I agree. The hairspray doesn’t dry them, it just keeps them from crumbling as easily. I do this with lots of things, like pussy willows, so they dont “bloom” and bull rushes.

I knew it! I knew I had special powers! I too Have placed hydrangeas in a lovely arrangement and forgotten about them for weeks only to come back and find they are lovely dried and preserved. Little did I know this must be my special power to create something lovely merely by placing it on the table and forgetting about it But seriously I’ve had the same results. And I agree that cutting them as late as possible but not when they have Naturally browned. I found your information when I was looking for a way to dry hydrangeas naturally

Lazy is a good thing!

I'm so sorry I didn't get back to you in a timely fashion! If they are still on the bush I would wait until September 1st. That will give them time to get a tiny bit papery on the bush and still have enough time to fully dry before the wedding!

I would. Ideally you want to wait until they start to look a little papery (sort of like tissue paper) in order to cut them off and have them dry correctly. They'll have too much moisture in the blooms and won't dry quickly enough to keep their shape if you cut them too early (like right now). In case you've cut them since writing this, it's not catastrophic to cut them too early though, it's just not the optimum time to do it 🙂 Ideally, I'd wait until September 1st.

I'm so sorry. I have it written in the actual article though - "Cut the flowers in the late summer or early fall (generally August or later depending on the area you live). You want to wait until a few weeks AFTER they have fully bloomed and they are on their downward swing. They should feel a bit papery at this point."

But yes, I would assume Long Island weather is pretty close to where I am in Ohio, so if the blooms still look fresh and moist like mine do right now it will be a little bit too early. They'll have too much moisture in the blooms and won't dry quickly enough to keep their shape. Wait until the blooms start to feel a little like tissue paper before you cut them - it's hard to tell what the weather will be in the next few weeks, but my best guess would be after September 1st. If you cut them roughly around Labor Day they should be fully dried in time for the wedding in late October.

And congratulations on your daughter's upcoming wedding!