This is my favorite time of the year. The weather is warm and the garden flowers are blooming. Our neighbours have the most amazing hydrangeas growing in their garden and they have kindly told us to help our selves to them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hydrangea plant as big as theirs. It’s super impressive. Hydrangeas don’t survive in this hot weather for too long though and need some serious watering. I guess the biggest downside is that they only bloom for about 2 months and that’s it. After that your beautiful fluffy showstopper is no longer at its best. They do look ok all the way to autumn I’d say, but not quite as striking as in June/July. Still I’d say they are worth it. I’m very envious of our neighbours plant and would not hesitate to plant one in our garden if we had room for it.
Blue hydrangeas are apparently difficult to grow and maintain (unless you’re growing them in a pot). Our neighbours’ hydrangea plant grows both pink and blue blooms and it’s really not that common around here. Apparently the colour of the blooms depends on the soil and the pH levels. That’s about as much as I know about hydrangeas and growing them though. I haven’t been blessed with a green thumb and the only plants that do seem to survive in our house are the ones that are outside (and not in pots!)
I do find that once you bring hydrangeas indoors they can start to wilt after few days, unless you do few extra steps to preserve them.
1. First of all you should cut your flowers in the Morning if possible, so they are looking extra fresh.
2. Remember to cut all the stems at an angle so they absorb more water. I also like to remove any extra leaves that would be left below the water line.
3. Change the water every other day (although I’m terrible at remembering this).
4. Add few drops of bleach to the water to stop bacteria or fungus from developing. I literally just add one or two drops though. Too much bleach will kill your flowers! You may notice the colour of the blooms turning a little paler but that’s ok. Few drops shouldn’t change the colour too much.
5. You should also recut the stems after a day or two, just to make sure your flowers continue to drink water.
6. I also recently learned that I should be using lukewarm water with most fresh cut flowers. Room temperature is also usually fine. I’ve been using cold water in the past which isn’t ideal (except with certain flowers like tulips).
7. You can revive cut hydrangeas with boiling water too. I have tried this trick and it works! The minute I notice the hydrangeas are starting to wilt, I boil some water and mix it with a bit of cold water. The water in the vase should still be hot but not too hot to break the vase. Then I recut the hydrangeas and place them in the vase overnight. In the Morning my flowers are looking a lot happier!
I’ve been having so much fun creating little arrangements around the house with the hydrangeas. I mean have you ever seen me looking this happy? Flowers make me happy but hydrangeas really take it to a whole new level. They fill up a medium sized vase pretty quickly but look equally gorgeous on their own. I love their delicate and fluffy petals so much. I definitely prefer them over peonies. They are so much more versatile and less temperamental (if that makes sense).
Are you a fan of hydrangeas? If there are any ‘maintenance tips’ you’d like to add leave a comment below!
