I grow several hydrangea bushes in my gardens. Three of these produce flowers that dry well. When the petals thicken and take on a greenish sheen, it’s time to cut them. I snip off a piece, leaving six to eight inches of stem, and place the vase bunches in a few inches of water, setting them on top of my kitchen hutch. I occasionally check the water level, but other than that, I don’t do anything more. A few will wilt, but most will be dry in a few weeks.

Dried hydrangeas are lovely, with colors reminiscent of watercolors: pink, lavender, and blues swirled together to create a hazy, spring-like glow. The trouble is, in a few months, the colors will begin to fade to a weary beige. This year, I developed a solution. In the past, to preserve dried flowers and protect their delicate petals, I have sprayed them with hairspray. Why couldn’t I add a bit of acrylic paint to the hair spray and get a double advantage when I apply the protective film?

I bought a pump-bottle hair spray I knew was long-lasting and had a pleasant fragrance. (Aussie Brand) Your wreath will remind you of a hair salon for a few weeks, so be sure the smell of the hairspray you choose is not something you find repellent. An unscented spray will also work. Next, I divided the spray into two jars. Into these jars, I added cobalt blue acrylic paint, a few drops will do, and in the second jar, a mix of cobalt blue/alizarin crimson paint to create a lavender. I use Golden Taklon Soft Body acrylic, but any brand that provides decent coverage and is not too thick would work. Tube acrylics are not an option for this. I put the lid on the jar and shook it for about thirty seconds to ensure that the hairspray and paint were well incorporated.

The next step was to pour the pint/hair spray mixture back into the pump bottle. (Don’t use a recycled spray bottle, such as Windex, etc., as the spray is too heavy and the droplets are very large.) I covered the garage floor with newspaper and laid my dried hydrangeas out in a single layer. I sprayed the petals with the Cobalt Blue mix. Eureka! The thin mist of tinted hairspray worked as I intended, enhancing the colors already present on the petals. Next, I added a bit of Cobalt Blue and Alizarin Crimson to the second mix, a soft lavender/pink. I sprayed a quick coat of this on the flowers. Yes…they blended perfectly. Within a day, they were dry. I hot-glued the hydrangeas to a wreath and hung it on the wall. The natural colors will still begin to fade at some point, as all dried flowers tend to do, but this year the enhancement of the acrylics will keep them looking vibrant for a while longer.