A great way to make use of a large bounty of hydrangea blooms, is to gather them into a pretty display basket. After all, it’s a shame to waste so many beautiful flowers. They are easy to dry, and last a long time. Easy, quick and basically free, those are the best projects, and I think you will agree that this dried hydrangea basket is pretty sweet.
How to Make A Dried Hydrangea Basket
I have this huge hydrangea shrub (h. paniculata ‘Limelight’) that blooms profusely every year. This is the absolute easiest hydrangea to grow. It does not produce the huge blue or pink blooms of h. macrophylla, but it does bloom faithfully, even after the worst winters.
By the end of summer into fall, the blooms are just starting to dry on the shrub. This is the best time to cut and dry them, for use in your decor. Here’s the trick to drying your hydrangeas.
Maybe you have a plain vanilla wicker basket hanging around like I did. It just wasn’t pretty enough to stand up to the hydrangea blooms.
I tried spray painting it with gray paint. Then I dry brushed it with white, and then black paint.
I still wasn’t happy. Then I added this brown wax, and that gave it just the right patina and dimension.
In addition to the Limelight flowers I cut some branches come from a Pee Gee hydrangea (h. paniculata grandiflora), another easy to grow hydrangea. I love their unique texture.
I tried spray painting the dried flowers with a can of pink paint, but it looks fake and unnatural.
Instead, I opted for using some red craft paint, dabbing on the paint with a big brush so they look like red berries.
Use some tape for support. Then just go to town, placing the limelight flowers all over. Then add in some of the painted pee gee blooms.
This dried hydrangea basket fits perfectly on top of our antique cupboard in the dining room.
Originally I thought it would be a nice holiday piece, but now I think I’ll leave it here all year long. Maybe I’ll add a nice red, or burlap bow for the holidays. This was a great way to use up many of the limelight blooms, and add some natural beauty to our dining room.
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Nancy Dorin says
I have used a spray pint that is made specifically for dried flowers in the past with great results. The trick is to use a very light hand when spraying and giving it a gradient look rather than spraying evenly.
I bought the spray at Michael’s.
Patti Estep says
Hi Nancy,
Good to know that there is a specific spray paint for dried florals. I’ll have to get some and practice.
Thanks for stopping by,
Patti
Dorothy says
Looks great I have used hydrangea for years in baskets but never tried the spray paint …some else to experiment with.
Patti Estep says
Hi Dorothy,
Glad to hear from a fellow hydrangea lover. I love experimenting so I’ll have to try the spray paint recommended by Nancy. Experimenting is sometimes half the fun.
Have a great week and thanks for stopping by,
Patti
Kim Smith says
That is beautiful. I don’t have a lot of success with blooming hydrangeas. I need to read up on your blog to see if I can get some help. Meanwhile I will just admire yours.
Stacey Keeling says
Oh how we all love dried hydrangeas. Would you believe when we lived in Oklahoma, I had lots of hydrangea bushes. Couldn’t stand to cut them! Now I wish I would have. 🙂
Lisa says
Just as Stacey said, “oh how we all love dried hydrangea.” This is such a beautiful arrangement.
[email protected] Antiques says
Patti, this is so beautiful! A perfect compliment to a post I did a while back on how to perfectly dry your hydrangeas. They are my favorite plants in our garden, beautiful when they bloom, and beautiful for years after! Thank you for this DIY.
Jan Garon says
Beautifully done! I love dried hydrangeas in the house. It just keeps on giving regardless of the month on the calendar.
Brenda/the blonde gardener says
I love that. I have the big Annabelle hydrangeas that I cut and dry but I never thought to spray paint them.
Patti Estep says
Hi Brenda,
Annabelle is a great hydrangea and never fails to bloom. Some of them, as you know, get very large blooms too. I don’t know if you noticed but another reader posted that Michaels sells a specific spray paint for dried flowers. I’ll have to try it next.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great week,
Patti