An Easy Summer Arrangement: Hydrangea On Long Platter
Published July 15, 2012
At this time of year hydrangea is plentiful. If you are fortunate enough to have it in your garden then you can easily assemble a beautiful table centerpiece in just minutes. This is a gorgeous way to display fresh hydrangea and the beauty of this centerpiece is that it can be tailored to suit any size or shape of table.
Materials
- Wet floral foam (available in floral shops and grocery stores)
- Sharp knife/ Garden Shears
- Fresh Salal (usually in grocery stores and floral shops)
- Fresh cut Hydrangea in two different shades (can be found in floral shops)
- Glue and glue gun
- Long, narrow platter
Salal is wonderful greenery and is indigenous to British Columbia. It is probably one of the most dominant shrubs in our area. Have a look in your backyard to see if you have a shrub otherwise your local floral shop should have an ample supply.
Using your garden shears cut 5-10 branches from the shrub and wipe the leaves of any dirt or debris. Remove the leaves from the stem of the salal branch and set aside.
Clip the heads of the hydrangea off the plant on a sharp angle leaving a stem approximately 2 inches long. Set aside.
Measure your desired length of wet floral foam allowing 3-4 inches on each side and end for the finished length of the arrangement. Soak the floral foam in water for 1 hour. Once the foam is completely saturated remove it from the water and slice it lengthwise in half. Place the foam on the long platter and carefully tuck in the first layer of salal leaves under the edges of the foam. With your glue gun, attach the second layer of leaves to the undersides of the first layer.
Cut your hydrangeas in half so that they are a nice width to place into the foam. Begin inserting the hydrangea stems into the wet floral foam in an alternating fashion so the colours are varied.
Give the arrangement a bit of water to keep it nice and fresh.
