Question
Hi Gina,
I am getting married July 31 of next year and would like to use Annabelle hydrangeas from my mother's garden as cut flower arrangements.  We tried to make the arrangements this year and they wilted within an hour.  I have heard you can use a hot water or alum method for preventing wilting.  We are planning on making the arrangements on Thursday for a Saturday night wedding.  Do you think this is risky?  Or is their a more hardy hydrangea that would hold up in an arrangement better?  I really want white hydrangeas.  I also saw potted arrangements.  I am using urns that are 5-6 inches in diameter.  Would that be a better way to go?  The wedding is in Michigan, zone 5.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!  I just love hydrangeas and want more than anything to have them in my wedding!

Janelle

Answer
Hi Janelle,

Annabells are good, if they are conditioned properly.  Try cutting them and immediately plunging into boiling water for 30 seconds.  Then remove and place into tepid water up to the bloom.  This helps expel the air bubble out of the stems and condition the flower to prevent wilting.  Experiment and see how that works.

Another option is to use potted plants in which case, I would choose Endless Summer.  While not white, they are showstopping and nearly always in bloom from June through October.

If you want the white, consider ordering through a wholesaler cut stems.  These are very hardy varieties which, rather than wilt, will almost always dry without droop.  Even if you have a few "dryers", the arrangements look fabulous.

Gina