Cut hydrangeas are one of the most beautiful flowers to bring indoors, but they can wilt quickly if they are not prepared the right way. With a few simple steps, including removing the lower leaves, cutting the stems at an angle, and dipping them in alum, hydrangeas can stay fresh and beautiful for a week or longer.
These tips work for both grocery store hydrangeas and mature blooms cut from the garden. Whether you arrange them in a favorite pitcher or place a few stems in a simple vase, hydrangeas add a fresh and timeless touch to any room.
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Remove The Lower Leaves
The first thing to do is snip off most of the leaves below the bloom. Leaves are moisture suckers, and they muddy the water in your container. It’s fine to leave a few leaves for interest, but make sure they are as close to the bloom as possible.
Cut The Stems At An Angle
- In order to get the maximum amount of water to the bloom, the stems need a sharp, long cut.
- First, decide on your desired length for the stems.
- Using a knife or very sharp scissors, cut the stem at an angle (not a straight cut) that is as long as you can make it.
- If you use a knife, hold the stem down firmly with a few fingers to make the diagonal cut easier. It’s important to have a sharp knife because hydrangea stems are quite tough.
- I use these shears, and can achieve a clean, angled cut. This method works just as well on garden hydrangeas as long as they are mature. It’s hard to get a good slice on a thin, young hydrangea stem.
Dip the Stems in Alum Powder
The easiest thing to do is to pick up a jar of alum at the grocery store (in the spice aisle) and keep it on hand for your cut hydrangeas. As you cut the stems, dip them quickly into the alum jar, and then plunge them into a container of room temperature water. Once you dip a stem in the jar, clearly you can’t use it for anything else!
Change the water after a few days
After you have enjoyed your hydrangea arrangement for a few days, dump out the old water and fill your vessel with fresh, cool water. At the same time, give the stems a fresh cut. This will prolong the life of your blooms, and your enjoyment.
Keep Hydrangeas Out of Direct Sunlight
Place your vase of hydrangeas in a spot that does not receive direct sunlight. The sunlight dries out the blooms, and they tend to wilt faster
How To Revive Wilted Hydrangeas
Sometimes, even when you do everything right, hydrangea blooms will wilt. A revival process that may save them begins with filling your kitchen sink with cool water. Plunge the blooms into the water, and let them sit for 30 minutes. I promise they will be OK! When finished, shake off the excess water, and start arranging. Hydrangeas absorb water not only through the stem, but through the petals as well.
Tips For Arranging Hydrangea Bouquets
- Hydrangeas are often full enough to stand alone in a pitcher or vase. If your blooms are smaller than usual, add a few stems of eucalyptus or other greenery to create a fuller arrangement.
- If freshly cut hydrangeas begin to wilt, place the stripped stems in very hot (but not boiling) water and let the water cool completely before arranging them in fresh water. This simple trick can often revive drooping blooms.
- For the longest vase life, keep your arrangement away from direct sunlight, heating vents, and drafts. A cool spot will help the flowers stay fresh and beautiful longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have hydrangeas blooming in your garden, I hope you cut a few stems and bring them indoors to enjoy. And if you don’t have bushes of your own, a simple grocery store bouquet can brighten your home just as beautifully.
If you’d like to grow your own blooms, be sure to see my guide to limelight hydrangeas, where I share practical tips for planting, pruning, and caring for these dependable shrubs year after year. Later in the season, when the blooms become papery and begin to turn pink, they can also be used to make a dried hydrangea wreath for your front door or indoor decor.
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Hello, I will be participating in a four-day floral exhibition at a museum and will be using hydrangea. Because of the crowds as well as the lighting, I will be prepared to change out the hydrangea daily if necessary. Once I pick up my materials, I will follow the allum steps. I will be using just one stem of hydrangea at a time, though. I will store the remaining stems in a cool dark place. Here is my question: Each time I select a new stem to replace an old one, do I need to repeat the step of dipping into allum. Also, these stems will be cut shorter on-site to go into the arrangement. Will that negate the effects of the allum? Thank you.
My Limelight hydrangea is my favorite. I cut one large bloom this week and placed in a milk glass vase for a centerpiece for a committee meeting. Thanks for the tips!
The alum trick is truly amazing!!
My hydrangeas have lasted over a week whereas they would only last a day before. Thank you!!!
Do you know if alum works on other types of flowers too?
