HYDRANGEAS cut and dried

These secrets yield perfect flowers every time.

There are some types of plants that Southerners just can't get enough of, and hydrangeas are one of them. Beautiful in the garden, their voluptuous flowers become an arrangement unto themselves with a swift clip of the pruners. All that's left to do is to place them in a little water or let them dry, extending summer's joy for months to come.

Helen Fields's backyard lawn is an island with waves of blue and purple lapping at its edges. This sea of 300-plus plants was first started with cuttings taken from her daughter's hydrangeas, suspected to be 'Nikko Blue.' "I just fell in love with this plant and found it easy to make more. I suppose I got carried away planting others," Helen admits with a laugh.

She never intended to go into the cut-flower business but now sells the bulk of her bounty of dried blooms to those who eagerly seek out her stand at the Pepper Place Saturday Market in Birmingham during June, July, and August. Many of the fresh flowers, which make their debut in May, are used in weddings.

For Fresh Bouquets

Follow these steps to create your own gorgeous arrangements. Start early in the morning before the sun gets hot and flowers start to wilt. A good drenching rain the night before makes conditions ideal. You can also harvest late in the afternoon.

Clip the stems at an angle at the length you desire. For fresh flowers, Helen doesn't worry about cutting down into the old wood, which is often recommended to reduce wilting. Nor is it necessary to crush the ends of the stems.

Put the flowers into a bucket of water as you cut. Then arrange them in a vase, where they should last for several days. If you pick them when they're slightly aged and allow the water to evaporate, the flowers will dry in place.

For Dried Bouquets

Helen has mastered the craft of cutting and drying hydrangeas and says you can too. Here are her tips.

Cut only flowers that have a papery feel (starting around mid-July), or they'll wilt. "Flowers that are cut too early will shrivel unless treated with silica gel," she warns. Stems should be a foot or more long, if possible, for ease of use.

Bundle several stems together with a rubber band, and hang them upside down in a cool, dimly lit space such as a basement. Within about a week, your flowers should be dry and ready for use. Or you can continue to store them until they're needed.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation May 2007
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