Nothing says spring quite like the beautiful hydrangea. This water-loving plant gets its name from the Greek word “hydra” for water. Hydrangea bushes can bloom multiple heads per stem and have lush green foliage.
Hydrangeas heads are full of miniature blossoms and can grow quite large, up to an 8-12″ diameter. There are over 70 species of hydrangea plants, most of them originating in Asia. In most species, the flowers are white, but can also be blue, green, red, pink light purple, or dark purple. In these species, the color is affected by the pH of the soil. The more acidic the deeper blue or purple the color.
There are many hybrids as well, an “antiqued” color that ranges from green to blue.
Hydrangeas do well with a lot of water. In fact, if you have a hydrangea bloom that is beginning to wilt quickly, fill a sink or bath full of cool water and submerge the entire blossom and stem underwater. Remove additional foliage, as they will divert the energy needed to draw water into the stem.
Hydrangea works well as a stand-alone flower. They are voluminous and few heads can fill space nicely. Each bloom can branch out into clusters allowing for smaller clusters to be formed. However, once separated from the main stem, the flower will wilt quickly, unless submerged or in a constant water source.
Hydrangea heads are a very popular base as well. They fill a vase or container while allowing room for showcase blooms or signature flowers to stand out. I often use them for pomander balls in order to fill large spaces with few blooms.
