00:01It's hydrangea season so that means it's time to harvest them and make something
00:05super cool. Let me show you what I'm going to do. The best time of year to dry
00:10hydrangeas is in late summer or early fall when the petals sound a little bit
00:14crispy kind of like cray paper. This just means most of the moisture has left the
00:19petals already so they have an opportunity to dry wilt free. Because the
00:23hydrangeas I'm cutting are quite dry they won't need long stems to sit in
00:27water. However I'm still going to be mindful where I cut. I'm looking for
00:32buds and will do my best to cut above a group of buds to make sure that they
00:36bloom next year again. To prepare I cut a big pile of flower bunches then I gave
00:43each one a good shake to avoid bringing any critters inside. So let's make a
00:47major statement piece first. I reached for a huge tool box I had in my stash.
00:52however any large container will work like crates baskets or even buckets. I placed a
00:59base layer of hydrangeas along the inside of the toolbox until filled. Now that I've
01:03got my base filled I'm going to start mounding them by layering. So you can
01:08remove some leaves and create more of a stem and so you create these little
01:14mountains so to speak rather than everything being super flat. So the more
01:21you layer the higher puffier it gets. Now for a good spot. Since my fireplace has
01:28such a large scale I placed the toolbox on the mantle. This is where things got
01:33really flamboyant. I added more hydrangea mounts to the inside of the toolbox until
01:38it had a very full look. I placed some hydrangeas on each side of the crate right
01:43on the mantle then built up the size to create an overflowing effect. Now what I'm
01:50going to do along the front is just play around some hydrangeas with stems
01:53attached so I can make them cascade down a little bit lower. So I will be playing
02:00with a few more and add some more up here to create those little mountains. You can
02:07also add leaves in random areas if desired. I also generally leave a small
02:12amount of flowers near the base to give them a just dropped out vibe and the
02:17result is a very flamboyant and lush hydrangea arrangement that should dry out
02:22exactly as is. With muted shades of purple and burgundy this is a fall
02:27hydrangea signature look that really fills up a massive space quickly. Now
02:32obviously I would regard this as a very flamboyant. You need a lot of hydrangeas
02:36and a lot of space but imagine the impact at a front door, big farm table, or massive
02:43fireplace. You can make this next project with even a grapevine wreath if you have
02:48it on hand which would make it really easy to stick all the stems in the nooks
02:52and crannies but I wanted to demonstrate it on something a little more
02:55price-efficient and that is a really big embroidery hoop found from the first
03:00door. I placed a branch along a large embroidery hoop then wrapped floral wire around
03:05the stem to hold it in place on the hoop. Then I repeated this with other branches
03:10while laying the stems the same direction. Their positions were rotated
03:14ranging from inside, on top, and along the outer edge to help fill in all the
03:19edges. Then once I reached the end I snipped the wire and knotted it. The wreath was
03:25then placed on a door hanger outside along with a few added leaves which created the
03:30most beautiful abundant fall wreath right on my front door. This hydrangea wreath
03:35really packs a visual punch thanks to using the large hoop so I could really
03:40load up on those flowers. The beautiful muted fall tones literally pop off the
03:45black screen door creating a major statement piece even as you walk up the
03:49driveway. However, not every hydrangea project needs to be massive. I placed a tray
03:55with a bowl of apples on my coffee table. Then I positioned a few hydrangea branches
04:00inside the tray while adding leaves to the flowers and apples. What a pretty
04:05compact and cute display to make in a jiffy! Have an old clipboard? I pinched in
04:11some flower stems under the clip then used floral wire to extend one branch so it
04:15sits further down. Now I have an instantly cute flower display that can be easily
04:20hung up anywhere desired. Worried about the flowers wilting? Here's the fix. I
04:26positioned a jar filled with a little bit of water inside a wicker basket. Then I
04:30placed longer stem flowers so each one sat in the water. The arrangement was fluffed
04:36until I got the look I wanted while adding my signature fallen flower near the
04:40base.
