Now is the moment to cut mophead hydrangea heads to bring indoors before the rains start in tomorrow. The tiny frogs were singing in the garden this morning, the sun slanting through the thick mist, a perfect autumn day to harvest hydrangeas.
Nature's your ally in preserving hydrangea blossoms, for most have already dried on the plant to a leathery consistency ideal for preserving. Simply snip a decent length stem (cut to a pair of next year's developing buds ), strip off the lower leaves or even all the leaves, and stick the hydrangeas into a roomy vase (don't crowd them) with a couple of inches of water in the bottom. The water will slowly evaporate, leaving the hydrangeas beautifully dried for fall or even holiday (sorry to mention that!) arrangements.....
A pile of just-cut hydrangeas, headed for the vase...
Fall chill mellows the colors to a range of gorgeous shades - and these are the simplest to grow, basic, old-fashioned mopheads (Hydrangea macrophylla)
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