Hortensien Trocknen: Drying Hydrangeas the Way Florists Do
Hortensien trocknen is German for drying hydrangeas, and the most reliable way is the slow water method: cut mature heads whose petals already feel slightly papery, strip the leaves, stand the stems in a vase with 5-8 cm of water and let it evaporate over two to three weeks in a cool, shaded room. Hanging the heads upside down, burying them in silica gel or soaking them in glycerine are the alternatives, each with its own result.
Customers who receive a hydrangea bouquet often come back to our shops and ask how to keep it once it starts to fade. We have been working with hydrangeas in Saint Petersburg since 2011, and the advice below is what we give at the counter: when to start, which method suits which goal, and how to keep the colour from turning dull brown.
When hydrangeas are ready to dry
The single biggest factor is timing. A hydrangea head picked at its fresh, juicy peak contains too much water and usually shrivels and browns when dried. The heads that dry beautifully are those that have matured on the plant or in the vase: the colourful parts, which are technically bracts rather than petals, start to feel slightly stiff and leathery, and their colour shifts towards antique tones of dusty pink, green, burgundy or violet-blue.
In the garden this stage usually comes in late summer and early autumn. Cut in the morning after the dew has dried, choosing heads that are fully open with no fresh, unopened florets in the centre. For a bouquet hydrangea, the right moment is often the end of its first week in the vase, when it begins to lose its plumpness but has not yet wilted or turned brown at the edges.
Take stems of about 30-40 cm, which gives you room to trim later and to arrange the dried heads in a tall vase. Remove all leaves straight away: they dry dark and crumpled, rot in water and pull moisture away from the flower head.
The water method: the one we recommend most
Recut each stem at a sharp angle and stand the hydrangeas in a clean vase with 5-8 cm of water. Put the vase in a cool, dry room out of direct sun, and then simply leave it. Do not top up the water. Over two to three weeks the water evaporates and is drawn up into the heads, which dry slowly enough to keep their shape and much of their colour.
This method suits hydrangeas better than any other because the slow drying prevents the sharp shrinkage that happens with fast air drying. The heads stay rounded and full, and they can stay in the same vase as a finished dried arrangement. Do not crowd the vase: air must move around each head, otherwise the centres stay damp and can go mouldy.
Check the heads when the water is gone. They should feel crisp and rustle when touched. If a few florets are still soft, leave the vase for another week in the same spot.
Bouquets we can deliver
Hanging, silica gel and glycerine
Hanging upside down is the classic approach for most dried flowers. Tie stems singly or in pairs with string or a rubber band, and hang them head down in a dark, dry, ventilated place such as a wardrobe or storage room for two to three weeks. Hydrangeas dried this way shrink a little more than with the water method and the colour fades faster, but the stems stay perfectly straight.
Silica gel keeps colour best. Put a layer of silica gel crystals in an airtight container, set the head on it, and gently sift more crystals between the florets until the head is covered. In four to seven days the flower is dry and keeps almost its fresh colour, which makes this the method for small heads used in wreaths, frames and keepsakes. Brush off the crystals carefully with a soft brush.
Glycerine gives a different result: the heads stay soft and supple rather than crisp. Mix one part vegetable glycerine with two parts hot water, stand freshly cut stems in 10 cm of the mixture and leave them for one to two weeks until the florets feel leathery. The colour usually deepens and changes, often towards bronze or burgundy, and the heads do not crumble when dusted.
Keeping the colour: what customers ask about most
Customers often ask why a bright blue hydrangea turned grey-beige when it dried. Some fading is natural, because the pigments break down without water, but most colour loss comes from light and heat. Keep drying heads away from windows and radiators, and once dry, display them where direct sun does not fall on them. A head that keeps a soft vintage colour for a year in a shaded hallway can bleach in a month on a sunny windowsill.
Varieties with greenish, burgundy or deep pink autumn tones keep their colour best, while pale pastel and pure white heads tend to turn cream or light brown. If you want a white hydrangea to stay light, silica gel is the safest option. Some people refresh faded dried heads with floral spray paint, which works, but the natural antique shades are usually more attractive.
Humidity is the other enemy. Dried hydrangeas absorb moisture from the air and go limp in a damp bathroom or kitchen. In a normal living room they last a year or longer; dust them occasionally with a hairdryer on the cool setting held well back.
Using dried hydrangeas at home
A few dried heads in a ceramic jug or a tall glass vase make a quiet, long-lasting arrangement for autumn and winter, when fresh garden flowers are scarce. They combine well with other dried materials such as lunaria, pampas grass, dried eucalyptus and lavender. Large single heads look good on a dining table, and small florets broken off the head can decorate gift wrapping, candles and wreaths.
Do not put dried hydrangeas back into water; they will rot rather than revive. Keep them away from candles and heaters, because dry flower heads are flammable. If a head starts to drop florets, a light coat of unscented hairspray holds it together.
Fresh hydrangeas delivered in Russia
Drying starts with a good fresh flower. If you want to send a bouquet to family or friends in Russia, browse our bouquets catalogue and look for compositions with hydrangeas, or call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05 for advice on choosing. We deliver flowers across Russia; city delivery costs 500 RUB, and for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order.
In large cities express delivery takes 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed, or you can choose an exact time (plus or minus 30 minutes), a window of 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21, or pre-order 1-30 days ahead. In Saint Petersburg delivery works around the clock. Delivery is anonymous by default, a card with your text is free, and payment is online by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay; foreign bank cards are accepted via Robokassa. Full details are on the delivery and payment page.
Frequently asked questions
What does hortensien trocknen mean?
It is German for drying hydrangeas. The phrase is used for all methods of preserving hydrangea heads, from the water method to silica gel.
How long does it take to dry hydrangeas?
The water method and hanging take about two to three weeks. Silica gel takes four to seven days, and glycerine one to two weeks.
Why did my dried hydrangea turn brown?
Usually it was cut too early, while the head was still full of water, or it dried too slowly in a damp room. Choose mature heads with slightly papery bracts and dry them in a cool, airy place.
Can I dry a hydrangea from a bouquet?
Yes. Start when it is past its plumpest stage but before it wilts, remove the leaves and use the water method in a cool, shaded room.
How long do dried hydrangeas last?
Kept out of direct sun and humidity, dried hydrangeas last a year or longer. Colour gradually softens over time.
Ready to send a bouquet?
Pick a city, choose the flowers, and we will hand them over with a photo confirmation.
Choose a city →