Making A Hydrangea Wreath

by Amanda

If you’re lucky enough to have a mature Hydrangea shrub bursting with summer blooms (or know of a generous friend who does), consider making a hydrangea wreath. It’s an extremely easy — and rewarding — DIY project that looks much harder than it is. All you need are a dozen or so Hydrangea blooms, about $15 worth of crafting items from your local store, and an hour of time.

Making A Hydrangea Wreath: Materials

All of the materials you need to make a Hydrangea wreath should either already be in your home or can be purchased from your local craft store:

• 10 or so medium sized Hydrangea flowers
• 10” or 12” wire wreath frame
• Floral wire
• Wire cutters
• Pruners

Making A Hydrangea Wreath: Cutting Blooms

There are two different times of the season you can cut your Hydrangea blooms for your wreath: when they are in full bloom or when they’ve dried on the plant in the fall. We cut the blooms for this wreath in early November, which meant the blooms were pretty much already dried. We chose a Limelight Hydrangea shrub that had turned from green to pink in the late season.

Take a sharp pair of pruners and cut each bloom about 6-12” down from the stem. The longer the stem, the better — you can always trim the stems down when you make the wreath but it’s harder to work with very short stems. Try to choose full, colorful blooms that are roughly the same size.

Making A Hydrangea Wreath: Drying Blooms

Before you make the wreath, you’ll want to make sure your Hydrangea blooms are dried so they will last and keep their color. If you cut your blooms in the fall (like we did) they are probably already dried. If you cut the blooms in the summer when they were in full color, follow these simple steps to dry them:   

• Cut flowers with 6-12” stems.
• Remove all foliage from the stems.
• Fill a clean mason jar or bucket with 3-6” of fresh water.
• Place the stems in the jar and place in a cool place in your home away from direct sunlight.
• Once the water has evaporated from the container, the hydrangea flowers should feel dry to the touch and preserved.

After drying Hydrangea using both this water method and letting the blooms air dry, the water method was much better at keeping the original color in the blooms.

Making A Hydrangea Wreath: Crafting Your Wreath

Now to the fun part: making the wreath. If some of your blooms have shades of brown on them (which is normal) make sure to face the colorful sides forward.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making a Hydrangea Wreath:

1. Wrap the floral wire around the frame several times and secure it with a knot in the back.
2. Bunch several blooms together (or use one larger bloom) and place on the wire frame. Wrap the floral wire 3-4 times around the stems until secure on the frame.  
3. Add another bunch of blooms and wrap the floral wire 3-4 times around the stems until secure.
4. Continue this process until you’ve filled your entire wreath frame.
5. At the end, cut the floral wire with your wire cutters and secure at the back of the wreath with a knot.
6. Make sure all flowers are secure on the wreath and add more floral wire where necessary.
7. If you’re feeling extra crafty, add a ribbon bow.

Making A Hydrangea Wreath: Display Your Craftiness

Even though your dried Hydrangea wreath will last for awhile, the dried flowers won’t stand up to the outdoor elements and should be displayed indoors. Show off your DIY craftiness on a wall, the inside of a door, or anywhere else you’d like to add a hint of elegance and nature. This easy project also makes for a fun activity to do with your kids and the wreaths are a thoughtful gift for friends and loved ones.

Have you made your own Hydrangea wreath? Please share your experience in the comments below!