How to easily cut and dry limelight hydrangeas. They are so easy to grow, as well as cut and dry for later use in arrangements!Â
I wanted to share this post earlier and just didn’t get around to it. I shared with you earlier in the summer my limelight hydrangeas that I planted in March. Around 5 months later, I started getting blooms which completely surprised the heck out of me since I had no idea I would get any blooms this year.
Here’s what they looked like when I got them in. I ordered these through Home Depot online and they are Proven Winner dwarf limelight hydrangeas in quart containers. My hydrangeas get about 5 hours a day of direct sunlight.
I planted them March 2019 and they started out growing so cute and all these pretty bright green leaves sprouted fast into early summer.
Then just about 5 months later, they looked like this! I know, I was astounded too. Just look at them!
Every single plant bloomed and bloomed and I couldn’t believe all the stems that could be cut. I cut many of them and brought them inside and there were plenty left to cut.
They started turning the most beautiful shade of pink by September and by October I cut a big bunch of them to bring inside.
They were the most beautiful blooms I’ve ever seen and I’m so proud of my little baby plants for producing so well.
Aren’t they gorgeous?! These cone shaped blossoms are so unique and pretty with their soft lime green shade. These plants are very drought tolerant too.
They were so loaded they were laying on the ground. I can’t wait to see what they do next year.
So here’s how you dry them. Wait until they start turning that little bit of pink at the end of the season. You can cut them earlier but they may not dry pretty if you don’t let the flower petals dry out a bit.That’s the key when cutting and drying hydrangeas.
Enjoy this video of drying limelight hydrangeas:
1. Cut them about a foot long.Â
I cut them with my cutting shears about 1 foot long.
2. Remove all the leaves.Â
Take off all the leaves, because those won’t be seen anyway. Dried hydrangeas are perfect for stacking together in a big vase.
3. Start placing them in a vase.
You don’t even need to add water, just place them and let them dry in the vase.
Enjoy your beautiful limelight hydrangea blooms. If you take care of them, they will last several months. I’ve seen people make wreaths out of them too, but I didn’t take the time to do that. Maybe next year!
I can’t wait to see them bloom next year and see how well they do.
Pruning limelight hydrangeas is easy and should be done in late fall or early winter when they are dormant. New blooms will grow on new wood so you don’t have to worry about pruning too much.
I can’t get enough of these blooms!
And that’s how you dry limelight hydrangeas! I enjoyed these as a centerpiece for about a month before it was time for Christmas decorating. They will last longer if I want to get them back out in the Spring for more decorating ideas. You could also make a hydrangea wreath with these gorgeous hydrangea blossoms. They are perfect for flower arrangements.
I put together this cute video for my limelights!
I hope you enjoyed this and if you have limelight hydrangeas, you can dry them too! You will want to plant these in spring or fall and right now they are not available online, but I’m sure they will be again in early Spring so keep an eye out for them then! I am so glad I planted them when I did and they should really sprawl out in 2020!
I planted limelight hydrangeas along the side of my deck a few years ago and they are so beautiful! They are now about 8 feet tall and loaded with blooms! I have never tried drying them. I can’t wait til next year to give it a try. Thanks for sharing this!!
Lori, aren’t they great plants!
My Limelight are always beautiful, too! Just as beautiful dried as they are fresh!
Thanks for the tutorial and all tips. I am excited to share this with my mom. She has gorgeous lime lights.
How I wish we could grow hydrangeas Rhoda but I’ve never had any luck with them. I think our soil’s PH is all wrong so I’m a little jealous right now. Yours are stunning. Please share some growing tips too.
HI Michelle, limelights I think are easier to grow because they like sun, so you might want to give them a try. I did nothing to these except give them starter fertilizer when I planted them.
Michelle. The soil pH is not so much a factor when growing limelight hydrangeas as we can grow them here in Colorado where a lot of our soils are very alkaline. The biggest factor with hydrangeas is water! They love water and need to be well watered to become established. As for keeping dried hydrangeas….I usually spray them with an inexpensive hairspray and they last for years. Hydrangeas are fabulous!
I’ve had dried hydrangeas last years. I spray them with hairspray to keep them from shattering.
Did you plant the limelight’s in the container or do I need to remove the pot. Will instruction come with the plant? What is the name of the weed protective sheet of material you used. And what is the name of the top coat of material used in the bed? In other words I know nothing about planting, but willing to learn for the pretties. Thanks.
HI, Margaret, we all have to start somewhere. The plants come in a plastic container and you definitely need to take it out and plant. The weed fabric is just that, it helps prevent weeds from coming up and you can find it at any home store that sells plants. The black stuff on top is mulch. Most people use that in flower beds to make it look prettier. These have been easy to grow for me and they do like a lot of sun, so can grow in a lot of places. Good luck if you try them! THey are so pretty!
Once these beauties are dried, how do you store them for future decorating without them crumbling?
That part is a little delicate. If you have a spot out of the way, garage or basement, you could store them there and leave them in a vase. That way they stay safe from getting bumped around, although after a year or so you might want to throw them out and start over. They do last a year or so though.
I have some in an antique pitcher in my guest bedroom that have lasted for years. I have over 70 varieties of hydrangeas on my land and around my house. Sadly, I am selling my house because I getting to old to take care of them. So I can continue to enjoy them in future years, I have made 2 boards on pinterest so I can go back and look. One is, “I Love the Flowers and Creatures in my Garden,” and the other is “The House I’ll be Sad to Leave.”
I’ve tried this with hydrangeas before and most of them wilt and look terrible. I’ve tried dipping the stems in alum with little success. Any tips?
Jean, you need to pick hydrangeas when they are showing signs of drying on the plant. In the case of limelight, they will start turning pink and feel a little dry. That’s the time to pick them for drying.