas all year long

Row of hydrangea bushes - this is fabulous (and tips for drying them)  kellyelko.com

I take way too many pictures of hydrangeas – and other random things like thrift shop finds and estate sale houses on Instagram – follow along!

 

Love peonies as much as hydrangeas? Check out my tips for planting peonies so they bloom!
Sign up to get Kelly Elko's latest posts delivered right to your inbox
Your information will never be shared or sold to a 3rd party.

Share this Post!

1205 shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
« Previous: Vintage Step Ladder Bathroom Storage (and be my guest)
Next: 5 Simple Favorite Fall Decorating Ideas »

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. kirby carespodi

    August 23, 2013 at 7:08 am

    They are all over my living rom table right now–love them!

    Reply
  2. Cynthia @ A Button Tufted Life...

    August 23, 2013 at 7:53 am

    So beautiful Kelly! Thanks for the drying tips, I have been experimenting drying my own and found the water tip works very well!!

    Reply
  3. judisjunque

    August 23, 2013 at 8:32 am

    I’ve been experimenting myself with drying my Hydrangea with just a little success but I did cut them just a bit too soon ~ still trying, even if I end up cutting every bloom from the bush LOL!! I may have made the mistake of not having them in a dark space? Thanks for your tips, I’ll put them to use! Judi

    Reply
  4. Lisa Jochim

    August 23, 2013 at 9:06 am

    Ahhh never knew the water tip. Thanks!!

    Reply
  5. Kim @ Sand & Sisal

    August 23, 2013 at 9:56 am

    I love my dried hydrangeas! I forgot to dry some this year, so I need to get outside and see if it’s still possible. Thanks for the tips and reminder!

    Reply
  6. Kathy S

    August 23, 2013 at 9:59 am

    just beautiful !!!!…I have to buy dried hydrangeas on line…they do not grow where I live…Darn !!!

    Reply
    • Carroll

      August 25, 2019 at 6:57 pm

      Buy a bush and it will bloom every year. There are nursery’s all over that will send a bush through mail or courier. Good luck.

      Reply
  7. Vel

    August 23, 2013 at 10:30 am

    How I wish I had some in my garden to dry! Thanks for this top Kelly, will keep it in mind for sure!

    Reply
  8. Cynthia

    August 23, 2013 at 1:19 pm

    Kelly great tips and I adore hydrangeas. I want to plant some at the new house.

    Cynthia

    Reply
  9. Audrey Zumwalt

    August 23, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    Love hydrangeas but cannot grow them here. Thanks for the tip in case I ever have a chance to get some fresh ones.
    Blessings,
    Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures

    Reply
  10. Helena

    August 23, 2013 at 4:38 pm

    Thanks for the tips Kelly, I was wondering how to keep my hydrangeas pretty in my living room.

    Reply
  11. karen

    August 23, 2013 at 7:06 pm

    I can never get enough pictures of Hydrangeas. They are my most favorite flowers.

    Reply
  12. [email protected]

    August 23, 2013 at 8:19 pm

    Your hydrangeas are gorgeous Kelly!!!

    Reply
  13. Linda @ it all started with paint

    August 23, 2013 at 9:12 pm

    I wonder if this would work from blooms purchased from the grocery store? My fledgling hydrangea bushes looked pretty sad this summer … though, my neighbor’s hydrangeas look amazing. I may need to do some stealth cutting under the cloak of darkness …

    🙂 Linda

    Reply
  14. Linda A. Young

    August 23, 2013 at 9:18 pm

    Your hydrangeas are so pretty! I dried mine the same way last year, they were deep purple and dried to be blue. I’ve also tried hanging them upside down from hooks inside of closets, and tehy dired nicely.
    This year they are turning brown on the bush , but I still got some. My daughter just moved to a new house with oaaak leaf hydrangeas, so I’ll see if I can dry some of them now.

    Reply
  15. Jane @ Cottage at the Crossroads

    August 23, 2013 at 9:52 pm

    Kelly, I have never tried to dry hydrangeas but I was just looking at some of my blooms today and was thinking that I should. Thanks for your timely tips!

    Reply
  16. JaneEllen

    August 23, 2013 at 10:40 pm

    I am so envious, your hydrangeas are breath taking. Just not fair, no it is, I live in wrong part of country is all. Too dry here (western CO) for them and we have so much alkali in our soil it kills everything. Even the Russian sage is pretty bedraggled this year, usually they’ll keep on blooming and growing in almost any conditions/soil. I love hydrangeas so much, they’re so darned pretty and delicate looking. Yours on that row of plants are drool worthy.

    Reply
  17. Bliss

    August 24, 2013 at 10:20 am

    I thought I was a hydrangea growing failure till Thursday. Then, while mowing lawn, I spotted among the weeds the plant I thought I killed. And it had three small balls of blooms.

