Hooray for Hydrangea

Hydrangea season is in full swing at Mr Collins Florist in Geelong West. The season runs from around early December and ends around mid April depending on the weather, of course.

The name Hydrangea is named from the Greek word for water: ‘hydor'“, and “angos” meaning jug or vessel. This refers to the hydrangeas need for plenty of water and the cup-like florets.

We love hydrangea for the monster blooms and amazing array of colours available. The colours currently arriving from our local and Melbourne markets are stunning jewel tones - think amethyst, sapphire blue and emerald green with flecks of opal. We are also seeing white, pale pink and pale blue varieties in our markets, but we prefer to stock the darker colours and larger floret varieties in extreme heat as the blooms are stronger and will last longer in a vase.

These blooms can last from 10 days up to a few weeks in a vase if cared for and with the correct post-harvest treatment. We source our blooms early in the morning from our local growers and suppliers in Melbourne and we treat the monster blooms with a hydrating solution so that they drink up all the water to keep their HUGE heads plump and full.

Here are some care instructions for you to follow once you have sourced your blooms and caring for them at home:

• if you want them to last, the best time to buy them is from December onwards when the blooms will be firmer

• fully submerge the blooms in water if they wilt as they will rehydrate from their petals soaking up the water

• recut the stems every few days

• provide your blooms with fresh water daily

• remove any leaves below the waterline and keep the stems in deep water for maximum life

• Later in the season, after you have had the blooms in your vase for a few weeks, hang the blooms upside down to dry them out. Spraying with a mixture of glycerine and water will help to preserve the colour in the dried blooms

Enjoy these blooms - some varieties last better than others, so we recommend choosing large floret blooms which are generally stronger in the heat of Summer.