Hi prairiemoon, I have cut my blooms late in the season (end of September, early October) when for me they have turned to the pink/mauve color I like best. I merely put them in a vase, no water ☺️, to dry. I also spray them with hair spray which helps hold the flowers together.

I have never tried to dry the white blooms, but perhaps I’ll try as I have many drooping blooms from heavy rains a couple of weeks ago. Then I could let you know how that works. I also would love to know if anyone has a good way of preserving the color of the blooms.

Here’s a picture of the flowers from last year:

debra

DJacob - no water? Wow, okay, I have so many, I can try them different ways, I'll try that! Hair spray? I don't even have any in the house. lol I'll have to borrow some from my daughter. Thanks for that tip.

Is that vase a year old?! Wow, they still look VERY good!

Happy that worked for you Debra. Ideally, cut stems 12-18" long and add water half way up the stems in a vase. Put them out of the sun and let the water evaporate and that's it. I have done it with Annabelle.

Um, my daughter in law dries a lot of flowers...I think in sand, or even with some other dessicant which preserves the form and colour really well. Will ask her for details.

Yes, that vase is almost a year old. I didn’t know how to dry flowers so I just let them dry with nothing.
Lol! 😆

debra

I had hung some 'Incrediball' in the cool of the basement, they turned out very crispy fragile, those stood in a few inches of water had dried in mere days and having maintained more substance about themselves.

Peren, did you keep them in the house “out of the sun” in the house or in the basement or garage? I am trying a new vase with flowers.

debra

Yes Debra in the house out of the sun. Cut the stems diagonally so they can uptake more water. Yours look good.

rp I have many years ago used silica for very delicate flowers. Mostly I tie bunches with string and hang upside down. I am keeping a close eye on pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) that seeded too generously into the garden last year. If taken too late the flowers will just blow apart.

Very nice Dee.

Dee and peren.all, I agree, water drying lends to very good results, especially so if stems are harvested at peak before blooms have lost any bit of substance, a better overall result and improved durability is maintained, it's just not sooo extremely brittle. Dee, yours turned out to perfection!

It was pure dumb luck on my part lol! I have dried hydrangeas in the past with the standard beige results. I honestly don't know what was different this time. The color surprised me because they were blue hydrangeas!

:)

Dee