May 16, 2016

Arranging Beautiful Hydrangeas!




Don't you just love them?  I sure do!  My first memories of these beautiful flowers are of my grandmothers', both of them had them.  They seemed to have them growing around their back doors. As a child I thought the colors were just amazing.  I would stand and stare at them.  Lots of southern homes had them.  Hydrangea bushes, Magnolia, Crape Myrtle, Dogwoods and Chinaberry Trees were always in abundance in southern gardens.
Today I'm bringing in some of the beauty of the Hydrangea blooms.



Think about it where can you find such beautiful color variations on one bush?  Look at these blue, pink, lavender, green, white.  It is amazing to me the way they bloom.  I had forgotten last year I started putting lime down to make some pink, but then soon forgot to keep adding more.  This kinda looks more interesting than all one color, so I like what the forgetfulness did!




It would be a good idea to first find the vase or container you want to place your flowers in.  This would give you some idea as to how long of a stem to cut.  Always keep a good pair of bypass pruning shears around for easy cutting.





I really like this huge although heavy crystal cut glass bowl.  Mama and I went shopping at our local Belk Store and I found this piece a long time ago.  It is very useful for serving food and in floral arrangements.




  • Pull or cut away extra bottom leaves.  You don't want them in the water that would make for a stinky situation. Leaves in the water are a no no, so remove lower and spotted torn ugly leaves.  The good thing about Hydrangeas is that the upper leafy section up under the bloom makes for a great positioning in container. They help hold the flowers into position.
  • Place a stem of flowers into container to judge how much you need to cut away.  Cut as needed slanting cut shown in picture above.
  • Fill with water just until you cover the exposed ends of the stems
  • Change the water every 2 days of so
  • Did you know you can dry these?  You can just keep water in vase covering the bottom of stems.  They will eventually dry a softer color and you can use them for approximately a year before they are fragile.  Then throw away in your compost bin to recycle and use.





Begin placing in vase or container.





Isn't this fun?  I think so.  Hydrangeas are one of the easiest of flowers to arrange.  Their huge blooms fill a container in no time at all. Place them slanted inward and all around.





Beginning to fill the bowl.






There we have a filled bowl.  Now, question is where do I put this?





I found just the spot, the dining room table.  I love the colors match almost perfectly with our china. Pretty isn't it?  I'll share this old fine china with you soon.






Look at the lavender in this flower. 






I have an abundance this year of blooms so why stop at one arrangement?  Look at the color variation in this lovely bunch!






This will be a good container!






I had to cut that little green one off but it will be placed in water  as well.  See how the above were placed into the vase?  You only need to keep the stems in water.  The container doesn't need to be filled to the top. 






Just beautiful!  I placed these in the foyer.  What a beautiful sight to see when entering the home.










Remember this vase?  I had it in living room with the faux flowers over the winter.






Another great bouquet











Placed the last one on the antique drop leaf table in the living room







What beauties!




2 comments:

  1. I have these in my yard, I must pick a few when they bloom!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ginger,
      What colors are yours? I'd love to see a picture of them blooming.

      Delete