Hydrangea are the Easiest Flowers

I have a TON of hydrangea bushes growing in my yard. They are so easy, requiring very little upkeep. They will reward you with gorgeous blooms all through the summer. These plants like to live in wetter ground, so if you have an area of your yard that always seems to drain water slower than the rest and has a little shade in the summer, they would be perfect to plant in your yard. You can buy them anywhere, including the grocery store florist. When you are ready, just plant them in your yard. 

Some blossoms are white, blue, pink, or purple. I know some people put lime around their bushes to turn the flowers a different color, but I just let mine actual their natural color. If a friend has a color you covet, you could always pull a branch down to the ground and place a rock on it. The branch will root itself and by next year you could have a "baby" bush to dig up and take to your house.

Hydrangea flowers make for beautiful and easy arrangements. I try to cut my flowers in the morning, because they often look sad and droopy by the afternoon in the heat. Always cut more blossoms than you think you'll need and cut the ones that are falling to the ground with their heavy weight so you won't even notice you've taken them off the bush. When I bring them in the house, I put them in my kitchen sink filled with room temp to cool temperature water. The whole flower goes in, blossom and all. This usually perks any wilters right up since they love water. Strip the leaves off the stems by running your fingers down the stem from top to bottom. You should leaf strip all flowers because leaves below the water line will generate mucky smelly water fast.

I start placing the flowers in my chosen vase, trimming the length of the stem so the flowers sit at the right height. I think an arrangement that is shaped like a mound is perfect for hydrangeas, so my center flowers are higher than the rest. Sometimes I add a little greenery or another flower that compliments the hydrangeas. Whatever you choose, your arrangement is sure to look lovely and bring you joy. Put one in your bathroom, one in the foyer and one in the family room, so you have flowers wherever you are. It will feel like a luxury, when it's really a fast and inexpensive treat!