I love love LOVE having fresh flowers around! Flowers at home (especially if they are from jeff) are one of my favorite things. They totally cheer up a room! Last week, I picked up a bunch of fresh cut hydrangeas. The very next day, they looked like this:
So sad and totally not cheery at all!
Hydrangeas drink up a lot of water and wilt easily. I read that this is because of a sticky substance that clogs the stems, preventing moisture from reaching the blooms. I asked my florist friend how to prolong the life of my hydrangeas and he gave me these tips:
Hydrangea has woody stems so its water absorption is poor compared to other fresh flowers. To help it get as much water as it can, cut a long diagonal piece off the bottom of the stem, exposing the white pithy part:
Cut off all extra leaves because hydrangea leaves take in a lot of water:
Fill a large bucket with ice cold water and submerge the entire stem and bloom in the water for 4-6 hours, or better yet, overnight:
In just a few hours, the blooms will start to perk up:
Remove from water and shake off all excess water, arrange in a vase:
Other tips:
- Re-cut the hydrangea’s stem every 1-2 days to ensure that the bottom of the stem is not blocked
- Check and change the water in the vase daily
- Never to expose them under direct sunlight and avoid blowing them directly with a fan
A properly cared for hydrangea can last for 7-10 days! I made mine last over a week with this trick!
~ Ilene