Hydrangea is one of the hottest flowers used in event work and this trend has been going strong for quite some time now. There are some who may shy away from using this beautiful flower in their arrangements because of the fact that they tend to wilt fairly easily. ….NEVER FEAR, we are going to list some tips on how to properly prep this flower so that it looks great in your designs throughout your event.

After you bring home your hydrangea there are a few steps you should follow to prepare this flower before you use it in your design:

Design Tip #1: Remove all of the large leaves on the stem of the Hydrangea. The big leaves suck up a large amount of moisture that would otherwise be going to the petals of the flower.

Design Tip #2: Fill your sink or bath tub with water, trim the bottom of the stem and submerge the whole flower in the water for approximately 10-20 minutes. Flowers absorb water through all surfaces of the flower including the petals, stem, bark and leaves….not just through the bottom of the stem as some might think. Ever had wilted, rubbery celery in the refrigerator and soaked it in a bowl of water to make it crisp again? It is the same concept with the Hydrangea.

Design Tip #3: While the Hydrangea are soaking in the tub, fill a bucket with fresh water and add a liberal amount of Alum. Alum is a spice used for pickling and can be found on the spice rack at your local whole foods or grocery store. Alum forces water up the stem of the flower and makes the blooms of the flower nice and hard. Remove the flower from the water, gently shake off the excess and place the flower stem end down into the bucket.

Design Tip #4: While the Hydrangea drinks the Alum & water mixture, spray the bloom of the hydrangea with Crowning Glory. Crowning Glory is a wax based spray that seals the pores in the leaves, stem and petals of the flower preventing the loss of moisture through the flowers pores. Crowning Glory is distributed by Oasis Floral Products and is sold at your local Wholesale Flower Market or on Amazon.com.

Your hydrangea is now processed for use and will look beautiful in your designs for a prolonged period of time!