I have officially graduated from the “Grab & Toss Club”!  You may not be familiar with this club because I just made it up 😀 – but don’t worry – I will give you the insider scoop!!! This club refers to the group of folks that love to grab a bouquet while out shopping, toss it into a vase at home, and step back like they just created magic.

My husband would watch me doing this every week and encouraged me to step into floral arranging. I decided that he was on to something and started to watch flower arranging YouTube videos to get my knowledge up. On our next grocery trip to Trader Joes I picked up 4 different bouquets to make a blue color schemed birthday bouquet. That handsome guy below just stepped into the Terrific Twos 😀 !

I spent $15 dollars on flowers at Trader Joes and got to arranging once all the kiddies went to sleep.

 I played jazz, sipped on sangria, and wore a newly thrifted floral robe set. This mama was living her best relaxed life and loving every bit of it! I will admit before I started snipping and arranging – I was very nervous! I was nervous to mess up – but then remembered it’s art and to just go with it. Deep Breaths – woo saa- snip snip & Bam! $15 dollars worth of flowers were turned into 2 beautiful arrangements.

Y’all, I was sooo pleased with the results of my first flower arranging session!!! Until I learned that the blue hydrangeas – didn’t want to let the arrangement be great! 😦 I had been away from my flowers for less than 12 hours and returned home to find that the hydrangeas in the taller vase had wilted! That morning they looked fine, but by the afternoon they were on the struggle bus.

Wilted Hydrangeas 😦

 I was soooo sad, but now I am glad that it happened – Why?

I Learned Something New

Cut hydrangeas are needy flowers and require lots of hydration! Before placing them into a vase be sure to:

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1. Submerge the Flowers

Yep – baptize those beauties in a bucket of water except hold them under for a little while. Hydrangeas absorb water through their petals even when cut and require lots of water to stay perked up. Take your hydrangeas, snip the step, and fully submerge in cold water. I recommend leaving them submerged for a few hours, pulling them out, and giving a good shake. You can repeat this if they begin to droop again.

2. Cut & Split the Stem

Once you’ve taken the hydrangeas out of the water bath give the stem a horizontal snip with floral shears to get a clean-cut. Then take the scissors and vertically cut up the stem to increase water absorption.

3. Remove the Leaves

Those huge dark greens are beautiful and take up a lot of water. For the greater good of the petals – remove a couple of the leaves.

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I followed the steps above for my wilted hydrangeas and they perked back up! They were restored as if freshly cut! I was beyond amazed & it reminded me to :

Never Give Up on People or Situations that Look Hopeless

My hydrangeas looked beautiful when I brought them home and due to improper care they wilted. Once I submerged them in water to give them the TLC that they needed – they perked back up. They showed no signs of ever being depleted – all because they were nurtured back to health via a 5 hour love bath.Y’all- I  saw a video where cut hydrangeas had been kept out of water for 5 days (they looked dead) and were placed in a bucket of water for 24 hours – & they came back to life!

Please let this serve as a reminder to immerse yourself in an environment of love and to get help if you feel you are struggling with life. That time of intentional love may be what you or someone else needs to make it through a difficult season.

Plump Hydrangeas 🙂

 Additional Hydrangea Care tips:

• Hydrangeas release a sap when cut that can act like a barrier – preventing water from being absorbed. Dipping the stem in boiling water for 30 seconds and placing in cool water assists in removing the sap. I do not do this, however, if my hydrangeas were truly struggling I would jump on this.

• Hydrangeas thrive in shorter vases – because again water. The stem is shorter, therefore, water can be absorbed quickly.

• Cut hydrangeas should not be placed in direct sun – and should be kept in a place with some shade

• When away from home or sleeping – placing the hydrangeas in the fridge helps retain moisture and increases the longevity. This tip goes for all flowers!

Have any of you played with hydrangeas? Do tell!

Peace & Blessings,

Lo Johnson