Staying Alive

Someone we saw on social media recently compared hydrangeas to toddlers.

They want what they want, but they don’t do what they need to do to get it. That about sums it up. Hydrangeas more than just about any other flowers love and NEED a lot of water. But as soon as they are cut they form a white milky, sticky, substance that blocks water from getting to their stems and then eventually, to their blooms which results in the blooms prematurely wilting. As an added offensive, if you are buying them already cut, it seems their days are already numbered, they are often quick to droop and never recover no matter how much fresh water you give them. And unless you are lucky enough to have a hydrangea bush in your garden, they aren’t cheap to buy so prolonging their freshness is a bonus to be sure.

Lucky for you we came across a method that really works and is very inexpensive. It involves a product called Alum that can be found in the spice section of your grocery store. It is usually used for pickling but in this case for extending the life of your beautiful arrangement of flowers.

As soon as you cut the stems of your blossoms, dip the freshly cut stems into the alum to about 1/4″, just enough to cover the ends, them immediately place them in a vase filled with cool water.

Change the water every couple of days, and along the way if the blooms look like they are about to wilt just snip the stem again and repeat the process. Doing this will keep your hydrangea arrangement fresh for up to one month!

These flowers pictured here are more than 2 weeks old and still very fresh.

We haven’t tried this method with others types of flowers yet but stayed tuned and we will report back as to our success. In the meantime, happy gardening and happy flower arranging. Drink in all the beauty and remember to give thanks for it!