How to Create a Hydrangea Centerpiece

Hydrangea centerpieces are simple to create and versatile for many occasions. Learn how to create a hydrangea centerpiece within minutes using my tips & tricks.

A hydrangea centerpiece is one of my favorite centerpieces to create! With summer now here and hydrangea coming into season, I wanted to share a simple and easy way to create your own hydrangea centerpiece.

Hydrangea blooms are beautiful to look at in outdoor landscapes, but they are even prettier when clipped and brought indoors to be styled inside your home, as a centerpiece. I love going out into our yard and clipping a few fresh stems to style on our kitchen island or placing a handful in a vase in our built-in bookshelves.

Hydrangea are not quite in season here in the northeast (just a few more weeks to go!) however that has not stopped me (and shouldn’t stop you) from enjoying these beautiful flowers all spring long thanks to my local Trader Joe’s! Fresh hydrangea stems transformed into centerpieces and bouquets have become a staple in our home from spring all the way through the end of summer.

Over the years, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks when it comes to creating hydrangea centerpieces as well as the secrets to keeping your hydrangea centerpieces looking fresher longer, I’m going to share those with you today!

Where to Purchase Hydrangeas

If you do not have hydrangea growing in your yard or if they are just not in season yet, your local grocery store is a great resource to purchase gorgeous hydrangea stems. My favorite go-to grocery store to purchase hydrangea (or any other flowers for that matter) is Trader Joe’s. The fresh cut flower selection is always phenomenal and their prices are relatively inexpensive.

I’ve noticed that the local supermarkets in our area have upped their “flower game” by stocking a more robust flower selection to include bunches of hydrangea. You will pay a slightly higher premium when purchasing hydrangea at the supermarket, however when you’re in need of the big beautiful blooms, you may be willing to spend a little more money.

• Trader Joe’s $5.99/3 stems
• Local Supermarket $12.99-19.99/3-5 stems (this will vary by supermarket & time of year)

Simple & Easy Ways to Create a Hydrangea Centerpiece

Hydrangea centerpieces are one of the easiest to arrange and are extremely versatile! You don’t need many hydrangea stems to create an impactful centerpiece because of the fluffy, voluminous blooms.

One of my favorite ways to create a centerpiece with hydrangea is by simply adding a handful to a vessel such as a pitcher, wooden bucket, glass vase, or a vintage trophy.

The amount of hydrangea stems you will need will depend on the vessel you are using (keep reading…I am going to share a trick when using a wide mouthed vessel!) but typically you will want to add an odd number of stems to fill your centerpiece.

When only adding hydrangea stems to your vessel, you are going to have a more rounded centerpiece with blooms beginning where another one ends. I love how an all hydrangea centerpiece looks big and fluffy…it’s so fun and organic looking!

Decide on a Vessel for the Hydrangea Centerpiece

To create a hydrangea centerpiece, you will first need to decide on the vessel you will be using to know how many hydrangea stems to purchase (or cut from your landscape).

I chose to use a vintage silver trophy for this centerpiece, which you will want fill fairly full of water. Hydrangea stems are extremely top heavy, so to help me create this centerpiece and to keep the blooms & stems in place, I used a taping technique.

To use this technique, simply create a grid on your vessel ( keeping the grid squares as large or as small as you like) with regular scotch tape (see photo above).

Add Hydrangeas to Centerpiece

When your grid is in place, you can start adding in your hydrangea stems. Cut your stems (see tips on this farther down this blog post) all about the same length. (Length will vary on the vessel. Once you have one stem cut to the correct length, use that stem as a guide as to how long the other stems should be.)

Continue to fill the vessel with hydrangea stems, placing each stem into a square in your tape grid, until you have achieved the desired fullness of your centerpiece. After you have your centerpiece is done, you can go back and remove the tape grid. However, you cannot see the grid when once all the flowers have been added so typically I do not remove it.

I like creating all white hydrangea centerpieces as it can lend itself to so many occasions. White hydrangea centerpieces are perfect for weddings, showers, summer cookouts, or simply placed on your kitchen countertop. The options are endless when it comes to the centerpiece you create and how it can be used!

If you like a little more color in your centerpiece, check out this arrangement I put together with blue hydrangea perfect for Memorial Day or 4th of July!

Additional Centerpiece Ideas

Hydrangea make a beautiful centerpiece on their own, however hydrangea can be used as a filler flower as well.

Mix other flowers into your centerpiece for a different look! When deciding on other flowers to add to your centerpiece, remember to think in groups of three.

For this centerpiece, I added beautiful white peonies & roses to complete the group of odd numbered flowers (odd numbers are always more pleasing to the eye).

I tucked the smaller roses throughout the centerpiece into the hydrangea to make the hydrangea blooms appear smaller. The larger peonies, I placed those throughout the centerpiece as well, but between the hydrangea stems.

I left a couple of the green leaves on the peonies, because I loved the little pop of green against the white flowers.

You can make this a more vibrant centerpiece with flowers of varying colors. I love the gorgeous monochromatic look of all white flowers in this vintage silver vessel!

Tips & Tricks to Keeping Your Hydrangea Blooms Looking Fresher Longer

There is nothing more frustrating than creating a centerpiece and within the next day or even hours your hydrangea are wilted and limp.

This has happened to me numerous times until I learned a few tricks to help keep those blooms lasting longer.

Hydrangeas Need Lots of Water

The most important fact to know about hydrangea is their need for water…lots of water. Your centerpiece should stay well watered (add fresh water daily) to keep the hydrangea flowers fresh and full.

Hydrangea actually comes from the Greek words “hydor”, which means water and “angos”, meaning jar or vessel…such an appropriate name for a water loving flower!

Give Your Hydrangeas a Fresh Cut

In order for the hydrangea stems to drink as much water as possible, give your stems a fresh cut when you bring them home.

Cut the stems at a 45 degree angle, then cut up the stem about an inch from the bottom. This allows the hydrangea stem to drink as much water as possible. (See photo above for reference.)

Remove Leaves in a Hydrangea Centerpiece

Next, you want to remove the leaves from the stem (sometimes I will leave 1-2 on depending on the style centerpiece I am creating). The leaves require water so by removing them, the hydrangea flowers will be able to soak up more water and will stay fresher longer.

Soak in Water

If your hydrangea flowers do begin to droop, don’t worry! Fill a sink full of cold water and submerge the hydrangea flowers & stem into the cold water. Leave them in the cold water for several hours or overnight. Within several hours your droopy, wilted flowers will start to look full & voluminous again.

Once flowers have returned to their fullness, remove from the water, shake off any excess water, snip a little of the stem off the end, and put back into your centerpiece. I have had hydrangea last several days after using this technique to revive them!

More Flower Centerpiece Ideas

• Small Flower Arrangement for Spring
• Heirloom Pumpkin Fall Centerpiece
• Soup Tureen Centerpiece
• Mexican Fiesta Flower Arrangements

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xoxo, heidi

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