The Hydrangea - in the Flower agenda thoughout August

We're firmly hanging onto that summer feeling with the hydrangea. This natural mood booster can bring the sunshine inside, all year round. With its robust appearance, the hydrangea is like a holiday in a vase.

Consumers can read all about this seasonal beauty in the Flower Agenda courtesy of our friends at The Flower Council of Holland, find more information on their consumer website Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk.

Origin of the hydrangea

The no-nonsense hydrangea’s name comes from ‘hydro' (water) and ‘angeion’ (pitcher) because the hydrangea’s shape is reminiscent of an old water pitcher… although you need quite a lot of imagination to see it! The flower, which originates from Asia and South America, came to Europe on the first Dutch East Indies Company ships.

The hydrangea’s colours and shapes

In the first half of the year you see red, pink, purple, white, green and blue hydrangeas, as well as hydrangeas which combine several colours. In the second half of the year there are the ‘colour-changed’ flowers. These hydrangeas have a green/dark red/brown tone and are good for drying. These are actually flowers that the grower has left to develop in the greenhouse. There’s also plenty of choice when it comes to shape. You can choose single or double flowered varieties, globe-shaped hydrangeas, hydrangeas with small flowers in the middle and large petals on the edge (edge bloomers) or hydrangeas with a plume shape.

Care tips for customers

•   Select a clean vase and fill it with tap water at room temperature.
•   Add cut flower food to the water for a longer vase life.
•   Cut or trim the stems diagonally by 3 to 5 cm with a sharp and clean knife or secateurs.
•   Make sure there are no leaves hanging in the water.
•   Do not place hydrangeas in a draught, in full sun or near central heating.
•   Regularly top the vase up with tap water; hydrangea flowers drink a lot because they have thin leaves and thin petals, as a result of which they evaporate a lot of moisture.
•   Don’t place hydrangeas near a fruit bowl. Fruit emits ethylene gas which will cause the flowers to age more rapidly.

A fabulous bouquet with hydrangeas

Bouquet recipe with hydrangeas The hydrangea is a flower you can’t get enough of. Its globe shape, the tiny flowers that all bloom idiosyncratically, the sometimes almost unnatural colours that vary with the seasons: the hydrangea keeps us under its spell. Combined with the right colours and supporting cast it creates a wonderful spectacle that looks like it’s come straight from a fairy story.

You will need:

• Hydrangea
• Delphinium
• Rose
• Carnation
• Dahlia

Hydrangea symbolism

Alongside the flower’s magnificence, there’s another good reason to buy hydrangeas: they symbolise gratitude, grace and beauty. They also project abundance because of the lavish number of flowers and the generous round shape. The hydrangea’s colours symbolise love, harmony and peace so it’s perfect for use in floral work for weddings, funerals or birthdays.

Inspiration and information

Inspiring images of every flower in the Flower Agenda have been produced in line with the Horticulture Sector Trends 2017 (Groenbranche Trends 2017). These trends are a translation of what our consumers are interested in at the moment and are specifically aimed at the horticulture sector for use both indoors and outdoors.

If you would like to find out more about the Flower Agenda click here.

Hydrangeas are fabulous flowers for weddings!! They may be expensive per head but boy do those heads go a long way. Whether thats as a single head with sprigs of gyp for a bridesmaid bouquet