It's almost September, where did the Summer go? A bittersweet time, when all the Garden flowers are hopefully at their peak, and who can resist plucking them to dry and make into Wreaths so that the blooms can be enjoyed all Winter long?
We get asked so many times, when is the right time to pick my Hydrangea blossoms, they are so beautiful, and I would like to preserve them to enjoy in the coming Winter months. How do I do this?
Here is a finished Hydrangea Wreath , just made, on a moss base. What you can't see is all the work that went into making it, abour 3 hours of labour, not including climbing up and down ladders to grab the nicest blooms, which are usually at, you guessed it, the top of the tree. It's best to pick from several bushes to get variety of size and colour.
This type in the photo above is best picked just after a light frost, or just before a light frost, but make sure to wait until there's a good amount of pink showing on the bloom. If the frost is too heavy, then the bloom will turn brown, which is okay depending on your colour scheme. If it has been raining lots, the blooms will also turn brown. The lime green mophead hydrangeas should be picked before a frost, so when you see the temps going down to about 4 degrees C. It's a hit and miss process, sorry, there are no easy answers. You will know your hydrangeas were picked at the correct time if the heads dry nicely and keep their conical shape. If they were picked too early, the blooms simply shrivel up, which is okay as well. Lay them out on a sheet so that the white spiders that are in the blooms can run away.
Here at The Camellia we work with all blooms when they are fresh. You may prefer to work with dried blooms.
Here the blooms are being attched to a base of Birch Twigs.Once the wreath is made, and the hydrangeas are left to dry, carefully rotate the wreath, and then there is the filling in of any gaps after the wreath is dry,using additional hydrangea blooms.
Hydrangea blooms also look beautiful in a glass or crystal Vase.
Pretty, aren't they? Come on into The Camellia to see our Hydrangea Wreaths and Vase floral designs which are for sale. We are Open Saturday August 30th, 2013 from 11-5.After that we are closed and will reopen on Wednesday September 11th. 2013. If you need anything during this time, please call 807-475-3551 and leave a message.
Happy Harvesting and wreath-making!!
