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Learn how to dry hydrangea flowers to preserve these beautiful blooms, and extend your enjoyment of them throughout the seasons.

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Drying hydrangeas is a favorite fall project, as these flowers are so easy to dry, with such beautiful results.

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The ideal time for picking is when the bloom is fully open and starting to take on a blushing color. This is the perfect time to harvest and cut.

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If you pick the flowers too early before all of the flowers have opened up on each individual bloom, they are likely to wilt.

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Hydrate the shrub the day before harvest, so that the flowers will have a chance to take up the water.

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Cut the hydrangea stem above a leaf node, and cut at an angle to allow for good uptake of water.

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Remove most of the leaves along the stem, as they will take up the water that we will be providing to the blooms for the purpose of hydrating them before drying.

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The water dry method involves drying in a vase with a small amount of water to begin with. The stems will draw up the water fairly quickly, then allow them to dry.

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Place the flowers in an area out of direct sunlight, but where you can enjoy their beauty. The drying process can take two to three weeks or even a little longer.

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Drying hydrangea flowers upside down is another way to dry these blooms. This is also known as the air drying method.

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Hang the flowers so that they are not touching each other, in a dark dry location, for a period of several weeks.

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After two to three weeks, the hydrangea blooms will be completely dry and ready to use.

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Drying with silica gel is another option for drying hydrangeas, although is a bit more involved than the first two methods.

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Consider drying some hydrangea blooms this season. Experiment with the methods and see what works best for your own hydrangeas. 

For more information, see the tutorial!