A blue hydrangea flower.
Hydrangea flowers can make fabulous flower arrangements, especially the mophead varieties, which are so large they can fill a vase with their many tiny blooms. They also hold up very well, especially with a few precautions. Since new flowers often sprout on old wood, cut off the green part, not the brown area of the stem. This will ensure that the new flowers will delight you next year. You can expect correctly cut flowers to last at least several weeks to a month.
Hydrangea flowers should be kept well hydrated after cutting.
Expert florists suggest that you make sure the flower is at least a week old and fully colored before cutting, as the older the flower, the longer it will last in the water. Once the flower has been cut, which should be cut diagonally, the hydrangea should be submerged in water for two hours. To increase water absorption, you can break the bottom of the stem with a hammer or cut an inch off the bottom of the stem while it is submerged in water. This will keep the flower alive and it will drink water for a longer period of time.
Some experts recommend boiling the water and cooling it before submerging the flower. Others simply recommend keeping the stem well submerged in water. Consider using a shorter vase and cut the stem of the hydrangea to about 6 inches (15.24 cm) or less. A longer stem requires more water and will shorten the life of the flower. Since the stem will absorb water, check longer stems frequently to see if the water in the vase needs to be replaced.
Although the leaves of hydrangeas are beautiful, they must be cut with a flower. They also steal water from the flower part and shorten the lifespan of a cut flower. Also, don’t cut non-flowering stems on a plant that is less than five years old, because they tend to become the next year’s flowers. Therefore, it is recommended to cut carefully.
