Drying Hydrangeas

Would you like to have beautifully dried hydrangeas for fall and winter arrangements?  The trick is in picking them.  Hydrangeas do best when allowed to dry naturally on the plant before picking.  Fresh blooms do not dry very well.  

I cut a bunch the other day, took all the leaves off, tied them by the stems with rafia and hung them to dry.  You could also dry them in a vase or pot if the stems are strong.  

After the hydrangeas are dry, arrange them in a pretty container or use them in making a wreath for hanging.  Dried hydrangeas make lovely arrangements.  

Enjoy!

Decorating for the season

One of the things I love to do this time of year is plant pansies.  

These pretty flowers are certain to bring color all winter long, and carry through to the spring season here in the south.  

You can buy cascading pansies for hanging pots and hang them outside your window where you can see them every day!  

I am also catching up on my inside fall decorating here at Mourning Dove Cottage.  

I dried these large hydrangea blooms late in the summer.  

I like to put them in urns on the fireplace mantel.  

A few ceramic pumpkins and some berries.   

Pumpkins everywhere.  

I'm a bit late with my fall decorations, but better late than never ~ 
next week we will be getting out all of our Christmas things, right?

Hope you're enjoying this beautiful season!    

Hydrangeas....

...we love them for their colorful mop headed beauty in the summer,

and their natural splendid elegance in the fall.

Autumn decorating

I like to use natural elements for my autumn decorating.....

...some orange and cinnamon spice potpourri, a bouquet of golden wheat, some apples in a basket,

and dried hydrandeas from the garden.

This should take me from Halloween into the Thanksgiving holiday.

Oh yes, and a spicy pumpkin candle!

Summer blue

Blooms of the hydrangea.

The pretty blue color gives our cottage garden a cool, peaceful and serene feel.

(nice with all this hot weather we've been having)

I love to pick a big bouquet early in the morning and bring them inside to enjoy.

Riley likes to hide under their branches.

Memorial Day

Unofficially the start of summer! Whatever your plans are, I hope you have a great weekend.

My hydrangeas have dressed up beautifully for the occasion.

Enjoy your weekend!

Preserving the beauty

Hanging my hydrangea blooms to dry

so I can use them in arrangements later.

Hydrangea

I brought in a big bouquet of hydrangea blooms from the garden this morning and put them in a blue and white pottery pitcher. I thought the blues and the whites look so pretty together.

I like to bring in fresh flowers from the garden whenever possible, and these will be perfect to dry for winter arrangements.




Here is something I found comical the other evening when I looked out the kitchen window. Riley's stuffed teddy....sitting in the middle of the walk way. It's as if he posed him out there. I don't know how that happened, but I thought it was so cute.

Riley's always dragging toys out in the back yard. Otis, on the other hand, doesn't really play with toys. He'd rather take naps.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Donna