Find Your Ask the Expert: How do I hydrate a hydrangea bouquet for a wedding
Should I just leave them in the water before the wedding starts? We are combining 2-3 stems for a bouquet and wrapping them with a ribbon. I’m worried about the hydration.
Lara,
When you get the hydrangea be sure to submerge the heads under water for up to 4 minutes this encourages hydration. Then gently shake dry, at this pint you can re-cut the hydrangea stems at an angle and place in water. Store the hydrangea in a cooler until the day of the wedding (or some place as cool as possible). You can create the bouquets the morning of the wedding, but you will need to keep the hydrangea stems in water until about an hour before the wedding. You can accomplish this by placing the bouquet in a tall vase with water where only the stems touch the water.
I read on another website that hydrangea heads should be submerged for 2-3 hours, not minutes. Is this correct? I’m hoping to do my own flowers for my wedding and would like to use hydrangeas. What tips do you have? Thanks!
Linnea
According to the AIFD Guide to Floral Design “Hydrangea – submerge heads under tepid water 2 minutes to encourage hydration. Gently shake dry before re-cutting.”
You will need to store your hydrangea around 36 to 38degrees Fahrenheit. It is important to keep the humidity relatively high around 80% and air velocity should be kept to a minimum. Also keep your flowers away from fruits and vegetables since they give off ethylene gas.
Good luck.