Saturday, May 26

Free, easy, spectacular centerpieces

During one of the busiest weeks of my year, I volunteered to host a dinner party.  I may be crazy, but not completely--right now is peak hydrangea season in the South, so flowers for the party were a simple matter.



It couldn't be easier to create a beautiful arrangement of hydrangeas.  Cut your flowers in the morning before the sun gets too hot.  Then just cut the stems to fit into whatever vessel you choose, strip off most of the lower foliage, add a few drops of Clorox bleach to your water, and poke flowers into the water until you like the look.  You may choose to leave them rather loose and droopy, or do as I've done here and mass the flowers.  You can't go wrong!


I
f you're unsure about what kind of vessel to arrange your hydrangeas in, use your imagination.  I've put them in pitchers, bowls, mason jars, milk bottles, water bottles, empty sauce jars wrapped with burlap--if it'll hold water, it'll hold hydrangeas.  And if it won't hold water (like my porcelain footbath above), simply place a plastic cup or cups inside it.  Let the plastic cup hold the water and the pretty vessel just look nice. 



And just look at this variety of color!  I'm more partial to the blue flowers that result from a more acidic soil, but it surely is fun to have lots of different blooms.



Beautiful, free centerpieces that take only minutes to create.  That's my kind of decorating!




 Do you grow hydrangeas?  Or is there another flower you use to create centerpieces?  Please share!

17 comments:

  1. LOVE your hydrangeas! They grow here but are not very colorful. You can add acid to the soil but it is only temporary and they always revert back to their whitish green color. I LOVE that you are hosting a party on your busiest week ever-you are a lot like me and I guess crazy likes company~ xo Diana

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  2. Your home is so beautiful ... like your flowers.

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  3. Those are gorgeous and I do have hydrangeas and the bush is so full of blooms this year.

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  4. The hydrangea centerpieces are beautiful, Richella. I've got several bushes so I'm going to give it a try - wish me luck, as the twins have been known to be "curious" and then - poof! - away go the centerpieces!

    My centerpiece right now is a combination of a flower pot and flower that Thomas made for me at preschool and a water bottle vase full of paper flowers made from Patrick's hands and an adorable photo of him that he made at preschool. I think there might be a few lego ninjago pieces on the table, too!

    XO
    Erin

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  5. Your hydrangeas are just lovely and they make such a beautiful centerpiece. I usually use Zinnia's because I have a huge bed of them and they will continue to flower until the first frost.

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  6. So pretty...ours are not ready to bloom in NY yet, but I am waiting patiently!!

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  7. That's so pretty! I have purple irises blooming like crazy right now.

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  8. So pretty! I have big buds on my Hydrangea and I'm really looking forward to the blooms. Your arrangement looks wonderful on your table.

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  9. I love hydrangeas and yours are beautiful!! I love to use whatever is handy for vases. I also like the blue ones better too. Incidentally, I am Judy Galloway Meek's mother. She told me you two had been at college together. I love your blog!

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  10. So beautiful! I love hydrangeas. I moved last year, so I'm starting all over with mine. Can't wait for my to produce enough to make arrangements like yours!!! Thanks for sharing. Yes, I'm pinning these beauties. :)

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  11. Your hydrangeas look very pretty on your beautiful dining room table. I don't have any hydrangeas now but have had them in the past and just loved them. I think the flowers are so beautiful that they look nice in almost any container.
    Shannon

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  12. By far hydrangeas are my favorite flower! Best flower to use for an arrangement I think since you don't have to add anything else to make it beautiful.

    Jeannette

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  13. I'm obsessed with hydrangeas! Gorgeous centerpieces!

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  14. So pretty! I have a bouquet of them on my counter right this minute.

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  15. I love the color of paint in your dinning room. Do you remember what color/brand it is?

    Britneydeal@yahoo.com

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