Having many Annabelle, Incrediball, Little Tid Bit, and Endless Summer hydrangeas I’m always bringing some of their beauty inside the house. I keep many to let dry in their vases to give a great fall thru winter texture to the house or make wreaths. These helpful tips on how to care for them will be saved and very helpful. I’ve tried alum but I’m not good at keeping that up but it does help. Thank you Ann!!
I love hydrangeas! Thank you for all the tips and the printable.
My hydrangeas are bursting with blooms! The alum really helps with longevity
These are great tips. Would you also advise how to dry them for year round enjoyment? Thanks!
Thanks for the tips. I have hydrangeas in my yard but never cut them because they wilt quickly. I’m going to give these tips a try so I can enjoy these beautiful flowers.
Another way to revive them is to cut stems again and place them in very hot tap water! Amazing revival!
Great tips! Hopefully my new hydrangea will give me some blooms this year. My luck with them has not been good in the past.
One of my favorite flowers. Our DIL used them in her wedding. Thanks for the information!
Hydrangeas are so beautiful! I recently moved to a condo and the former owners planted a hydrangea bush in the front. It is full of buds and I am anxious for it to bloom. Thank you for sharing these tips!
Thanks for sharing, I love Hydrangeas! I can’t wait until the little bush I planted begins to produce blooms.
I’m going to try the alum next time l have hydrangeas. I love them in your vase.
I’m moving to a new home in a month with a nonexistent garden. I see it in my head and it is full of hydrangeas, ferns, and hostas. Thanks for the steps to making my blooms last. Now I just need planting and care info and I’m set!!
My hydrangeas are just starting to bloom so I cannot wait to try these tips.
Hydrangeas are one of my favorites…I sometimes dry them and add them to a wreath, thanks for all the tips
Allelujah for alum! I’ve never heard of it…thanks for giving the tips for preserving the hydrangeas!
I used alum to keep hydrangeas fresh last summer and it worked. Thanks for the tip!
I love hydrangeas! This post gave me so many hints. Thank you!
D.Iams
Hydrangeas are my favorite flower. Thanks for the great tips on extending their lives.
By far, hydrangea’s are one of favorite flowers, but I struggle to get very many blossoms. So when I do it is super important to me to make sure I get them to last as long as possible. Thanks for these tips, I will be using them!
I love hydrangeas in all colors and sizes! Thanks for sharing the tips!
Good info to know. These are on my list when we redo our front flower beds.
Hydrangeas are one of my all time favorite flowers. So I can have them year round in the house I have beautiful blue silk Hydrangeas and everyone thinks I just cut in the back yard. Beautiful.
Love my limelights! Have a couple bushed that will not bloom…
Thanks for the hydrangea tips. I love how my blooms dry and are beautiful for a long time.
Thank you so much for this timely information on hydrangeas – my absolute favorite flower. Love bringing them in the house to enjoy!
Thanks Ann for this concise info! Been wondering about this each spring when my daughter’s limelight blooms.
I like to say I learn something new everyday, but the truth is at 64 that does not always happen.
LOL! But today reading the hydrangea post was so informative I immediately went outside to cut some and bring them inside. So thank you Ann, for such a great article.
I love the posts about flowers! We planted tons of hydrangeas in our yard last summer and watching them bloom this summer is so fun! Still waiting on the limelights.
I don’t know how I missed this post earlier. I have had a hydrangea bush for about 4 years now and it is just now coming into its own. I have loved giving away my blooms as much as I love seeing them myself. Everyone always smiles so big when you give them to them. I am super excited to learn this tricks. My friend’s cut blooms lasted way longer than mine and I didn’t know why. Perhaps she did some of these tricks-lol!
These are great tips! Pinned for later when we get our hydrangeas planted.
Thank you Ann for the tips. Love this color! Got my print. It will look really cute above my potting bench on the patio.
Thanks to Dr Dirr who bred the hydrangeas that bloom on old and new wood! Bloom season is much longer now. I love hydrangeas and am glad to read your post. The blue striped pitcher in your post is perfect! Wish it was still available.
Just moved to SC and put in hydrangeas this spring. Can’t wait to try your tips next year!
Thanks for the hydrangea tips! I’m going to try this on my blooms!
Love Hydrangeas! Moved to our new house last year just as they were blooming! Lost the buds this year to frost. Enjoying them through your article and waiting for ours to bloom again next year!
