How to Revive Hydrangeas If the Blooms Start to Wilt (2024)

• Gardening
• Flowers

If you've ever built a beautiful bouquet only to have the hydrangeas wilt long before the other blooms, you're not alone. When this happens, don't throw out the hydrangeas. Instead, learn how to revive hydrangeas with this technique to extend their life. With this trick, most of your blooms will perk up nicely so you can continue to enjoy them for a few more days.

Why Do Cut Hydrangeas Wilt So Fast?

Hydrangeas are often the first flowers to start looking sad in an arrangement because they have thick, woody stems that produce a sticky sap. In a vase, those woody stems make it tricky for the blooms to take in enough moisture to reach the entire flower. Fortunately, hydrangeas are among the few plants that can draw moisture in through their florets. So, it's possible to perk up wilted blooms by completely submerging them in water and letting them sit for a few hours to rehydrate.

This trick for how to revive hydrangeas won't bring other cut flowers (like roses, peonies, or tulips) back from the brink. In fact, only a few flowers can draw in moisture through their florets like hydrangeas, so soaking those blooms will only make them rot and wilt faster.

The trick also may not work every time on hydrangeas, but it's worth a shot if you have a few stems you're not quite ready to toss yet. According to Rizaniño Reyes, a floral designer based in Seattle, the success of this method depends on factors like "when the flowers were cut and how long they've been in a box in cold storage post-harvest." That means you'll have better luck reviving slightly wilted fresh-cut hydrangeas. Those kept in storage longer might be a lost cause (but still worth a try!). "I've done this with reasonable success, but it's never 100% from my experience," Reyes says.

How to Revive Hydrangeas

If you're not ready to let go of your bouquet, follow these steps to revive your hydrangeas:

• Trim an inch off the ends of the stems and submerge wilted flowers in a bucket, bowl, or sink filled with cool water.
• If you're trying to revive multiple stems at once, weigh down the stems in the water with a lightweight plate so they stay completely submerged.
• How long you'll need to soak your hydrangeas to perk them up depends on how far gone they are. You might be able to revive less-wilted blooms in just an hour or two. Check on them regularly while they soak to see how fresh they look.
• If you notice they still look wilted after a few hours, leave them to soak overnight to see if that does the trick.

If they don't spring back after an overnight soak, your hydrangeas might be beyond saving. Submerging them multiple times to rehydrate the blooms isn't recommended. They'll usually turn brown and disintegrate when submerged for a second go-around, so this hack only works once. Still, if you can rehydrate your hydrangeas when they start wilting the first time, you can enjoy your cut flowers for a little longer.