Make Your Own Hydrangea Wreath
- Details
- Written by: Marishal Gupta
- Hits: 483
The hydrangeas fading to green and antique rose in your front yard are not spent. For a dried wreath, they are finally ready.
A dried hydrangea wreath takes about an hour to make and the only thing you have to buy is the grapevine form. You are close to the last good chance to cut the blooms, so set aside a free afternoon in the next week or two. It’s a fun activity for kids to help with, and the autumnal tones will carry you from pumpkins to Thanksgiving.
If you don't have hydrangeas in your garden, ask a friend or neighbor who does — most people are glad to have the heads taken off their hands this time of year.
When to cut, and what to look for
Hydrangeas typically bloom in Scarsdale (Zone 7a) from May until September, so by the first weeks of October, the heads have faded and begun to dry on the shrub, which is exactly the right state for this project. You don't want a bloom at its peak, as it is full of water and will wilt and shrivel up within a day.
Judge by touch. Take a floret between your fingers. If it feels slick or faintly rubbery, leave it another week. If it feels more like tissue paper, cut.
Avoid any blooms that are already brown on the shrub, and do not use hydrangeas that have already been cut and dried, as they will shatter at a touch and the stems won't be pliable enough to slide into the wreath.
Nearly every common variety dries well, so use what is available to you. Bigleaf mopheads and panicle types such as Limelight all hold their shape, and
Oakleaf hydrangeas dry to a deep rust. Smooth hydrangeas like Annabelle are a particular favorite for wreaths: the enormous white heads fade to a soft buff and keep their volume.
Materials
-A grapevine wreath form, easily available online for about eight dollars. Eighteen inches is a standard front-door size; twelve to fourteen suits a wall or a mantel.
-A pair of clean, sharp snips.
-Approximately thirty hydrangea blooms.
-A basket to harvest into (optional).
-Zip ties (optional).
The Method
Cut each stem on the diagonal, twelve to fourteen inches below the bloom. The extra length makes the blooms easier to carry and gives you room to trim later. If you grow mopheads or lacecaps, let the buds decide where you cut instead: they bloom on old wood, next summer's buds have already formed along the stems, and your cut belongs just above them. Leave a fair number of heads on the shrub too, since the spent flowers shelter those buds through the winter.
Gather about thirty heads in a mix of sizes. The range is what lets you build a dense, even wreath. If using a smaller wreath form, you can start with fewer and cut more as needed.
Strip the leaves from every stem.
Trim each stem four to five inches below the bloom. That is the length that slides into the grapevine and anchors the head as it dries and shrinks.
Push each stem into the grapevine so the bloom sits directly against the form rather than floating above it. The twists of the vine do the holding. Place each stem in the same direction for a fuller look. It is sometimes easier to aim the stem against the direction the vine is woven, as it creates a bit of tension. The heaviest heads are the ones most likely to work loose; if one will not stay put, run a zip tie around its stem and a piece of the vine and trim the tail close.
Set the large blooms first, working until the form is encircled. Adding one stem on one side and the next on the opposite side keeps the weight balanced as you go.
Use the medium and small blooms to fill in any gaps, taking care to cover the inner and outer edges of the wreath, not just the face, as they will be visible once the wreath is hanging.
A few notes and tips
Expect it to tighten, and plan for gaps. As the blooms dry they lose volume, and spaces may appear that were not there on assembly day. If this happens, you can slide in a few additional small heads once the wreath has settled.
Let it dry undisturbed. The wreath finishes drying on the form over the following week or two. Handling it while the stems are still shrinking loosens blooms that would otherwise have set.
Hang it out of the sun and weather. A covered porch is ideal. Full afternoon sun will bleach the color within a month, and a heavy rain will reduce the blooms to pulp.
You do not have to cover the whole form. A partly filled wreath — blooms across the top and down one side, bare grapevine showing below — looks deliberate rather than unfinished, and it is the right answer for a young shrub that cannot spare thirty heads. A few sprigs of foliage will soften the transition.
Outdoors under cover, expect a single season. Kept indoors, however, one of these wreaths will last for years rather than months. The color continues to soften over time, settling into the faded palette of an old quilt, and a wreath that has thinned can be 
revived each fall by pushing a few fresh heads into the gaps.
Imperfections are part of the charm. A first attempt is almost always a little lopsided. Have fun with it! There will always be more blooms next year.
Marichal grew up in the Berkshires and now lives in Scarsdale with her husband, two kids, and adorable mini Aussie. A former baker, she loves cardamom buns, sungold tomatoes straight off the vine, and hunting for vintage Swedish ceramics.
Food, Wine and People News
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 2141
Lots doing in the Village of Scarsdale this week.
Spotted: Jalen Brunson and the Knicks were enjoyed dinner at One Rare Steakhouse on East Parkway this weekend. Brunson moved to Scarsdale recently and residents are thrilled to have this star in town.
Moved: Also on East Parkway, Scarsdale Wine Merchants has moved from their previous location on Depot Place. The large new location has plenty of wines and spirits and is just a few doors down from the former home of Zachys. Owner Kristie Petrullo Campbell is excited to welcome you to the new store and plans to start weekend tastings soon.
Opened: On Tuesday September 22, Capretta Italian restaurant celebrated their opening in the location previously occupied by Akai. Mayor Justin Arest, Deputy Mayor Dara Gruenberg and Trustee Tim Foley cut the ribbon to make it official. The restaurant is brought to you by the Z Hospitality Group, who also own Mediterraneo, Terra and Eastend in Greenwich, Aurora In Rye and several more eateries in Connecticut. The restaurant has been an instant hit.
