Maybe you just snagged a pretty bunch of hydrangeas from your local grocery store with the hopes of enjoying the fresh beauty they add to your home for several days to come. You rushed home, placed them into a vase of water, and even added the little packet of plant food that came with the flower bundle. A day later (or possibly a mere few hours later) you find them drooping and wonder exactly what went wrong.
If you found this post looking for answers, you have come to the right place! I preface all of my tips by saying that while there’s no absolute guarantee your wilted hydrangeas will perk back up, there’s a really great chance that you can revive your hydrangea blooms with these popular tips and tricks!
Why Do Cut Hydrangeas Wilt So Quickly?
The name hydrangea, when broken down, translates to ‘water vessel’ or ‘water jar’. Appropriately named for it’s behavior, it is a flower that needs LOTS of water. So much so, that even momentarily being without water can cause them to start wilting. I would even recommend having a water bottle or baggy of water to transport your blooms home from the store! If you are cutting fresh stems from your yard or garden I have included some tips to prevent your hydrangeas from drooping in the first place.
Top Tips to make hydrangea last when cut from the garden
- Bring a bucket of water into the garden with you before cutting.
- Cut the hydrangea bloom as long as possible and immediately place the stem into your bucket of water. While keeping the hydrangea stem submerged, cut the stem to your desired length on a 45 degree angle.
- When you have your cut hydrangea blooms indoors, boil some water and add it to a heat safe container. Place your stems into the hot water and allow them to sit until the water comes to room temp.
- Add fresh water to a well cleaned vase and arrange your hydrangea blooms.
How to Revive Wilted Hydrangeas
Step one:
Remove extra leaves from the stem, especially any that will fall below the water line. Hydrangea leaves can steal moisture from the blooms, so it’s best to remove most of them, but I do always like to leave a few for the contrast of color!
Step two:
Fill up your sink with several inches of lukewarm water and submerge the entire bloom head and stem into the water. Leave submerged for an hour or more, then gently pat the blooms dry. Hydrangeas are one of the only flowers that absorb water through their petals. Fanscinating, am I right?!
Step three:
If you have plump, happy hydrangeas at this point you can cut the stems at a 45 degree angle while submerged under water and add back to your vase with fresh water. If they could use a little extra perking up, boil some water and dip the cut stems into the water for a couple of minute before trimming and adding back to the vase.
Step 4:
Maintain your blooms by adding fresh water daily, misting the blooms with water daily (remember how much they LOVE water!), and trimming the stems by just a 1/2 inch every few days. If they start looking a little sad, you can always try perking them back up again using the sink soaking method, or dipping the stems in boiling water again. I have been able to bring a set of hydrangeas back from the brink a few times with these methods. Eventually it won’t work anymore, but it really does extend their beauty!
Why Does Hot Water Help Your Wilting Hydrangea?
I know that you’re thinking scalding water would just cause damage right?, but with hydrangeas it has the opposite effect. So why does boiling the water help the flowers perk up instead of wilt?
Hydrangea stems have a sticky sap inside that clogs up and keeps them from receiving water. If the sap gets too clogged, it actually blocks water from traveling up the stems and it never even reaches the blooms. The boiling water helps to unclog that sap, so that water can reach the blooms again!
Tips to Preserve Your Hydrangeas Longer
- Refrigerate: I’ll often do this when I’m getting ready to entertain! I’ll use the boiling water technique, then cut the stems at a 45 degree angle and place in a vase with water. Refrigerate them until as close to the event as possible and arrange as desired.
- Make your own flower food: Mix 1 quart water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of bleach
- Tricks that I have heard of, but never tried: adding a penny to your vase, or adding vodka or club soda to the water. Have you tried any of these?
- The boiling water method is also great when you first bring your hydrangeas home or cut them off the plant. You can give your stems an initial dip in boiling water even before you add them to your vase to keep the water flowing up the stem. Just cut the ends, place the stems in boiling hot water for 30 seconds to a minute and transfer them into your container filled with luke warm water.
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