How To Keep Your Hydrangeas from Wilting

Tell me this hasn’t happened to you… You buy some gorgeous fresh hydrangeas only to have them wilt just hours after you get them into your favorite vase. It’s so frustrating! There are tons of ideas out there about how to pep them back up, and I’ve tried them all.  I have found that only one trick works for me and keeps working through the life of the flower.

I actually have one hydrangea stem that is three weeks old (the one from yesterday’s post, actually).  There is one big thing that most people do wrong which causes the wilting. Ready for it?

Don’t use scissors!  That is the first step.  Scissors actually crush the cells, pinching the bottom of the stem so that they can’t take up as much water. Stop using scissors to cut flowers and they’ll live double the time.

Secondly, and specifically for hydrangeas, you have to slice the stem at a very very aggressive angle. The white pith on the inside of the stem is what helps wick the water up the stem and into all of those tiny blooms.  Expose as much of the interior pith to the water as you can to help it ‘drink’ more.

After a few days, if you see them start to look a little wimpy, give them fresh water and a fresh angled cut.  I go from a tall vase to a lower and lower one as the stems get shorter throughout the weeks.

If you don’t have a floral knife, you can buy one cheap this is the one I have.  If you have a pocket knife of another sort, feel free to use that as well.  Just ensure the knife isn’t serrated.

So go!  Run to the nearest store and try this new trick!  I know you’ll love it!