04:44Every time I make something with hydrangeas I get a lot of comments
04:47how do I make mine bloom like yours? So I'm going to spin the camera around and
04:51show you how I clip. That's the secret. So last fall I trimmed the hydrangea right
04:57here and it was above two buds. These two buds grew and this is where the new
05:02hydrangeas bloomed. So this year I trimmed here and here above two other buds and
05:08these will branch out and create the new growth. So always trim above a bud. I
05:14usually wait until the flowers turn brown before I trim them off. However if I wanted
05:18to do it now here's what I would do. I would select my flower and then work down the
05:23stem until I found two prominent buds and clip it right above the buds. And what
05:29losing a little bit of length will do will help reshape your hydrangea too so it
05:34looks really nice next year. Don't hate on me but here's my other one in the
05:38backyard. So I have more to do. Look at the beautiful colors. This is a true fall
05:45mix with the pinks but it usually looks blue. Isn't that sensational? I usually
05:55leave my hydrangeas as is until well after the flowers turn brown because
06:00there's nothing more beautiful than a snowfall around the brown flowers.
06:03It's sensational. However you can prune them in late fall or early spring. Spring
06:09is a really good time because the new buds are already starting so you know
06:13exactly how far to clip. If you have some bare windows that could use some added
06:18interest here's what I did by simply heading outdoors first. I am measuring the
06:23width of my chosen windows then cutting some grapevine branches to at least that
06:28length. I'm now selecting a support stake and cutting it down to the inside of each
06:33window. I'm cutting enough branches to create a small bundle for each window.
06:37Testing their size I'm holding one bunch in a window then penciling in where
06:42I'd like them to hang. Working with that pencil mark I'm screwing in a closet dowel
06:48bracket then adding one to the other side of the window at the same height then
06:52positioning the support stake inside the brackets. Back to the branches I'm
06:57ensuring one end of the branches are flush. Using some thin florists wire I'm
07:02placing the wire under the left and right sides of the branches leaving lots of
07:06overage to work with. I'm now loosely twisting the wire to bundle up each of
07:10the sides of the branches then double checking that the branch ends are flush so
07:15they will fit. Carrying the tied bundle to the windows I'm using the wire overage
07:20to twist the bundled branches to the support stake. After attaching I'm using some
07:25filler branches to beef up the bundles making them appear as full as possible to
07:30resemble a twig roll-up blind. By adding some branches slightly longer than the
07:35inside of the window frame it causes the branch to bend into place and fit
07:39tight ending up helping to further support the bundles. And the finished
07:43result is a nature inspired twiggy roll blind that adds warmth and interest to
07:48each window without keeping out any sunlight. I love how the woodsy look marries my
07:54hardwood floors and wood cabinets. We are collecting branches from a generous
07:58neighbor who just pruned some oak trees during fall. Once the leaves started to
08:02drop I pulled the remaining leaves off all the branches until they were
08:06completely bare. Moving to the front door I am placing two old metal buckets on
08:11each side of the entry area. I'm now grabbing the largest of the branches and
08:16positioning them into the buckets then using smaller branches as fillers tucked in
08:21around them. Grabbing some florists wire I'm winding the wire around the bulk of the
08:26branches to secure them together. Moving the branches close to the wooden door
08:30frame I'm using an electric stapler to attach the wire to the woodwork to secure
08:35the branches in one spot. As I'm working I'm pruning off any branches that will
08:40hinder the door from swinging or people walking around it. I'm now choosing two of
08:44the longest branches to create a slight curve on top when combined and long
08:49enough to reach both front door lights. They are being wrapped with wire to secure
08:53them together. After making a few branch trims I'm carrying the tied branches to
08:58position them over top of each light. After adding a few more branch fillers
09:03I'm wiring them to any other secure branches within reach. After a quick
09:08pruning I'm now untangling some white stringed outdoor mini lights. My
09:12intention had been to use lights with green strings however since I didn't have
09:17enough I have a plan to make this look even better than my original idea.
09:21Grabbing some faux snow spray I'm spraying the branches so they look like
09:25fresh blown snow all over them which also chimes in beautifully with the white
09:29stringed lights. If you'd like a more permanent option you can also paint the
09:34branches with white spray paint before they are mounted. To better secure the
09:38branches over the door area I screwed two boards together then mounted them in
09:43the middle of the door. And the result is a whimsical front door winter scene that
09:47resembles stepping into Narnia. Wow what an effect during the day and at night. The
09:52white stringed lights look positively charming draped on the white snowy
09:56branches mimicking sparkling snow. I hope this inspires you to save some prune
10:01branches to create a light-up winter tree arch of your own.
