The Best Way To Harvest Hydrangeas So They Last Longer In A Bouquet

Hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.) are a thing of true beauty. Whether you grow the vibrant bushes in your garden, use potted hydrangeas to brighten up your front door, or simply love picking up a hydrangea bouquet from your local florist, they are a delight to have inside and outside your home. There are lots of hydrangea varieties and cultivars, and they're all known for their big colorful blooms in red, pink, purple, blue, and white. The big flower clusters are perfect for vases. Use them to create a beautiful table centerpiece or hallway console display that greets you every time you come home.

If you've got hydrangeas growing in your backyard and you'd love to harvest them for indoor use, the process is easier than you think. What, however, is the best way to do this so they last as long as possible in a vase? What's key is making sure you harvest the blooms at the right time in the growing season. You also need to make your cuts to the correct place on the hydrangea stems. Tool-wise, all you need is a sharp pair of gardening shears, a large tub of fresh water, a vase, and some alum powder.

Firstly, avoid harvesting your hydrangea flowers too early in the year. Give your hydrangeas a chance to present their best, fullest, most colorful blooms. Flowering peaks and the petals start to dry from late summer into early fall. Give your hydrangea shrub a good amount of water the night before you plan on cutting the blooms. Then, snip the flower stems first thing in the morning at an angle with your shears. Wondering where on the stem is the best place to prune? You should make your cut about 12 to 18 inches down the stem at a point just above a set of leaves.

Once you've harvested your hydrangea flowers, it's a good idea to place the entire stem, including the flower clusters, into a tub of water. Leave them to drink and rehydrate. When you're ready to put the cut blooms in your vase, remove leaves that will sit under the water in the vase. This minimizes rotting and the growth of bacteria. Fill your vase with warm water and dip the end of the stems in alum powder to encourage hydration. A few other tips for making your cut flowers last longer in a vase include regularly changing the vase water every few days to maintain freshness and keeping the arrangement out of direct sunlight. If you've harvested the flowers at the right time and in the right way, you should be able to keep cut hydrangeas fresh for weeks.