What to Do With Faded Hydrangea Blooms?

Deadheading

• Clipping off the old, spent flower clusters on hydrangea shrubs is called deadheading. Gardeners who find the faded flower colors or the beige dried petals ugly may tidy the plants by trimming branch tips in summer. Bigleaf or florist hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) and many new hybrid cultivars will develop side branches after deadheading to produce small flower clusters several weeks later.

Creating Seasonal Interest

• Fading pink, white or blue hydrangea flowers often go through a colorful change. As the petals dry, they may attain pink or lavender hues before becoming light beige. After the plant leaves turn color and drop away in fall, the dried flower heads persist all across winter. The beige color further bleaches to nearly white, adding visual texture and color to the fall and winter garden.

Drying Cut Flowers

• Hydrangea shrubs that produce full, rounded or pointed flower heads dry well after being cut and may be later used in dried flower arrangements. Flat-topped lacecap hydrangea flower clusters do not dry well. Hang cut branches of flowers upside-down in a warm, dry and arid location until all tissue is dry. Hydrangea blossoms first used in bouquet vases may also be dried, but do so before the petals droop or mold or rot occurs on the lower stems, according to Lane Greer of Learn2Grow.

Dried Bloom Revitalization

• Whether dried upside-down in the garage or basement, or clipped from the shrub already dry in fall, dried hydrangea flowers last for years if not crushed and broken. If the natural beige or white color of dried hydrangeas is too visually dull, spray paint them to embellish Christmas wreaths, garlands or to fill other dried flower arrangements. Use any paint color to match your decorating theme.