Coming Soon: At the September 22, 2026 meeting of the Scarsdale Village Board, Core Burn Pilates received permission to open a 1,539 square foot studio at 100 Christie Place in the space formerly occupied by the Bank of America. Caffe Nero, a coffee shop and cafe will also open at the corner of East Parkway and Chirstie Place.
Fresh Finds at Sprouts: Why Giving Westchester’s Newest Grocery Store a Second Look Pays Off
- Details
- Written by: Anu Lall
- Hits: 1743
I walked into Sprouts Farmers Market—the new grocery store that just opened in our midst on North Central Ave in Hartsdale—and I have a confession to make: I was immediately underwhelmed.
As I walked around, I was struck by the unfamiliarity of it all. Most of us in the neighborhood are deeply wedded to our habitual stores. We have our routines at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, H Mart, Stop & Shop, and DeCicco’s. To step into a totally new layout felt, frankly, a bit disorienting. Where were my usual brands? Why didn't it look like the mega-markets I’m used to?
But then, I decided to take a breath, adjust my expectations, and walk the store with an open mind. Once I did, I quickly realized that Sprouts isn't trying to be a replica of our usual haunts—and that is exactly its charm.
Here is what I found when I gave it a real chance:
The Supplement Haven The absolute standout feature of the store is its health and wellness section. If you are someone who usually orders your vitamins and wellness products online, Sprouts is about to become your new best friend. I was thrilled to find shelves loaded with premium, hard-to-find brands like MaryRuth’s, Nordic Naturals, and Carlson, alongside an impressive array of collagen, peptides, and Omegas. It is a fantastic, curated selection you simply won't find easily at standard supermarkets.
The "Goldilocks" Size If I had to compare it to anything, Sprouts is closest in size and spirit to a Trader Joe’s, or perhaps a boutique Whole Foods on a slightly smaller scale. It is the perfect-sized store for the mid-to-small size shopper. The packaging and quantities of most of their products are a great antidote to Costco; it is ideal for shoppers who just need a quick restock and don’t necessarily need to buy in bulk to feed an army.
Clean, Fresh, and Friendly: The shop feels brand new, spotlessly clean, and inviting, anchored by a genuinely friendly staff. While I didn't get an overwhelming "farmers market" vibe as the name might suggest, the fresh offerings more than hold their own.
The Staples: They have a great fresh coffee selection and an adequate row of bulk dispensers for pulses and grains.
The Produce: The fruits and vegetables are fresh, bright, and reasonably priced.
Convenience: The ready-made foods and bakery sections are adequate and well-curated—not overstocked to the point of being overwhelming, but with enough variety to grab a quick, easy meal.
The Verdict: Is it going to replace your massive weekend grocery haul? Maybe not. But if you are looking for top-tier wellness supplements, reasonably priced fresh produce, and a highly manageable, clean shopping experience without the overwhelming scale of a warehouse store, Sprouts is a fantastic addition to our community.
Next time you are driving down Central Ave, skip the usual routine for a day. Walk in with an open mind—you might just find your new favorite neighborhood gem!
Sprouts Farmers Market
N. Central Ave. & Dalewood Dr.
393 N. Central Ave. Suite B
Hartsdale, NY 10530
914-200-0387
Store Hours: 7:00AM –10:00PM
About the Author: Anu Lall lives in Scarsdale with her family and is deeply passionate about local neighborhood life and community events. She is a licensed real estate agent with Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty.
Paper Community Calendar is Back: PTC to Print Calendars After Community Pushback
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 1457
(We received the following letter from Rokaya Hassaball, President of the Scarsdale PTC)
Following community feedback, the Scarsdale Parent Teacher Council (PTC) is pleased to announce that the printed Community Calendar is returning this year after all. We heard from many families about how much this Scarsdale tradition means to them, and thanks to the generosity of our returning and new sponsors, we were able to move forward with printing. Calendars will be distributed to households in the coming weeks. We're grateful to our community for speaking up, and to our sponsors for making this possible.
Returning Sponsors
Eye Gallery, Dr. Michael Rosen
The Zach & Heather Harrison Team
Julia B Fee Sotheby's
Houlihan Lawrence
New Sponsors
The Scarsdale Foundation
Vivian Lem, Insurance Agent at State Farm
The Laura Miller Team at Houlihan Lawrence
Best Regards,
Rokaya Hassaballa
Scarsdale PTC President, 25-26
Is Scarsdale’s Paper Community Calendar Gone for Good? Residents Want It Back
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 1718
Another Scarsdale tradition may have fallen victim to the prevalence of digital over paper.
This week residents learned that the paper Scarsdale Community Calendar, listing school and village events, would now only be produced in digital form. For those wishing to access the calendar, you can do so here.
For many years, the arrival of the paper calendar in resident’s mailboxes signaled the beginning of fall. Since it listed both school and village events, and was mailed to every household in Scarsdale, it was viewed by some as a community builder.
The calendar was produced by the PT Council and the costs of printing and mailing it were underwritten by local businesses. The chief sponsor for many years was Scarsdale Security Systems which has now been sold to a national company.
We spoke to PT Council President Rokaya Hassaballa and she explained why the decision to go digital was made.
She said, “The decision to move to a digital calendar was triggered by the loss of one of our main sponsors, and finding replacement sponsors has been particularly challenging. That said, the online community calendar has a lot of advantages. Many events change or shift during the middle of the year, and once the physical calendar goes to print, we can't make any changes, the digital calendar is much better for accommodating changes. We also wanted to move toward a greener solution, since fewer people were using the printed version and many copies ended up being discarded.”
However, now that there has been so many calls for the return of the printed version from community members, Hassaballa says that the PT Council is reconsidering. She said, “We hear the community and we understand how important of a tradition this is, so we are having an internal discussion and reaching out to our sponsors to evaluate our options for funding. We should come to a decision soon, and I will update you once we do.”
What do you think? Comment below.
