HOW TO DRY LIMELIGHTS AT HOME

I’ve been trying to post more projects in real time, but I’ve failed miserably lately, so bookmark this one for next summer! I’ve always loved limelight hydrangeas and have them on my table all summer and fall, but I’ve never thought to dry them and enjoy them through the winter until now! My neighbor has the most incredible, twelve foot limelight bushes in her backyard and graciously let me snip a few branches back in September and I loved them so much that I decided to reach out on Instagram for tips on drying them. Turns out, it couldn’t have been easier to do and they’re so beautiful that I just had to share!

Snip branches. Cut them to the desired length that you want for the season. Once they’re dry and brittle, I’d be too scared to try and trim the ends, for fear that the blooms would fall off! I kept mine a little on the longer side for a more dramatic arrangement and also for height on my gate leg table, where they will stay until it’s time to put up our Christmas tree.

Remove all the leaves. The leaves will dry and crisp and, ultimately, fall off but in the meantime, they just don’t look as pretty with those beautiful dried blooms.

Place in desired vessel. Some people suggested putting an inch of water in the bottom of the vase to let them dry slowly, but most said to just stick them into the vase without a drop and so, that’s exactly what I did. This is a great chance to use vessels that don’t necessarily do well with water (my blue and white ginger jars are super porous and leak whenever I try to put fresh blooms in water with them, so these would be a great option for dried flowers!)

Enjoy all season long! It really couldn’t be any easier!

Check back in tomorrow for the start of Christmas gift guides!