Keeping Hydrangea Blooms for Months of Enjoyment

Keep hydrangea bloom colors bright for months of enjoyment. I have some wonderful hydrangeas that would bloom for several weeks then the blooms would dry on the branch and the colors would fade. But several years back I came up with an idea that prolongs my hydrangea blooms for months.

What I did was buy some transparent florist's spray paint and lightly sprayed the blooms after they dried on the branch. And, because the florist's paint is transparent they continued to look like they were in full bloom with a very real looking color all the way through September.

You can buy a can of florist's spray paint at any craft store (for under $5) where they sell dried or silk flowers. (It comes in a spray can or a pump spray.) Don't be tempted to use regular spray paint as the blooms won't look real. If you can't find the florist's spray paint that's made especially for dried, silk and real flowers then you can simply buy a clear spray paint that has an Ultra Violet filter in it. This clear U.V. paint won't actually color your hydrangea blooms, but it will stop the colors from fading quickly.

You can make spraying your dried hydrangea heads easier by masking them off. Simply make a template out of a paper plate: Cut a slit from the outside to the center of the plate, (like you are cutting out a tiny sliver of pie) then cut a small hole in the center of the paper plate that's about an inch round. Then you simply tuck the flower's head into the front of the paper plate and it will protect the rest of the bush from being sprayed with color. If you don't have a paper plate a simple piece of printer paper or junk mail will also do the trick. I guarantee if you spray your hydrangea flowers lightly with transparent florist paint, you'll get months of enjoyment from them while they continue to look "Just Like New" even though they may have finished blooming weeks ago and they look "totally" real!

By Cyinda from near Seattle