The Easy Way To Bring Wilting Hydrangea Blooms Back To Life

Nothing is quite so annoying as cutting fresh hydrangeas from the garden, only to put them in a vase and watch them wilt immediately. Fear not, there's an easy hack to bring your hydrangeas back to life. Just submerge the entire flower into a bowl of lukewarm water, and you'll be amazed how fresh they look.

Hydrangeas, of course, are notoriously thirsty plants. They can be particularly susceptible to heat, which means hydrangeas in Texas and other warmer climates can often wilt during the summer. Typically, hydrangeas need two inches of water a week during dry and hot spells. That's why if you are growing hydrangeas in hot summer zones, you'll need to keep them well hydrated. If you find it's a constant battle to keep your hydrangeas from wilting, you might want to think about plants that are more heat-tolerant and easier to grow than hydrangeas.

But if you want the best hydrangea bloom for your bouquet, there's also a better time to cut hydrangeas to make sure the flowers are the freshest. Aim to cut hydrangeas in the early morning when they've had a cool night to recover from a hot day. Late in the evening works as well. Also, don't cut young flowers. Wait at least a couple of weeks after a bloom first appears before harvesting it for your bouquet. More mature blooms will last longer inside. Though sadly, even older blooms can wilt. 

To revive your wilty hydrangeas, just fill a bowl with lukewarm water. Make sure to take all the leaves off the stem first. Then, dunk the bloom in, completely submerging it before letting it sit for at least a half an hour. This works because hydrangeas are a unique flower that can absorb water through its petals.

Don't worry if the flower still looks puny in the water or right after pulling it out. It will rally as it dries. Before you put it back in your bouquet, it might be a good idea to make a fresh cut in its stem. Always cut the stem at an angle, so it has more surface area to absorb water. Also, because hydrangeas have woody stems, the sap from those stems can clog the pathways it uses to absorb water. Therefore, dipping the end of the stem into boiling water will help clear out the sticky residue and help the plant fully absorb water.

Some florists swear by smashing hydrangea stems, but know that this might actually cause your hydrangeas to wilt faster. Smashing the stem might damage the xylem, which is what the flower uses to drink water. Boiling water is a safer way to clear the stem of sap. Also, cut flowers often need nutrients to help them stay fresher longer, so consider making homemade flower food for fresh-cut flowers or buying ready made flower food to keep hydrangeas at their best.