Thanks for the great tips on hydrangeas. I love them but do have problems with wilting on the ones I pick up at the grocery store. I will be anxious to try your tips.
Thank you!
Love the striped vase and I’m definitely going to try the ideas for keeping my hydrangeas fresh longer. Thanks!
I am fortunate enough to have a variety of Hydrangeas on our property and I have dried alot of varieties with some success but needed your tips on fresh arrangements and having them last longer. Thankyou
This is inspiring me to cut some of my hydrangeas! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing. I’ve never heard of Alum but I’m definitely going to give it a try. Also, do you ever have problems with spiders and bugs in the hydrangeas? I may be a little crazy, but I’ve brought so many bugs in fresh flowers from my yard that I’ve stopped doing it. But I LOVE hydrangeas so I’m anxious to give it a try.
How beautiful! Thanks! I love hydrangeas!
You had me at hydrangea! Love your blue & white theme. I had these exact hydrangeas at our last home and found they didn’t last as long as the blue species when I brought them into the house. If only I had had this tip! Now that we have downsized into a condo, I must get busy & plant them again to make it feel like home . Nothing says summer to me like hydrangeas and the American flag flying by my front door!
Please tell us where to find that awesome blue and white vase!
You have given such good tips! I have over 300 hydrangeas, at least 70 varieties and love taking picures of them at every stage. After cutting them it is important to give them water every day. They will drink your vessel dry quickly and need refreshing. I have a board on pinterest calld ” I love the flowers and creatures in my garden”. There are many of my hydrangeas on it. There are so many beautiful varieties. Love your vase!
Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers, they remind me of laces beautiful.I had a bush in my previous house and always cut the flowers for small arrangements.Thanks for the tips.Hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day !
I cut hydrangeas about a month ago and followed the alum dip trick. The still look freshly cut, the water is clear. What a treat. Thank you. I’ll be doing it all summer.
How would you dry hydrangeas?
Hi Susan! The best way to dry hydrangeas is to let them dry on the bush. Wait until they are almost dry and then cut the stem. Place them in a vase with no water to finish drying. Don’t smush the blooms though…make sure they get plenty of air.
Thank you for the tips! I love hydrangeas and so wish I could grow them here; unfortunately it just gets too hot and they can’t take the sun. I don’t have anywhere here at the house where I could plant then where they would be shaded :( I can remember when I was a kid and my grandma was living she used to have the most beautiful hydrangea bushes along the back of her house off to the side of her porch; luckily it faced the north.
Anne, thank you for these tips; I ordered both the alum and fertilizer from Amazon…can’t wait to try them. Also, thanks for responding so promptly re the font info. I created several framed quotes for my granddaughter that came out just great! Keep writing – I enjoy your blog!
Love your posts Ann, always helpful!! I really enjoy the hydrangeas; fresh bouquets and dried arrangements. Now that I know about the alum I will definetly be picking more for the house and porch. Thanks for all you do; love your style.
Hi Ann
Did you know that if you wish to dry your Hydrangeas simply put them in a dry vase . This works well with peonies too! But they must be cut when they are at there best to get lovely keepsake blossoms.
Thanks Ann! I love my hydrangeas but keeping the cut ones more than a day has always been a hit or miss challenge for me. Now that I have some tips to preserve my favorite flowers, I’m looking forward to being surrounded by these beauties indoors and out. Thanks again for sharing!
You have the best ideas. always appreciate what you share with us.
Hope everything is good for you today.
This is an excellent post for hydrangeas lovers. Mine actually bloomed this year but the blooms are small. Still trying to figure out what isn’t working… May have to try alum on the lilacs when they bloom next spring.
I’m eager to try the alum. Another trick that works for me is to immediately plunge the freshly cut, stripped stems into very hot water and allow the water to cool before arranging in fresh water. The stems can be recut and the hot water treatment repeated if the blooms start to look wilty. I think this is a hint from Martha Stewart. Enjoy hydrangea days!! I love your posts. ❤️❤️
Thanks for the tips, I will try this for sure! ❤️
I am going out of town, but as soon as I get back, I am definitely going to try this on hydrangeas from my garden! Will report back. Thanks for sharing.
Great tips Ann. I will be trying this on mine if they ever decide to bloom.
Thank you so much for those wonderful tips! I’ll try it when my garden hydrangeas bloom.
