The WRONG Way to Dry Hydrangeas, oops

This season, my hydrangeas did poorly.

Not just poorly- they sucked.  Most didn’t survive the winter, even though I brought pots into the breezeway, and the newer plants hardly produced blooms.

But look at what my sister let me picked from her bushes!

I harvested them, smashed the stems and put them into water for a few days.  It should’ve gone well, and the color would’ve held since they were picked at just the right time.

But…

While trying to protect the delicate flowers, I ruined them.

Wouldn’t you think that a hard sided cooler would keep them safe on a long drive?  Uhm, no.

Apparently the moisture content along with being in a closed space in a hot car, was the wrong way to go.  They were a soggy, dripping mass of brown when I freed them from the humid box.

Dang it.

But they did dry and keep their shape, they just lost that beautiful, fall toned glow over night.  Still pretty, but not gorgeous like they were.  

Dang it.

(The two larger China pieces were found on my trip, $10 each!)