Fall Tips for Cutting and Drying Hydrangeas

Who doesn’t love fresh flowers all year long? I love cutting flowers from my garden and bringing them inside but did you know that when and where you cut hydrangeas can determine whether or not you’ll get blooms next year! I’m sharing my hydrangea fall tips … so you can cut and dry hydrangeas for a gorgeous fall display.

Make sure you read my tips on When to Prune Hydrangeas and what to do if you have Winter Kill Hydrangeas.

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Buy plants here – 1 gallon containers of Endless Summer Hydrangeas / 3 gallon containers of Endless Summer Hydrangeas

Hydrangea fall tips - when and where to cut plus an easy way to dry flowers kellyelko.com

I’ve teamed up once again with Endless Summer® hydrangeas and have been enjoying them all year long and love that they continue to bloom spring through fall unlike regular hydrangeas that bloom only once.

What’s a girl to do with all those hydrangeas? Cut them to enjoy inside of course.

Tip: When cutting blooms for flower arrangements before August, you can cut long stems but when you cut blooms after August 1, it’s important to cut ABOVE any buds. Cut short stems so you don’t risk cutting off developing buds for next year.

Know where to cut stems for flower arrangements so you get blooms next year kellyelko.com

I love the way my hydrangeas change color throughout the year – from vibrant pinks and blues in mid summer (pictured below) to gorgeous deep shades of rust and greens in fall.

Endless Summer Hydrangeas make a gorgeous garden hedge kellyelko.com

I used a shallow vintage bowl to support the short stems.

Bonus – I will leave the hydrangeas to dry in this bowl of water. That’s right, just let the water evaporate and you’ll be left with beautiful dried blooms.

I love decorating with dried hydrangeas so I can enjoy my favorite flower all year long.

Love this vintage bowl filled with fall hydrangeas kellyelko.com

Buy plants here – 1 gallon containers of Endless Summer Hydrangeas / 3 gallon containers of Endless Summer Hydrangeas

More hydrangea planting and care tips HERE

Endless Summer Hydrangea Planting and Care Tips kellyelko.com

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Endless Summer Hydrangeas. The opinions and text are all mine.

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71 Comments

  1. Kelly, The ones in the picture are dried? Wow, I didn’t know they looked so pretty when dried. Thanks for a chance to win.

    1. Hi Pat – these are freshly cut and aren’t dry yet. I’ll leave them in water until they dry – unfortunately they won’t look this amazing when dry but still pretty!

  2. Kelly,
    I have had Hydrangea plants in my garden for years and this is the first year that I actually had flowers. Not many, but it is a start . So glad I found your blog on Pinterest with all your helpful tips. Looking forward to more of your posts. Thank you.

  3. They are really beautiful Kelly! I planted some Endless Summers myself this summer!! I plan on using them in my Christmas tree! Natures bounty!

  4. Hydrangeas are such a gorgeous flower; wishing I had some growing in my yard.
    Great tips you give. Learning something new every day. Will be passing on the cutting tip to friend of mine so Thank U.
    Thank U also 4 this giveaway opportunity

  5. I have always loved HYDRAGEAS. My grandmother grew them all over her yard. Each year I plant at least one .
    Thank you for the giveaway.

  6. I just love hydrangeas! I’ve tried growing them but have been unsuccessful here in S. Texas, my soil and heat is just not a good match.

  7. My grandmother was crazy about hydrangeas, her yard was bursting with them. Yours are so pretty, I love the idea of bringing them in for a pop of color inside.Sharon

  8. Hi, thank you for the opportunity to win. My grandma grew these beautiful flowers and have always been a favorite of mine.

  9. Love hydrangeas but have not really tried growing them. They have such beautiful colors. These may be the prettiest ones I’ve seen.

  10. Well this is timely .. I was just yesterday standing in the front yard staring in bewilderment at my huge, leafy hydrangeas …… with NO blooms this year. Last year they bloomed like crazy, I was giving away blooms left & right. Then nothing this year. #perplexed. So I’m grateful for any help! I’ll definitely be signing up for those texts.

