Most hydrangeas make great cut flowers, both fresh and dried. Which ones you choose to grow depends on the look you like. Hydrangeas are beautiful landscape shrubs and their care is pretty simple.
There are four types of hydrangeas, plus one. They are bigleaf hydrangea, oakleaf hydrangeas, panicle hydrangeas, and smooth hydrangeas. The plus one is the Endless Summer type.
No matter which one you have, you’ll be able to harvest big, gorgeous fresh and dried cut flowers. Different types of each flower have different shapes, and there are a lot of colors to choose from. All are beautiful.
Each type’s description below includes a link to hydrangea growers who can give you detailed information on what the plant needs, how to care for it, and how to prune it. Be sure to check what zone the hydrangeas grow well in. Go here to find your growing zone if you don’t know it.
Hydrangeas are one of the most popular flowers for bouquets and floral arrangements With their large, showy blooms and variety of colors, it’s easy to see why they are a favorite of both gardeners and florists. But with so many hydrangea varieties to choose from, it can be tricky to know which one will give you the best vase life and visual impact.
In this article, we’ll break down the top hydrangea choices for cut flowers and arrangements. Whether you want to grow your own or buy from a local florist this guide will help you pick the perfect hydrangeas to showcase in a vase.
Factors to Consider for Cut Hydrangeas
When selecting hydrangeas for cutting, there are a few key factors to keep in mind:
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Bloom size – Look for varieties with large, full blooms that will fill out an arrangement. Smaller blooms can get lost.
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Flower shape – Popular shapes like mopheads and lacecaps provide pleasing fullness and texture.
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Color – Hydrangeas come in a beautiful range of colors from white and cream to pink, blue and purple. Choose a color that enhances your design.
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Stem strength – Sturdy stems that can stay upright in a vase without flopping over or breaking.
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Bloom time – Certain hydrangeas have longer bloom periods, giving you more opportunity for cutting.
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Dried potential – Some hydrangeas hold their shape when dried, allowing for long-lasting dried arrangements.
The Best Hydrangea Varieties for Cut Flowers
With so many options, here are five of the top hydrangea varieties that check all the boxes for stunning cut arrangements:
1. Mophead Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
This classically shaped hydrangea has huge round flower heads made up of dozens of smaller florets. There are many color options like pure white Annabelle, bright fuschia pink or periwinkle blue. They have strong upright stems and their blooms can last 1-2 weeks as cut flowers.
2. Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
Distinguished by its oak leaf-shaped foliage, this native hydrangea has cone-shaped blooms that start off white and turn purplish-pink as they age. The flowers dry very well. It blooms in early summer on sturdy stems.
3. Limelight Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’)
A popular panicle hydrangea, Limelight has bright chartreuse blooms that fade to pinkish-red. Its blooms are enormous, growing over a foot long! Limelight blooms reliably from midsummer into fall with upright, strong stems making it an excellent choice.
4. Penny Mac Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
Penny Mac is prized for its deep blue or purplish-blue blooms with matching blue-tinged foliage. It flowers throughout the summer into fall with a compact habit. The full lacecap flowers dry with a pretty blue-purple tone.
5. Endless Summer Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Endless Summer’)
This re-blooming mophead hydrangea flowers on both old and new wood. It produces blooms in summer and will rebloom again if properly pruned. Endless Summer is available in both blue and pink with large mophead blooms.
Caring for Cut Hydrangeas
Once you’ve selected your hydrangea varieties, here are some tips for caring for them as cut flowers:
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Use clean, sharp pruners to cut the stems at an angle. Remove any leaves that will sit below the water line.
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Hydrate the stems right away – submerge them in a bucket of tepid water for 30 minutes before arranging.
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Use a floral preservative and replace the water every 2-3 days. Recut the stems as needed.
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Display hydrangeas out of direct sunlight and away from drafts.
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To encourage longer vase life, wrap the heads loosely in plastic wrap or paper when buds first emerge.
Gorgeous and Long-Lasting
With their beautiful blooms and easy care, hydrangeas are a top pick for any flower arrangement. Follow this guide and select varieties like the mopheads, oakleafs or Endless Summer for cut flowers that will wow. Give them a few simple care tips and your hydrangea bouquets will stay gorgeous for 7-14 days indoors. Grow some hydrangea beauties this year for brilliant homegrown cut flowers.
Hydrangea types and pruning
Bigleaf, Mophead, and Lacecap (Hydrangea macrophylla)
These have thick, shiny, heart shaped leaves with serrated edges. They tend to have big, rounded flower heads.
Pruning Bigleaf Hydrangeas These don’t need much pruning at all, but at the right time is a must. Prune when the flowers are done blooming. Remove the flower stems to the next healthy node, which should have good growth buds on both sides of the stem. You can cut a little farther down the stem if you want longer stems for cut flowers. It’s basically deadheading (see below).
Since they bloom on old wood, the flower buds are produced the previous season. If you prune them before they flower, you’ll be removing the flower buds.
While you’re at it, cut back any straggly stems to a node or cut them off at the base. This early trimming allows the newly formed wood to set its buds for next year’s flowers and growth. Remove dead stems at the base at any time. That’s all!.
Note: some bigleaf hydrangeas are of the Endless Summer series which bloom on old and new wood, so see more on those at the end of this list. These are the plus ones I mentioned. Here’s a good pruning guide for bigleaf hydrangeas, straight from hydrangea supplier, hydrangea.com.
Oakleaf Hydrangeas (H. quercifolia) Oak-leaf shaped leaves and cone-shaped flowers on woody stems describe this type. You can harvest the flowers fresh by cutting to a healthy node. For fresh and dried flowers, you can wait until they are fully grown, turn more paper-like, and get rosy colors.
Oakleafs are bred from native hydrangeas from southeastern US. They have nice fall color from their flowers and foliage, making these excellent landscape shrubs.
Pruning Oakleaf Hydrangeas They do not need pruning except for occasional shaping. Simply cut the flowers fresh or leave them to turn to their beautiful red shades and have a dry papery texture, they’re ready to harvest and dry. Here’s a complete guide for growing and pruning oakleaf hydrangeas.
Beware of the myth that pine needles will acidify your soil
This myth has been around for a very long time and it is not true. What is true is that when they are green and freshly fallen their acidity is high. But once they fall they lose that acidity quickly. There are also terpenes in the needles that dissipate quickly and don’t harm plants. Both these truths about pine needles make them perfectly fine to use as a mulch or compost ingredient, but not as a soil acidifier.
Best shrubs for a cut flower garden // Northlawn Flower Farm
FAQ
What hydrangea is best for cut flowers?
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