Hydrangeas flopped over before noon at a wedding Saturday

I had 30 stems in a big arrangement for an outdoor ceremony and they went limp by 11am. Has anyone found a way to keep them upright longer in heat without using those expensive sprays?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

quinns204mo ago

Wait, did you cut the stems properly before putting them in the arrangement? A lot of people skip that step and just stick them in water, but hydrangeas need a fresh cut at an angle and then you gotta smash the ends a bit with a hammer or a knife handle. Also, did you give them a good long drink overnight before the wedding? I've seen them perk right back up after being dunked in lukewarm water for a few hours. The heat will still mess with them though, so keeping them in shade or misting the petals with plain water can help way more than any fancy spray.

9

brookethomas4mo ago

From what I've heard, the water temperature matters just as much as the stem cutting. Room temperature water works best, but some florists swear by warm water for the first soak to open up the stems better. If the blooms were exposed to direct sun during setup, they might have already started wilting before anyone even noticed.

6