The hydrangea with its romantic, large umbels of flowers is experiencing a renaissance in our gardens. But even when the gardening season is over, you can retain the charm of the flowers and use the conserved umbels as an attractive room decoration.

Hydrangeas can be preserved in the vase with a little glycerine

Prepare the hydrangea flowers

To dry, cut the flowers at the peak of color. The umbels are then sufficiently mature and retain their shape. Despite the fact that a lot of color strength is lost through the drying process, the strongly colored flowers do not fade completely. Fully dried, they look like valuable and slightly translucent porcelain. Leave a twenty-centimetre stalk on the umbels so that they can be arranged into bouquets.

Drying hydrangeas in the vase

This is a very simple method that requires little effort. However, it has the disadvantage that the flowers lose a little more color during the drying process.

  • Cut hydrangea flowers and place in a vase filled with water.
  • Allow water to evaporate and do not refill.
  • When the water is gone, the flowers are dry.

    • Preserved with glycerin

    Glycerin is a trivalent alcohol found in almost all natural fats and oils. The substance has water-binding properties. You can get pure glycerine in the pharmacy or drugstore.

    • Mix 500 milliliters of water with 250 milliliters of glycerin.
    • Pour liquid into a vase.
    • Place hydrangeas in this mixture.

    The hydrangea flowers absorb the mixture. As the water evaporates, the glycerin remains in the petals. As a result, the dried hydrangeas retain their bright color and the plant material feels elastic and soft, almost like the flowers of a fresh hydrangea.

    Hang flowers to dry

    This method also works very well with fully mature hydrangea flowers. Their downside is that the dried umbels become a bit brittle, which gives the buds a unique allure.

    • Pierce the stems with a needle.
    • Thread a thread through the hole.
    • Hang flowers hanging freely in a dark and dry place.
    • When the leaves crack, the buds are completely dry.

    tips and tricks

    Arrange the preserved hydrangeas in antique-looking wire bowls. This pretty room decoration in trendy vintage style conjures up a romantic atmosphere in every room.

    Category:

    Vegetable garden