The Secret to Keeping Fresh Cut Hydrangeas from Drooping
Are your fresh cut hydrangea flowers wilting in a vase? Whether you cut them from the garden or bought them from the market, keep hydrangeas from drooping with these simple tips.
This post shares two simple methods to keep hydrangea flowers from wilting in a vase as well as how to revive the blooms after they do. You’ll learn why this happens and best practices to keep fresh cut hydrangea arrangements fresh for longer.
Does that happen to you too?
It’s so disappointing when they droop. But there are two ways to prevent cut hydrangeas from wilting and both work equally well.
And if your cut hydrangeas wilted?
All is not lost. Check out the end of this post to learn how to revive the flowers.
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Do You Put Cut Hydrangeas in Water
Yes. It’s really important to get your fresh cuts in water immediately after cutting them. So when you head out to the garden to cut hydrangeas, bring a large bucket of water with you.
And as soon as you make a cut, drop the stem in that bucket of water to help keep them fresh.
What Is the Best Time of Day to Cut Hydrangeas?
Believe it or not when you cut hydrangeas is equally as important as putting them in water after cutting them to help keep them fresher for longer.
The best time of day to cut hydrangeas is in the morning when the weather is much cooler. Now that doesn’t mean you can’t cut later in the day, because you can if you had to. But avoid cutting in the heat of the day.
The flowers last longer when cut in the morning, so I recommend aiming for that timeframe.
Why Are My Fresh Cut Hydrangeas Wilting?
Fresh cut hydrangeas wilt when they self-heal from the initial cut.
Because cut stems start to form a substance over the wound to heal itself, water has trouble reaching the blooms.
When the flowers don’t get enough water, they start drooping. And luckily, there is an easy fix for this. With proper care, hydrangeas can last a long time.
Here are two methods to keep those fresh-cut flowers looking gorgeous for weeks!
How to Keep Fresh Cut Hydrangeas from Wilting
There are two easy methods to keep cut hydrangeas from wilting.
And minimal supplies are required.
Here’s what you need regardless of the method you choose.
Supplies Needed for Fresh Cut Hydrangeas Using Either Method
- Pruners
- Container filled with fresh water for the initial fresh cuts
- Second container filled with fresh water to display the arrangement
- Alum Spice (if using alum method)
- Pot filled with boiling hot water (if using hot water method)
Directions for Cut Hydrangea Care
Before we deep dive into the methods for keeping the flowers from wilting, here’s how to cut the flowers to prepare them for life in bouquet.
- Gather supplies.
- Clean pruning shears before making cuts.
- Tip: it’s best to cut hydrangeas in the early am while the weather is cool.
- Cut stems at an angle.
- Immediately drop fresh cuts into a container of fresh water.
- Choose and follow one of the methods below: Hot Water or Alum.
- If using grocery store or floral blooms, skip this part and follow one of the below methods.
How to Keep Fresh Cut Hydrangeas from Drooping Using the Hot Water Method
To me, this is the easier way to do it because you don’t need anything else besides sharp pruners and boiling hot water.
Hot Water Method Directions
- After the initial cuts are made, boil water.
- Have the second container of room-temperature water ready to hold the arrangement.
- Cut hydrangea stems again on an angle to the desired length of the arrangement.
- Optional: some like to smash the bottom of stems so it takes in more water. (I’ve never done this but I’ve heard it works).
- Stand hydrangea stems in hot water for 30 seconds.
- Immediately drop into room temperature water.
- Arrange flowers accordingly.
And that’s it! Super easy right?
Ok so that’s the hot water method. Here’s how to do the alum method.
How to Keep Fresh Cut Hydrangeas from Drooping Using Alum
Have you ever heard or used alum before?
Alum is a spice that is used for pickling and canning. But did you know that it can also be used to help keep hydrangeas from wilting?
Alum Spice Method Directions
- After making the initial cuts from the plant, immediately drop stems in freshwater.
- Get a second container with fresh water ready and grab the alum spice.
- While arranging the blooms, re-cut stems on an angle to the desired length of the arrangement.
- Dip the bottom 1/2 inch of the stem into the alum.
- Drop into the second container
- Arrange the flowers.
Whenever I arrange mophead hydrangeas, I love to mix the colors up a little for some contrast.
How to Perk Up Cut Hydrangeas After They Wilt
- If the arrangement’s water is more than a day old, dump it and add fresh water before reviving it.
- Soak the blooms for several hours. I do this in the kitchen sink.
- Re-cut all the stems at an angle.
- Choose and follow one of the above methods to finish reviving the blooms.
- Note: if the arrangement is much older, blooms may be more difficult to revive. But give it a shot!
Don’t these fresh-cut hydrangeas look so beautiful? I love how they look in this pretty vintage container too.
I kept them outside for a bit but wound up bringing them indoors in my kitchen. Because I love how they look on the kitchen island with those vintage seed prints in the background.
Since using these techniques, I haven’t had trouble with fresh-cut hydrangeas again. So now there are more blooms to enjoy indoors!
Have you tried either method yet? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
How Long Do Fresh Cut Hydrangeas Last?
I’ve read 2-5 days, but from my experience, they last much longer than that.
When I cut hydrangea flowers in the morning and used one of these two methods, they lasted over a week.
I even tested out both ways to see if one lasted longer.
From my experiment, the alum method for fresh cut hydrangea care helped the flowers last a little bit longer than the hot water method.
The longest I got out of my hydrangea flowers is two weeks.
I hope you found this post helpful to fix drooping hydrangeas. My fresh-cut hydrangeas last so much longer in arrangements now.
Although both methods work pretty well, I prefer using the alum method. If you tried both, which method works best for you?
How to Arrange Hydrangea Flowers Like a Pro
Now that you’ve got your fresh-cut hydrangeas, how do you want to arrange them?
It’s not hard to arrange your own bouquet or centerpiece and you can save a lot of money doing it yourself.
Click here to learn my best tips for arranging flowers.
Want to Learn How to Keep Your Fresh Cut Hydrangeas Fresh?
I wish fresh flowers lasted longer but sometimes, they just don’t.
However, there are ways to extend the life of a bouquet. It’s not hard to do and worth the few extra steps to help them last.
Follow these tips to learn how to keep fresh flower arrangments longer.
More About Hydrangeas
- The Complete Guide to Hydrangea Care and Their Flowers
- The Basics of Hydrangea Care
- How to Dry a Hydrangea the Easy Way
- How to Divide Hydrangeas
- 7 Easy Steps to Propagating Hydrangeas
- Why Aren’t My Hydrangeas Blooming?
- Why Aren’t My Hydrangeas Blooming – Update?
- Are Hydrangeas Deer Resistant?
- How to Prune Hydrangeas
- How to Make a Hydrangea Wreath for Free
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