From Fresh to Dry Bouquet

Oh how I wish all things would be this easy!  The picture above left is a fresh flower arrangement that I put together on October 1 just before our first frost.  The one on the right is what I have on my kitchen island today.  What do they have in common?  

Answer:  The blooms from the Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'.  I hit that magical time when I cut the flowers, they dried in the vase and have been showing their colors for the last six weeks.  Yes, these are they same stems in both pictures.  I could take credit for knowing the perfect timing for this, but I would be lying.  

I have since discovered that I blundered into a legitimate drying technique.   The trick is to cut the blooms just as they start to change color and feel a little papery.   Cut the stems at an angle, strip the leaves and put them in water at about half the length of the stems.  Then let the water evaporate and, viola,  the hydrangea has dried and retained much of the colors.  

Hydrangea Limelight is a hardy shrub.  The tag claims it should be planted in full sun, but I have it in part shade and it does quite well.  The blooms start light green, go to a cream, then start to go back to a green with burgundy hues.  The blooms left on the shrub are now brown and will be throughout the winter.  I leave all my hydrangea standing through the winter as I think they add some interest to the garden.  
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Next year I can hardly wait to see if I can pick them at just the right time and dry many more.