How to Arrange Hydrangeas in a Tall Vase

Cut hydrangeas early in the morning if you're using garden hydrangeas for your arrangement. This ensures that the flowers are full of moisture and reduces the risk of premature wilting. Cut the stems straight. Take as much stem as you can, such as 8 to 12 inches, without removing too much of the branch.

Set the blooms in a bucket of water as soon as you cut them or after you pick them up from a florist. Keep the hydrangeas in water as you create the floral display.

Cut a slice of floral foam with a knife and wedge it into the bottom of the vase. Trim the floral foam to fit, if needed. Add one or two more pieces of floral foam depending on the height of the vase, until the floral foam fills enough of the vase so that the shortest hydrangea stems will reach at least 2 inches into the foam. Fill the vase with room-temperature water to within 2 inches of the top. Empty a packet of floral preservative into the water.

Cut off excess leaves from each hydrangea stem. Any leaves below water level in the vase will decay. Leave one or two leaves at the top of each stem to frame the arrangement with foliage, if desired.

Choose a hydrangea for the center of the tall vase arrangement. The showiest bloom, such as the largest one or the one with the deepest or whitest color works well as the central flower. Insert its stem into the floral foam and press it carefully into the foam so that it goes in to the depth of at least 2 inches.

Add more hydrangeas to frame the center one. Cut the stems to different lengths to create a shape in the tall vase. For example, cut three to seven smaller hydrangeas all the same length to create a ring of blooms below the center hydrangea. Alternatively, insert hydrangeas with stems cut at different lengths to create a full, informal bouquet of hydrangeas in the tall vase. This makes a large, showy bouquet that's foolproof for a beginner's arrangement.