How to Save a Wilted Hydrangea

Buy some hydrangeas only to find them completely wilted a day later? Or worse, an hour later? Here’s how to save a wilted hydrangea…

Wilted Hydrangeas and How To Save Them

If you’re like me, then you like flowers…A lot. I seriously have a small obsession with fresh blooms in the house. If I don’t have flowers in the house, it feels like the house isn’t alive. At the very least, I like to keep live plants potted throughout the rooms.

One of my favorite flowers is a hydrangea. They seem to be ever-available at the flower markets (even grocery stores), and they’re fairly inexpensive.

If you are located in a hydrangea growing zone, they’re also pretty easy to grow yourself! My favorite variety is the ‘incrediball’ – it produces giant incredible blooms that are as big as my head! Here are some tips for planting & pruning hydrangea plants in your garden.

Wilted Hydrangeas and How To Save Them
What Do You Do When Your Hydrangeas Wilt?
How To Save A Wilted Hydrangea
- Tips for Growing Hydrangea

One of the FIRST blog posts I ever wrote happens to be on hydrangeas, and in it, I mention lots of tips for caring for the outdoor plants, and a few tips for caring for cut plants, but this is the best piece of hydrangea advice ever.

I love that hydrangeas make a BIG impact in arrangements, allowing you to stretch your flower budget.

…The worst part of hydrangeas though? Their finicky temperament.

Hydrangeas seem to either wilt within hours, or stay happy for weeks! It is so funny to me how some cuts can last for literally weeks, yet some only seem to last for a few hours.

Hydrangeas love water. It’s in their name!

They also really don’t like to be hot!

So if you’re growing hydrangeas, make sure to allow them lots of water and moderate sunlight (they love afternoon shade).

And if you cut any stems, it’s best to do in the cool of the morning. Try placing them in cool water immediately, and refrigerate for 15 minutes or so – while this isn’t necessary, I’ve had great results with it.

What Do You Do When Your Hydrangeas Wilt?

Just add water!

There are tons of different tips and tricks out there that involve hammers and boiling water, but the best way I have found to save a wilting hydrangea is to place it in cool water.

This works 75% of the time for me, but sometimes, it’s just a lost cause.

How To Save A Wilted Hydrangea

Simply place the entire stem in a bucket of cold water (let it lay down horizontally), and watch as it perks back up! It takes a few hours for the transformation to happen, but it’s absolutely amazing! It makes sense, though, because Hydrangeas hate hot climates and they love lots of water.

I usually fill up a sink, or even a bathtub with cool water to allow the hydrangeas to lay completely horizontally. Placing just the buds in water, but then that leaves the stems without water during that time, which makes for unhappy flowers.

I once forgot I had left some blooms in the sink, and when I woke up, there they were, completely revived!

The blooms become pretty water-logged during this process, so when you pull them out of the water, do so gently. Carefully shake excess water off, and place into a vase. You might even try refrigerating for a bit as they acclimate in the vase.

I hope this helps you save your wilting hydrangeas!