Why does nobody talk about how dried flowers change color over time?

I put together a bouquet of blue hydrangeas and pink statice about 4 months ago, and the hydrangeas have turned this weird greenish-brown while the statice faded to almost white. I was really surprised because I thought they'd mostly hold their look after drying. Found a blog from a florist in Portland that says UV light and humidity can shift pigments way more than people expect. Has anyone else had a bouquet completely transform on them like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

robin_foster17d ago

Boy howdy, you hit on something that drives me nuts. I dried a batch of lavender and purple statice a few years back and the lavender turned straight up brown within six months. It was like watching a memory fade in real time. The florist you found is right about UV light being the big culprit, but I'd also bet your hydrangeas got hit with some moisture in the air. Blue flowers seem to be the worst offenders, they shift to green or brown faster than any other color I've tried. It's a shame because you put all that work into arranging them and they just decide to become something else entirely.

dylanwilliams7d ago

Lol my buddy dried blue hydrangeas from his girlfriend's garden and hung them in his kitchen thinking they'd look perfect. Came back from a week long trip and they were this weird greenish grey, like old moss. He was so mad he just threw the whole bunch in the trash and said never again.