Create a Bouquet of Hydrangeas: Growing and Arranging Guide

Step-by-Step: How to Make a Bridal Bouquet

In lightly shaded beds, garden hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) combine well with ferns. Their large, snowball-shaped flower clusters come in pink, blue, and greenish white; just a few blooms make a bouquet. Plants grow to 4+ ft.

Florists' plants—larger-flowered kinds sold in 6-inch pots—are shorter, usually 1–3 ft tall.

Hydrangeas grow best where winters stay mild, blooming over a long summer period. Blue and pink colors are affected by soil pH—strongly acidic soil produces bluer colors; neutral to alkaline keeps them pink.

Getting Started

• Planting time: March or April.
• Bloom time: June to August (longer in mildest climates).
• Start from: Container-grown plants (at least three 1-gal. plants per bouquet).
• Where to buy: Widely available at garden centers and nurseries.

What Hydrangeas Need

• Soil: Rich and porous; lighten heavy clay with compost or peat moss.
• Exposure: Full sun in coastal areas; partial shade where afternoons are hot.
• Planting: Dig hole with sides tapering outward. At least twice as wide as rootball, slightly shallower, then deeper around bottom edges. Roughen sides with spading fork. Knock plant from pot, loosen coiled roots. Set rootball 1–2 inches above surrounding soil. Backfill in stages, firming around roots. Make soil berm for watering basin; irrigate gently. Water regularly during growing season; established plants need less water in coastal areas.
• Pruning: As flowers fade, new growth starts lower on stems. To control size and shape, prune in winter in mild climates. Cut stems back to strongest pair of new shoots. For big flower clusters, reduce number of stems. For uniformly rounded plants with shorter bloom, prune all canes to growth buds within a few inches of ground.

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