I thought you might like to see some late bloomers from the garden. I rather love little tiny, unpretentious posies scattered around the place. They make you stop and look.
I am begging, borrowing and stealing Hydrangea at the moment to dry for Christmas. In Vic Brotherson's wonderful book 'Vintage Flowers' she makes a huge ball out of dried Hydrangea and hangs it from the ceiling, see below..... I plan to do the same.
I am having great success at drying some, but not all. The lovely lilac specimen below is from my own garden. I tried by having some stems in a small amount of water but they shrivelled up. I tried hanging them upside down, they did the same.
The white ones, also from my garden seem to be drying upside down but I am not sure what colour they will end up. That is the exciting thing about this process, seeing all the incredible variety of shades you can end up with. Gosh wouldn't the world be drab if it was only in black and white?
Wishing you all a fun-filled weekend, love Linda x
Lovely!
ReplyDeleteHello Linda:
ReplyDeleteAs you say, it is lovely to have small arrangements around the house of those brave late flowers from the garden. Yours look so very pretty and, teamed with the 'matching' china, they look so very attractive.
Although we have never been fans of dried flowers, we are very fond of Hydrangea heads. They do, as you say, take on the most wonderful range of colours as they dry. The idea of a hanging ball made from the Hydrangea heads sounds wonderful. We look forward to seeing how it works out!
Did you watch Kirsty Allsopp's flower arranging competition last night? Now that was a brave/mad thing to do. Your top small posy reminded me of her 'petite' entry to the competition. It's very pretty Linda.
ReplyDeleteWe've had some beautiful late flowers but I have only got as far as admiring them from afar - never dreamed of bringing them indoors. I know - lost causes and all that. :)
My next door neighbour (an ex-landscape gardener) has a front garden full of gorgeous hydrangea bushes - you'd go mad in there! Sadly she is too old and fragile now to tend to them but still, they seem to be doing alright without any attention.
Love the big hydrangea ball - hope it all works out.
I love the colours of dried hydrangeas. It's many years since I had any to dry though, but we've planted a new one this summer, so hopefully, one day I may get around to picking and drying again. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI love finding late flowers and making posies like these. I also love hydrangeas, both fresh and dried. Some of the ones from our garden will dry nicely by themselves, but others, like you mentioned, just wilt and shrivel. I wonder if it's to do with the age of the actual flower that's on the plant, maybe if they're too new and fresh they don't dry well? This has reminded me to go out and pick some now! Have a happy weekend, Linda.
ReplyDeleteHelen x
Hi Linda. Good to see this post from you today. I absolutely love hydrangeas, and they look so beautiful when they are dried. It's funny how it works with some, but the others just wilt. Hope all is well with you my friend. x
ReplyDeleteHi Linda!
ReplyDeleteHydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers. I wish you well in your drying process. The Hydrangea ball is beautiful! I hope that you share the finished product. Speaking of drying...on a much smaller scale...read here. (I think that you may have missed the post).
http://dreamson34thstreet.blogspot.com/2011/11/artichokes-have-new-home.html
~Lynne
[w/L]
Hello Linda, you always show such lovely pictures and they always inspire me too. I really like dried hydrangeas, and have them in jugs around the house. The huge ball in the book does look wonderful, and I know you will make one that is just as spectacular :) I was thinking of making a wreath made from dried heads for my front door, but think that would probably travel even further down the village if the wind catches it! :) Hope you have a lovely weekend. Love, Abby xx
ReplyDeleteps. Thank you for your lovely comments, I am hoping to see the film with a friend on Saturday. x
I love dried hydrangeas. I went looking for some on the web yesterday, and found 3 stems for $17.00. Ouch!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of a ball to hang from the ceiling!
Happy Friday, Linda!!!
Hugs,
Zuzu
I really like to visit your blog. To see all these flowers and flower arrangements gives me a pleasant mood for the rest of the day :)
ReplyDeleteHi Linda,
ReplyDeleteI love hydrangeas and have been drying mine for a few weeks now because I knew as soon as the frost arrived that was it, they would be black and soggy on the bushes!
I actually found that if I put them on a hot radiator they dried beautifully,
maybe it was just a once off but the colours
stayed fresh and lovely.
Only thing is that I don't know what to do with them now!
So any ideas you may have would be so welcome!!
Hope all is well in your corner of Ireland,
the sun is shining this morning which is great.
Have a good weekend.
Fiona x
Hello Linda
ReplyDeleteI love your unpretentious arrangements and yes there is an element of surprise when one spots real flowers in a corner. Your little vignettes would be ideal for a still life painting. You have a creative eye.
I will be looking forward to seeing your hydrangea ball.
My best Helen
xx
At a friends wedding, the granite arched entrance to the church grounds was decorated with hydrangea and was stunning. I think they had fun and games attaching it but the effect was really beautiful. So much so that a passing couple pulled over in their car and asked the artist in question how she was creating it as their daughter was going to get married the following year at the same church and they would love to do the same! I think she ended up giving them her number and volunteering herself again!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing your creation.
Becky x
Odis I tell you I ordered Vic's book? We're all loving it at the shop..and I love that ball of hydrangea!
ReplyDelete