How to Revive Wilted Hydrangeas

After buying some grocery store hydrangeas that wilted almost immediately, I Googled “how to revive wilted hydrangeas” and experimented with the suggestions on my sad blooms. I didn’t realize that hydrangeas wilt pretty easily, so there were a lot of different hacks and suggestions out there. I was surprised that some of the tips I found (like dunking them – blooms and all – in water) didn’t work at all! There was only one method that actually helped to revive my hydrangeas, so I thought I would share that with you today!

Here’s what my hydrangeas looked like:

Here are the steps that actually worked to revive my hydrangeas – the one pictured below is the one that was wilted, in the photos above, but an hour later it was totally perked up again! I am no flower expert (you know I struggle to keep plants alive, haha), but I learned that hydrangeas have a woody stem and also a sticky substance that clogs their stems. Both of these factors can prevent moisture from reaching the flowers, which is why they can wilt even if they’re in a fresh vase of water. The water can’t reach the blooms.

How to Revive Wilted Hydrangeas:

Boil a few cups of water (in a kettle or pot) and then let cool just a little
Cut the stems of the hydrangeas at an angle off with a sharp knife (scissors can smush the stem)
Add a small slit to the bottom stem to help it suck up even more water (0ptional)
Place the stems in the boiled water
Let sit for an hour and watch the hydrangeas perk right up!
Move the hydrangeas back to a vase of fresh water
Once per day, gently mist to keep them fresh longer

I wish I’d taken a video of the process – after trying a few different methods that totally failed, I didn’t think this would work either so I didn’t think to document the process. So imagine my surprise when I came back into the kitchen to find my hydrangeas looking fresh again.