Ann
How timely your piece on hydrangeas was. I have a new garden this season and the hydrangeas are in full bloom, I can’t wait to take some cuttings and try your suggestion to make them last longer. Thank you for shading.
Always appreciate a new tip, didn’t know about alum. Thanks for your great posts.
Mine are blooming here in Fla. Thanks for the tips.
Never new about using Alum! Love ALL your tips! Thanks! Sue Horn
I shall have to get alum. I’ve never purchased it before!! I had hydrangeas early on but we had such a hot spell that mine just fried. It’s been cooler so I’m hoping the new flowers will last longer again!!Thank you for another great tip!!
Thank you kindly, Ann. I have two plants in my garden, now all I need is some alum.
I .get excited when I see an email from you. You’re my favorite.
cookie
This year all three of my hydrangeas are loaded with blooms ???? So glad you posted this as I’ve never had the best luck when I cut some of mine.Can’t wait for them to all bloom. Always look forward to your posts.
Thank you for the information! Just love your posts !
I have never tried this…but this year I will. We are no where near blooms yet in Minnesota.
My peonies are just now starting to bud and pop. Today we had a horrible rain storm go through
and looking out my window many of my peony stems are down:(
Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers.I had some in our former
house,I miss the in this house.Did not know about the alum, thanks
for the tip.
Never knew about alum being used for cut flowers! This is why I love your blog. Thanks for doing what you do…
Love all your hydrangea tips! I follow them diligently and you are spot on. Thank you. Love your blue and white vase. Also for those that live near a Trader Joe’s they too have lovely hydrangea bunches.
Thank you I learned something new today
Hi Anne,
What a great post! I thought I would share what I have been doing the last few years with my hydrangeas. I live in Columbus, Ohio. My hydrangeas are on the side of the garage & do not get sunlight till afternoon. Opposite of what you think it should be. I wish I could remember what we did to the soil before planting them. I have an Endless Summer which was a monster last year & looks to be even bigger this year & just starting to bloom. I forget what my other 2 are. I need to look them up. One has multi-colored blooms & the other is kind of strawberry colored. They are much smaller but have only been planted 2 & 3 yr’s ago. I used Miracle Grow Bloom Booster for years & loved it. But a few years ago I was in Amish country in Ohio & stopped at a nursery to browse & asked for some, I was told they did not like it. They said it was missing some ingredients they like. They used a product called Jack’s. It is a 20-20-20 mixture. I have been using it ever since & it is wonderful! I can get it t my local nursery. I also periodically use an aluminum sulfate mixture around the perimeter of my Endless Summer to keep the blue-purple color which I adore. I can tell when it needs more as the color starts to get lighter but I get the most interesting shades! I get throat divine bouquets! Last year for th first time I managed to cut some blooms to dry at the right time which I never seem to be able to do. I still have 2 that are small but I love them knowing they are mine. ???? I want a Limelight so bad but don’t know where I would put it. I will post a photo to my Instagram this week of what they look like right now & also what I bought recently for the color, it is a different product for me this year. I assume it is a mixture that has aluminum sulfate in it. I bought it at my local nursery. I also want to try rooting some cuttings high sounds very simple to do. I could have a yard full of hydrangeas! Look for me @quiltsick on Instagram. Sorry for the long post!
I need to get some alum. I’ve read this before but haven’t tried it. I also have not made it a point to cut off the leaves so if that helps then I’m all for it. Thanks for the tips!
Wish i had this posting earlier My Hydrangeas have been blooming for about a month. Thanks for the tip because they are still blooming so the ones I cut now will last a lot longer!!!! Keep the good post coming love your articles. Regina
Out here in Southern California, my hydrangeas are in full-tilt-boogie-bloom! Just the other day, I cut 4 of them and put them out for display. I did remove all leaves below the water line, but did NOT know about cutting the stem at an angle, or dipping them in alum. Will definitely add these 2 steps – thank you so much for this info! Pinning!
Thank you! Your emails are a bit of sunshine!
I am so grateful for this post. Now I’ll have the gumption to cut one bloom from my beautiful hydrangea that was a mother’s day gift from two years ago, and enjoy seeing it inside my home. Yes, I’ll start with only one to be sure it works for me as this plant is my treasured favorite.
Thanks for the tips! Love that blue and white striped vase!