EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HYDRANGEAS
I have such a special place in my heart for hydrangeas. These old-fashioned flowers are the quintessential romantic summer bloom! I now have 18 hydrangea bushes around the Tanglewood House. And when they are all full of beautiful mop head florets there is nothing quite like them! Today I’d like to give you some tips about arranging hydrangeas, caring for hydrangeas, drying hydrangeas and more! This is THE exhaustive manual of cut hydrangeas! Keep this as a reference!
Hydrangeas are a summer into fall plant. Their beautiful early life cycle starts early in the summer and they keep on blooming and changing almost until early frost. And if you know how to dry them they can last for years!
Sometimes hydrangeas can be a bit of a diva! But that’s only because we may not know how to handle them properly! Let’s start with how to cut them and end with how to dry them today!
HOW TO CUT HYDRANGEAS
Let’s talk about getting them off the bush first…
Cut hydrangeas first thing in the morning when they are filled with moisture. This is important to keep them looking their best!
Take a bucket of water out to the garden with you and clean sharp garden clippers. Cut the stem of the hydrangeas at a 45 % angle and stick them into the bucket immediately. This prevents them from forming a healing substance over the ends so they can take up water.
HOW TO KEEP CUT HYDRANGEAS FROM WILTING
Now, let’s talk about how to care for them when they are cut. See HOW TO KEEP CUT HYDRANGEAS FROM WILTING
In this post you will find…
- what container to use
- what temperature water should be
- what to do with the hydrangea leaves
- two technique to keep cut hydrangeas from wilting
- what to put in the water for hydrangeas
- how often to change the water
- emergency care for wilting hydrangeas (this works great!)
CREATING AN ARRANGEMENT
When arranging cut hydrangeas one of the big rules is… DON’T OVERCROWD THEM! They are so beautiful and each big head needs to be shown off. This rule is a little bit of a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do! When I style hydrangeas for photos I tend to pack them into a container.
Hydrangeas look great with mixed with other flowers. They add such a bit of drama and color to an arrangement!
DRYING CUT HYDRANGEAS
As the summer season wanes hydrangeas blooms will begin losing their moisture and their flowers will begin to look papery. Their color also becomes more saturated and might even become different altogether. Look for the edges of a bloom to be tinged with sepia. So pretty and a great look for fall.
When you see this happening it’s time to DRY HYDRANGEAS!
In this post you will find…
- how to judge when hydrangeas are ready to dry
- the drying process
- how to keep them looking their best after they have dried
Here’s a little trick I learned to keep dried hydrangeas from crumbling when they are dried. Hair spray! I take each dried bloom outside and give them a good spray. It really helps to keep them intact. You can also use a matte craft fixative.
You might also like these hydrangea posts…
Now, YOU know EVERYTHING you need to know about cut hydrangeas!
What you don’t address and what I have the biggest problem with, is the abundance of spiders within those flower heads. How do I get rid of those before I bring them into the house ?
The fix is easy. Place them underwater. Fill up a sink or bathtub with water and submerge the moppy hydrangeas heads underwater for at least 30 seconds. The bug and spiders will float to the top and you can put them back outside. Hope this is helpful.
Yvonne,
Second only to my Peonies Hydrangeas are my favorite flower both outside and for arrangements inside. What kind of Hydrangeas did you plant around your new home? I have several Limelight, some Tardivas and some old fashion Blue and White types which bloom first. Love them all and get so excited when I see the buds forming. Thanks for your tips on keeping them at their best in arrangements. One question. At what bloom stage do you cut them? Thanks and have a wonderful Mother’s day.
I like to cut hydrangeas when they are just starting to bloom. But not when they are fully bloomed in early summer. They are too tender and will wilt. During the heat of the summer and fall, they are wonderful to pick. I just planted oakleaf hydrangeas and ruby slipper hydrangeas to add to my limelight and everblooming varieties.
As I read your post today, I am in our backyard in North Central Florida, on our patio looking at my 2 year old hydrangeas and absorbing all your information, pondering the day when I am able to begin cutting their blooms! Your post gives me hope and inspiration! Thanks for ALL you do. Especially the Sunday “epistles.” What a blessing 🙌
So enjoy your hydrangeas!
Do you know of a white one that stays white?
Which is your favorite?
You’re always inspiring. You push me to do a little bit more!
Hydrangeas are the best flower and I keep mine around all season when they are dried. Always a trick as to when to cut them for drying though. Great tips.My annabelles have been the largest producer of my dried flowers.