    Reply
  18. Megan @ The Brick Bungalow

    August 24, 2013 at 2:55 pm

    I love hydrangeas! My favorite nursery is selling a hydrangea tree. If it wasn’t $150, I would have bought it today. I already have three (maybe 4, two are close) different kinds – mop head, oak leaf and climbing. I’ll have to try drying them!

    Reply
  19. Angela

    August 26, 2013 at 8:52 pm

    Lord help me…I love hydrangeas too! When we lived in PA I had beautiful hydrangea bushes and now I can’t get them to grow. I spend way too much on them at the store…
    Jealous Blogger,
    Angela

    Reply
  20. Laura Strack

    August 27, 2013 at 12:05 pm

    I love your hydrangeas! My goodness, they’re gorgeous!! Several years ago, after my Dad had passed away, I received a beautiful bouquet of hydrangeas and a dear friend volunteered to preserve them and make them into a wreath for me. It was Fabulous! I enjoyed that wreath for a long time. After about 2 years, the flowers still looked great, but became a little brittle and were breaking off. I guess, nothing last forever. I heard you can spray paint them for Fall? Thanks for the great tutorial 🙂

    Reply
  21. [email protected] Charm

    September 1, 2013 at 10:56 am

    Oh…I have some drying right now:)

    Blessings,
    Linda

    Reply
  22. nest of posies

    September 2, 2013 at 9:58 am

    ohmygosh! your hydrangeas! they’re gorgeous! that entire row is spectacular.

    Reply
  23. Nancy

    September 3, 2013 at 6:05 am

    Could you give us ideas as to what to do with the dried hydrangea?? Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Kelly @ Eclectically Vintage

      September 3, 2013 at 8:46 am

      Nancy – you could make a wreath (just poke the stems into a styrofoam wreath form), spray paint them and put them in your Christmas tree or in a big vase or basket.

      Reply
  24. Inspire Me Heather

    September 5, 2013 at 4:49 pm

    I’ve just planted some hydrangeas this year so I’ll have to Pin this for next year – thank you!!

    Reply
  25. [email protected]

    September 6, 2013 at 6:22 pm

    Love dried hydrangeas!! Yours are gorgeous!

    Reply
  26. Dorene T

    September 9, 2013 at 8:57 pm

    Beautiful hydrangeas! Love the owl in your picture too — where can I find one like it?

    Reply
    • Kelly @ Eclectically Vintage

      September 9, 2013 at 9:02 pm

      It’s an Anthropologie cookie jar Dorene that I found at a rummage sale for $4 (price tag still attached)!
      Kelly

      Reply
  27. Suzanne

    October 22, 2013 at 11:29 am

    Thanks for the tip. Love them!

    Reply
  28. Jenn

    October 18, 2015 at 1:50 pm

    Thanks so much for this post! I’ve tried many times to dry hydrangea blooms. Most recently I had success but didn’t know quite why! Now I do, the water! Thank you thank you thank you!!

    Reply
    • Kelly @ Eclectically Vintage

      October 18, 2015 at 2:36 pm

      Enjoy those hydrangeas Jenn

      Reply
  29. Mary

    April 2, 2016 at 2:07 pm

    If you add a little glycerine, the blooms won’t crumble as easily, they’re a little more flexible 🙂

    Reply
    • Kelly @ Eclectically Vintage

      April 3, 2016 at 7:06 pm

      Thanks for the tip Mary!

      Reply
  30. Uschi

    June 17, 2016 at 9:02 pm

    Adding glycerine to the water when drying Hydrangeas leaves them very supple and not as papery and also preserves the color.Have been doing this successfully for years,also works on some other flowers.

    Reply
    • Uschi

      June 17, 2016 at 9:05 pm

      after drying the hydrangeas I also find spraying them with the cheapest hairspray you can find preserves them a little more,especially for arrangements.

      Reply
      • Kelly @ Eclectically Vintage

        June 18, 2016 at 9:06 am

        I’ve used hairspray on my hydrangeas too – thanks for adding that tip!

        Reply
    • Kathy

      August 1, 2019 at 11:54 am

      How much glycerin do you add to the water? I had a beautiful wreath that I bought at a craft fair that fell to pieces after a couple of wreaths because the flowers were so brittle. I would like to try making my own if the glycerin works.

      Reply
      • Kelly Elko

        August 1, 2019 at 12:53 pm

        I don’t add glycerin Kathy.

        Reply
  31. Jackie

    August 21, 2016 at 6:01 pm

    I have always cut mine, strip the leaves and stick in a vase, basket, container… and let them dry. They stay beautiful until I am ready to do it again next year. I’ve never done it with water. Will give it a try.

