.
Mother Nature puts on a show
Hydrangeas come in rainbow of colours
By Susan Ramsey, For Canwest News Service April 11, 2009

No other flower compares to a hydrangea for ease of arranging. A beautiful container, a single bloom left long or cut short, water and voila--an arrangement as complete and lovely as any designed by the best florist.

Nature takes a back seat to no one.

I have always wished that hydrangeas bloomed in the spring because of their colour palate of pinks, purples, whites and especially blues.

Existing somewhere between periwinkle and azure, iridescent and translucent simultaneously, this French blue comes close to the ideal spring blue.

They are among the few flowers that I buy as imports in the spring, usually from Israel. Paired with pinks, they're a wedding favourite, while brown and blue is an extremely trendy combination as a home decor scheme.

Blue and orange pop with fresh spring colour against the balancing winter tones.

After being dismissed for a time as a "grandmotherly" flower, the hydrangea is enjoying a renaissance in the design world.

Of all the popular types, H. macrophylla or Mophead is the most popular and most readily available as a cut flower. They are the epitome of romance, but also can be edgy and modern in the right container, usually one in which their stems are visible, because they have interesting markings.

So many other cut flowers look their best when used alone en masse, but hydrangeas pair well with other flowers that also have romantic auras, such as roses, anemones, hellebores, lilac, viburnum and jasmine. They really don't like to be paired with tropical flowers such as birds of paradise or heliconias or tropical foliages. The messages just don't mix.

Hydrangeas can wilt easily. The name says it all: hydor comes from the Greek for water. Angos, meaning a cup or vessel, refers to the fruit of the hydrangea. A cut hydrangea needs to be fully hydrated at all times. If, for some reason, water cannot be drawn up to the bloom, the flower can start to wilt in a matter of minutes.

The good news is that recutting the stem and plunging it into a deep bath of hot water can revive the bloom just as quickly. A well-hydrated hydrangea has a vase life of up to three weeks.

Many gardeners are interested in growing hydrangeas both as a fresh-cut flower and a dried flower. I have found that to use hydrangeas successfully as a cut flower, they must be cut on old wood, not the current season's growth. Drying is simple. Either hang blooms or just sit them in a vase with water and let the water evaporate.

A word of caution: don't attempt to harvest the blooms for drying too early. It is tempting to cut them at the height of their colour, but wait until the blooms have just started to dry. Often the autumn colours are even more beautiful as they start to look more vintage.

Strip the leaves, because they will not dry successfully.

---------

Here are a few arrangement ideas

-hydrangeas in glass: Using a clear glass container, through which the stems are visible, will add a modern twist to hydrangeas. Pictured at top of page, the different colours of the flowers are used together to create a large round ball at the top of the container that echoes the round base of the container. Because the stems are deep in water, the blooms will stay well hydrated. Coral fern is tucked in around each bloom.

Degree of difficulty: moderately easy.

Vase life: up to three weeks. - Ying Yang: this arrangement is done using florettes of a mophead hydrangea. Use a cake plate or a shallow dish that can hold about one centimetre of water. Cut the florettes with half-centimetre stem and place stem down into the water. Create whatever design you wish depending on the shape and size of the container. (stripes in a rectangular container, polka dots in a round container, even monograms).

Degree of difficulty: easy. Vase life: two to three days. - Romantic arrangement: Choose a watertight, vintage container that will hold an assortment of flowers. Make sure that the container has a deep water reservoir so that all the stems can be kept well hydrated. this arrangement has tints and shades of blue, purple and pink. roses, hellebores and hyacinths are tucked into a base of hydrangea, often right through the blooms. degree of difficulty: difficult. Vase life: one week.