The Secret to Preserving Hydrangeas

Hello friends!

Summer is in full swing and my favorite blooms are completely showing off in my yard! This year’s hydrangeas have been so beautiful. I currently have a row of white blooming oakleaf hydrangea lining my back driveway. I also have a traditional blue mophead and several purple/green mopheads along with some lacecaps. They are such happy flowers!

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I believe that you should never let a hydrangea bloom go to waste. I enjoy the blooms on the shrub during the summer but always try to pick them at the end of the season when they begin to dry. Preserving them is one of my favorite methods of drying them. Today, I am going to share with you how to preserve your own to enjoy year round and reveal my secret to doing so!

Enjoy your hydrangea on the blooms during the summer and begin to pick them as they start to dry on the bush around August and September. It is better to prune flowers for preserving early in the morning while the blooms are fully open.

When cutting the hydrangea bloom from the bush, be sure to leave the stem long enough so you can place it in jar or vase for drying. Keep the cut blooms in a cool, dry place to avoid wilting. Trim all leaves from the stems.

Mix 2 parts of hot water with 1 part glycerin in a large container. (Glycerin is the “secret” here…but I give you permission to tell anyone you want. We need to band together and preserve every hydrangea we can!) Pour mixture into jars or vases about 2 to 4 inches high.

Click HERE to see the glycerin I used.

Trim the bottom of each hydrangea stem so that the fresh cut will allow the glycerin mixture to easily soak up into the plant. Place a group of hydrangea into each jar. Allow the flowers to sit for two or three weeks in a cool, dark area and replenish the mixture in the jars, if needed. When removing the preserved blooms from the jars, snip off the few inches on the bottom that were in the glycerin mixture.

After the preserving process is over, you’ll have beautifully soft hydrangeas that may be mistaken for silk flowers! These preserved blooms can now be used for floral arrangements and wreaths. The blooms are pliable and will not easily break. In my preserving of hydrangeas, I found that most blooms do not retain their original color but turn a golden color over time.

Here’s a photo of a floral arrangement that I have in my Dining Room china cabinet. Many of the flowers used were preserved but I added some water dried blooms that retained their color.