    Reply
    • Kelly @ Eclectically Vintage

      August 23, 2016 at 2:10 pm

      If your way works, stick with it! I’ll have to try your way!

      Reply
  32. Chris

    November 21, 2016 at 10:14 pm

    Your post was fantastic. The hydrangea along the fence was beautiful. I appreciated how easy it was to pin your post.

    Reply
  33. Erica

    October 24, 2017 at 4:18 am

    well, i like all ur pics! its helpful. I just found out my parents let the gophers take over and they had over 30 plants that are basically dried out twig plants. I just can’t let it happen. Thanks for the tips!

    Reply
    • Kelly Elko

      October 24, 2017 at 8:45 pm

      oh no! sorry about those gophers!

      Reply
  34. maryanne bush

    October 25, 2018 at 5:56 am

    My hydrangea plant is gorgeous….healthy…..very large…..but only a few blooms on the lower part of the plant. I fertilized it! It gets water regularly from a lawn sprinkling system. What can I do to get more flowers.

    Reply
    • Kelly Elko

      October 26, 2018 at 1:37 pm

      Try reading my tips in this post: https://www.kellyelko.com/winter-kill-hydrangeas-care/

      Reply
  35. Suzanne henrich

    April 29, 2019 at 12:34 am

    To your hydrangea buds from get frosted just put stakes around your plant in the fall then wrap burlap around the whole hydrangea top included. Never prune a hydrangea until all the new buds have leafed out then trim away dead branched or old branches.

    Reply
    • Kelly Elko

      April 29, 2019 at 9:54 am

      I thought about wrapping my hydrangeas in burlap but I have way too many!

      Reply
  36. Kelly

    May 18, 2019 at 6:28 pm

    Thanks for the tip. Hydrangeas are my very favorite flower 🌸 I have some planted and have some more on order at our town nursery. 🤗

    Reply
  37. Dixie

    September 6, 2020 at 8:12 am

    I’ll be drying some hydrangea today! Thanks for the tip! I enjoyed reading your whole piece. I’m in zone 8a, and my hydrangea grow pretty well, but not as well as my grandmothers in northern Arkansas zone 7a! You’re right, I think 7a must be the perfect zone!

    Reply
    • Kelly Elko

      September 6, 2020 at 2:26 pm

      Enjoy your hydrangeas Dixie!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to Make an Acorn Vase says:
    September 26, 2013 at 8:21 pm

    […] my simple way to dry hydrangeas so you can enjoy them all year […]

    Reply
  2. Fall Table Decorations and a Giveaway! says:
    October 1, 2013 at 6:30 am

    […] when I showed you how to dry hydrangeas […]

    Reply
  3. Enhance Every Room in Your Home by Decorating with Fresh Flowers | Schewels Furniture says:
    January 14, 2014 at 1:27 am

    […] an unexpected way to decorate with flowers—use them dried! Hydrangeas are beautiful on their own, but when they’re dried they develop a muted, deliciously lush […]

    Reply
  4. When to Prune Hydrangeas says:
    July 29, 2014 at 4:32 am

    […] have gorgeous, shiny leaves but not a flower to behold (I guess I won’t be needing my simple hydrangea drying method this […]

    Reply
  5. Eclectically Fall Home Tour says:
    September 14, 2015 at 6:01 am

    […] my easy way to dry hydrangeas so you can enjoy them all year […]

    Reply
  6. Winter Kill Hydrangeas Care says:
    June 1, 2016 at 10:25 am

    […] If you are lucky enough to get hydrangeas this year, make them last with my simple hydrangea drying tips. […]

    Reply
  7. Gargantuan DIY Limelight Hydrangea Wreath and Fall Mantel - Kelly Elko says:
    September 12, 2019 at 10:57 am

    […] my easy flower drying method to dry your hydrangeas indoors. Make sure you don’t crowd the blooms in the vases as each […]

    Reply

KELLY

About / Contact / Press
facebook twitter instagram google pinterest snapchat

Join me as I decorate my 100 year old home, scour thrift stores, create pretty things, putter in my peony and hydrangea filled garden, and mix up a mean cocktail all with a touch of sarcasm and a side of bacon - Cheers!



More About Kelly

Love where you live by mixing high and low, new and old to create a home that shows off your personality. My mantra ... simple projects equals more time for cocktails!
Subscribe for Email Updates:

Get in Touch

facebook twitter instagram google pinterest snapchat

I'd love to hear from you:
[email protected]

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · KellyElko All rights reserved. Site by WordPress Barista

Copyright © 2023 · KellyElko - 2016 on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Sign up to get Kelly Elko's latest posts delivered right to your inbox
Your information will never be shared or sold to a 3rd party.
1205 shares