  11. I love your hydrangeas they are beautiful. I have a big peony plant in my front flower bed, I was hoping to transplant it this fall. When is the best time? I also need to purchase some peony stakes so they don’t flop all over the place. Do you recommend cutting them back in the Fall? I am so new to gardening, I haven’t dared touch them, I have a black thumb :(.

  12. I absolute love Hydrangeas and I have about 8 in my yard. Six are doing well; sadly, two look rather unhappy. Thank you for your tips. Maybe I can make my sad ones happy like their other 6 friends. Yes, I do talk to my plants. As a grandmother of 13 I have earned the right to talk to my plants for my gardening therapy.

    1. Ironic! Those critters ate about one half of my beautiful plants. We missed a spray date (Liquid Fence) and the whole herd must have swooped in during the night.

  13. I LOVE reading about your ENDLESS SUMMER tips!!! They are the ONLY ones I have in my yard!!! I have TEN that I started with and I want TEN more next year!!! They have rewarded me beautifully!!! Thanks so much for your wonderful tips!!! Keep those GREAT TIPS COMING!!! Also, “Best Place To Buy” would be great!!! I have bought mine at Lowes but they don;t always have a big selection in my small town!!! THANKS!!! Love you, Kelly!!!

  14. hydrangea’s have been around me forever and i love then my grandmaws aunt had them and as i remember they were always this briliant blue and i still love them till this day

  15. Thank you so much for this info! I’ve been wanting to cut my hydrangeas for Fall decorating, and these tips were very much needed. Thanks again!! 🙂

  16. I love dried hydrangeas. I used to have a few plants, but moved and left them behind. This time of year, I always miss them.

  17. Thanks for the info, especially the photo. My three year old hydrangea hasn’t bloomed yet. So disappointed and I need to do some research. My goal is to have it look as lovely as yours!

  18. I’m so happy to learn about Endless Summer Hydrangeas that bloom all summer, even turning colors.
    Hydrangeas are about my favorite and I would love to plant more in my yard. Thank you for sharing.

  19. You are certainly the Queen of Hydrangeas – your blooms are so robust and beautiful! Thanks for sharing your helpful tips.

  20. These are awesome tips! Thank you!
    🙂 One of my favorite flowers! And I love the container , deer Pyrex bowl you have them in! So cute!

  21. I have always loved hydrangeas but live in Florida so they won’t grow here. Many of my plants were damaged in hurricane Irma on Sept. 10. It is back to square one with replanting a few things. I might wait to see if some plants come back. Love your blog and great tips!

  22. These are such wonderful tips! Hydrangeas are a favorite of mine, and i love the beautiful array of colors they come in.

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    wildorchid985 at gmail dot com

  23. Would love to win!

    P.s once you dry the hydrangea’s for decoration you can spray paint them to give them some color/life! At my father’s wedding they spray painted them metallic gold. Beautiful would be an understatement.

  24. Hydrangeas are beautiful flowers! My sister has a bush of hydrangea at her home. She passed away in 2003 The flowers are still blooming without any help!

  25. I’ve always loved Hydrangeas — especially the blue ones. I don’t know if we are in the right planting zone for them (Zone 9 or 10). I remember one B&B we stayed in — forget where — but they had an entire yard full of the most beautiful blue Hydrangeas.

  26. I love hydrangeas! My city recently planted an entire row of hydrangeas in the downtown green space. I always make sure to walk by them every chance I get. 🙂

  27. I didn’t realize that you could dry hydrangeas in a vase like that! I don’t have hydrangeas yet since we just moved and starting from scratch. I am definitely considering getting a hydrangea! So pretty!

  28. Thank you for the great post and tips! This summer I planted my first two hydrangea bushes and I am hoping to make them thrive and not accidentally kill them. I feel pretty confident after reading this post!

  29. Hi Kelly
    I have 15 hydrangea plants throughout my gardens so I can afford to bring them in the house to enjoy and/or dry. I love your photo of the shallow vintage bowl with the short stem hydrangeas spilling out over the sides. I plan to try that next fall when the gorgeous colors appear change almost everyday. Thanks.

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