"No flower dies more beautifully" wrote the famous perennial breeder and garden philosopher Karl Foerster about the farmer's hydrangea. In fact, the faded inflorescences of the peasant hydrangea are very decorative in their slightly morbid beauty. In the spring, however, they should still be cut away.
You can cut off the faded inflorescences in autumn or spring before they sprout
Do not cut inflorescences too deeply
Farmer's hydrangeas form their flower buds for the following year in the late summer of the previous year, so that these buds overwinter on the shoots. For this reason, peasant hydrangeas should not be cut back too much, with the exception of a thinning and rejuvenation cut after a few years. You can cut off the faded inflorescences in autumn or spring, but you must not cut too deeply. Take a close look at where the fresh shoots will appear and where the new flower buds are - cut off the old flower stalks just above.
Decorating ideas with faded inflorescences
The slightly faded inflorescences of the peasant hydrangea are ideal for drying in the air and for use in dried bouquets or flower arrangements or wreaths. Hydrangea flowers remain beautiful on the plant for a very long time, even if they gradually lose their color. This fragile beauty can be preserved by drying, with several options.
Dry fresh flowers
For this drying, it is best to cut the flowers while they still have their strong color.
Drying by dehydration
Fill a vase with just a hand's breadth of water and place the cut hydrangeas in there. Don't refill the water anymore. It is gradually used up, and the flowers begin to dry. They have a parchment-like feel and appear a little wrinkled. However, they also fade quite a lot with this type of drying.
Drying with cat litter
An insider tip is to dry the hydrangea blossoms in very fine cat litter, which removes water from the blossoms and at the same time ensures that the beautiful color is preserved. Place cat litter and hydrangea blossoms in an airtight container so that the blossoms are completely covered. The flower is fully preserved within about four days.
Dry slightly faded flowers
With this method, the buds should already have started to dry on the plant. Once they feel paper-like, they are cut. Only the stems and flower balls remain, the foliage is removed. Hang the flower stalks one by one upside down in an airy and shady place to dry.
tips and tricks
Arrange the dried hydrangea flowers in a lush arrangement with fruit, branches with evergreen or dried foliage and seed heads of all kinds.