2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
White, blue, pink, green … - hydrangeas do an excellent job with garden decor until late autumn. But you can preserve their beauty longer, for example, by drying them to decorate the interior. What is the best way to do this?
Hydrangeas are one of those plants whose flowers appear slightly dried. But this does not spoil their appearance in any way, but on the contrary, makes them original and stylish details of various decor. If properly preserved and dried, they can delight with their beauty for many months. This can be done in several ways, but the best one is using water. It will allow you to keep the color tone longer. What's the secret?
Main problems
The biggest challenge in preparatory work before drying is the timing of when to cut the stems of the plant. If this is done at the peak of flowering, then the stems will have a lot of moisture, and they will dry out rather slowly. This will not in the best way affect their appearance. And if you are late with the cutting time, you can get ugly brown hydrangeas that are poorly suited for decorative purposes.
It is quite difficult to catch the right time when you need to collect flowers of one of the most popular varieties of hydrangea "Anabel". They change shades from pure white to light green. Before the end of their flowering, green, white, including brown flowers can be found on the clusters of plants. It is difficult to find a plant of this variety in the fall without a single wilted, brown flower. But they can always be carefully removed after drying.
Collection time
The end of the season (early September to October) is best suited for this purpose, when the larger petals of the plant begin to fade or change, and the tiny flowers at the top of the sepals are in full bloom. If you cannot find tiny flowers at the top of the hydrangea, then the time of collection can be judged by the change in its shade.
You don't need to worry about strict accuracy. It is quite possible to wait until the flowers and sepals of the plant dry naturally right in the flower bed. However, this method is unlikely to maximize the color of the hydrangea. In the rainy season, it is also better not to use it: the flowers from excess moisture will turn brown or brown before they can dry.
Drying water
Paradoxically, the method of drying plants in a vase of water helps to better preserve the beautiful shade of flowers and increase their shelf life (from several months to several years). Water helps to slow down the drying process, which keeps the shape and color of the plant well. Even the stems, thanks to her, seem to be stronger and more resilient.
First you need to cut the stems of the plant 30-50 cm in size. But in fact, the size of the stems is not so fundamental. It is selected based on the plans for the further use of flowers in the decor and on the convenience of their processing. After cutting, you need to cut off all the leaves from the stem and place them in a vase or jar of fresh water. It is desirable that it covers the stems at least half. The container with flowers is placed in a cool place, protected from direct sunlight. There is no need to add water any more. It will evaporate slowly and the drying process will take place naturally. When the water in the vase has disappeared, the flowers should stand for a little longer so that the moisture absorbed in them also dries.
Additional Tips
If you want to dry your hydrangeas in the fresh air, you can simply hang them up by turning them upside down. Due to the large size of the inflorescence, it is better not to dry them in a bouquet, but to hang each stem separately. However, air-dried hydrangeas are generally more fragile than those naturally dried in a vase of water.
Another method for drying hydrangeas is silica gel and microwave radiation. But they do not give such a long-lasting result. However, they save time and get original flower shades after drying. In any case, it is worth considering that the color of the dried hydrangea will last no more than a year, after which it will gradually begin to fade and fade.
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