Friday, November 11, 2011

Harvesting Hydrangeas


October is the best time to cut hydrangeas and preserve them for everlasting bouquets and arrangements.

Unfortunately, I am late this year, so about half of the flowers are brown.

Which is really a shame, because that's why I have so many hydrangea bushes. It is a mainstay in my garden and I look forward to harvesting them every fall. I've even been known to put the dried flowers in our Christmas tree!

There were still a few bushes that had some decent flowers though.
I cut them today to make a few arrangements for a party in our home next Friday.

They ended up in the pine cone urns in the entry.

I just massed them together and made sure the stems were sitting in a pan of about one inch of water.

The young blossoms stand alone in vases.


Although it's not your typical fall vignette, having aged hydrangeas around the house speaks fall to me.

Just one more thing to harvest this time of year!

PS: I left this one on the bush. It was just too gorgeous to cut!

I'm linking up to LaurieAnna's Farmhouse Friday here.

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22 comments:

Kathy said...

Our hydrangeas peaked earlier this summer - it is too hot and dry here - they're wonderful when they change color - I have a few hanging in the kitchen. Wonderful versatile flower!
Kathy

Shenita @ Embellishments by SLR said...

Delores, your hydrangeas are just gorgeous! We are past peak, here...but, they are my favorite flowers. They truly transcend the seasons!

Sonia said...

So beautiful...I have posted pictures of my hydrangeas from June..wish mine looked like that now. How beautiful they are throughout your home. I love drying them too.
Miss Bloomers

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

Hydrangeas are perfect for fall! You are so right! What an unusual and just gorgeous pinecone urn too!
Always so lovely to stop by!
Yvonne

Kathysue said...

they do look amazing in your home!! Love the pine cone urns, so pretty!! Kathysue

miss b said...

Some beautiful ideas here!

http://missbbobochic.blogspot.com/

On Crooked Creek said...

Delores,
Gorgeous...even the brown one!
Stunning in every display! I, too, use hydrangeas in a huge wicker basket in the Fall in beige and rust hues. I wouldn't have been able to cut the gorgeous single stem on the bush, either! Thank you for sharing all the lovley vignettes!
Fondly,
Pat

The enchanted home said...

Stunning and love the darker fall colors, looks beautiful in your kitchen, which I want to see more of! So excited for you...I bet you are really enjoying it.

Taylor Greenwalt said...

My favorite flower. I have them in my garden. They look beautiful when there in bloom.

Janette - The2Seasons said...

I did this yesterday, and I left one on the bush, too!!

Sarah said...

Beautiful, Delores. Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers. Love them both fresh and tried. I wish you could have seen the hydrangeas blooming in France. Huge bushes covered with huge blooms. I've never seen anything like it.
Thank you for your thoughtful note this morning. Hope both of us soon see some downtime in our lives. LOL
Always inspired when I visit here ~ Sarah

Lorna said...

I love Hydrangeas. They bring back memories of my Grandma's garden. We just moved from the South to the North and I was so excited to have some at my new house and I plan to add more. Yours are just beautiful!

Karen said...

Delores,
I am so glad you posted about this topic...I have some incredible burgandy/green hydrangea right now and wanted to dry them but wasn't completely sure how to do it. This was perfect.
Karen

a quiet life said...

i love hydrangeas, i only have one the deer avoid, otherwise they are just a wispy memory in time...

Just Spiff It said...

Oh dear - I need to go do the same thing!! I so love hydrangeas - my next favor is agapanthus as their blooms are the most brillant blue but sad to say you can not dry them.
Lovely post and blog!

Janice Stewart said...

Love hydrangeas. Not so good at growing them. sigh...
Can you tell us about the pinecone urn?

Anonymous said...

CUT IT!!! I did the very same thing, left the beautiful ones on the shrubs for just a few more days and when I went to cut them... they were BROWN!! This is not the first season this has happened to me. Think I would learn by now.

Those Pine Cone vases are fabulous!

Always enjoy your posts, plenty of inspiration here. Thank you.

Dee ⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️ said...

Your hydrangeas are beautiful. I love the pinecone urn.
I have Annabelles that I use to decorate in my home.
I adore your marble countertops.

Dee

Victoria said...

They look beautiful, Delores. Hydrangeas are my favorite -- along with peonies-- but they are hard to grow in SW Florida, although I am trying. Not a chance to grow peonies, though. I envy you all that abundance of choices you have in California.
Best...Victoria

Kathy said...

I was able to harvest quite a few this year and can't get myself to take the others off either...they are stunninly bright purple right now, we have had a wonderful until today, better get out there tomorrow, thanks for reminding me...yours are beautiful

Mary Ann Pickett said...

You are so lucky to have those bushes. Is this a dumb question...but how do you preserve them?

Katy Noelle said...

Hello, Delores!

I have to say. reading you blog is as inspirational as reading an interior/home magazine. (I've bought them but I'm behind on reading them, too. it's just not right, I tell you! =( ) One thing that I always LOVE about your blog and posts are your inspirational quotes. they're just wonderful - really hit a spot in me and i wanted to say 'thanks' for sharing them.

Anyway, one year, I took hydrangea - spray painted them lightly with gold so that some of the color still shown through and tied them with pretty lavender ribbons and put them on the Christmas tree, etc.

Speaking, too, of pine cones. One year, I hot glued tiny pine cones on to styrofoam trees... I did some rolling them in potpourri, too (with tiny lavender leaves, etc.) and attached crumply small ribbons and dried flowers. It was so fun.

It looks, though, like you are perfectly in your element with a wedding coming. I'm so happy for you!!!=]

Love,

Katy xxo

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