Everybody loves Hydrangeas!
They put on a wonderful show in almost any floral arrangement.
These pretties also have a reputation for being almost impossible to keep for any length of time.
It used to be that I dreaded getting a request for Hydrangeas in our floral work.
Not anymore……I know “Hydrangea Stuff” now!
AND I am going to share that stuff with you!

On Thursday the wonderful folks at Koehler and Dramm delivered 125 Hydrangeas Sweetwater.  Yikes….that is a lot of flowers.
What ever would I need 125 Hydrangeas for?
Why….to make popcorn centerpieces for the Chaska Rotary Circus Themed Gala of course!

Popcorn boxes from the dollar store were stuffed with white Hydrangea to mmic popcorn.
The gala decor is the genius work of the Sweetwater Daughter…..and I got to help!

I think she nailed it…..
Enough bragging on my kid…

I am here to share some tips that will ALMOST guarantee success and a long vase life for Hydrangeas.

TIP #1
HMMMM…..did you know that Hydrangeas take in water from their petals?
So…when I unpacked the 125 flowers….I immediately plopped them all upside down in bucket (or in this case the bathtub) of cold water.

Each flower comes with it’s own little baggie of water. This keeps the flower stem hydrated while the flowers soak.

If your flowers don’t have this, you can concoct one with by bunching the stems and wrapping a water filled baggie around them with a rubber band.

OR…..you really can submerge the whole flower stem and all in the water.

I didn’t take photos of my process…so here is an image from the Flower Muse

I soaked these overnight.  You really only need to do this for a couple of hours.
Give them a fresh diagonal cut when you take them out of the water.  Immediately get them in buckets of water.
The flowers will be really wet when you take them out…DUH!….so they will need to dry off before you arrange them.

TIP #2

Alum Dip

When you cut hydrangeas they can form a sticky substance over the cut that prevents the flower from sucking water up through the stem.  There are a couple of ways to prevent that “sticky stuff” from forming: dipping the stem in boiling water….putting the end of the stem in an open flame….OR this! Dip the freshly cut stem in ALUM(A common ingredient used for pickling, find it in the spice aisle.) 

French Country Cottage

When you are arranging your hydrangeas re-cut the stem  about an inch above the previous cut and immediately stick the bottom 1/2″ of the stem in the alum to coat it, then arrange as usual.

 I learned this trick at a workshop given by a wedding designer who does those really spendy weddings that budget upwards of $15,000 for FLOWERS.
I figure that if he relies on this method, it must be pretty fool proof!

TIP #3

Finishing Spray !
This is my new favorite “secret sauce”.  Once this is sprayed on your Hydrangeas or other flowers, it keeps them looking fresh for a really long time.

It might seem like a lot to spend…..but if it keeps your expensive flowers looking good for more than a week….it is worth it.  A little goes a long way too.

Tip #4

You can revive a droopy Hydrangea!  Sometimes all the tricks don’t seem to work and a flower will wilt anyway.  It is worth trying to revive your Hydrangea….you have nothing to lose!  Just cut the stem again and fully immerse the flower head and stem in cold water for a few hours.  In many cases, the flower will perk right up!

So the proof is in the photo….right!?

Here are the Hydrangeas from the Gala last weekend.
They were arranged on Friday….
Now it is Tuesday…..
They look pretty good and probably will for at least another 4 or 5 days!

 Now….go buy yourself some Hydrangeas and enjoy them with no worries!!

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