Although hydrangeas can be a bit difficult to work with during the heat of the summer, they will perform well given a few pointers. First off is supply... they must be fairly fresh and handled properly during transport. Your florist may receive a box of hydrangeas that may be near to approaching their 7-10 day shelf life and possibly mishandled along the way.

Of primary importance is maintaining the cold/water chain once they arrive. Avoid sunlight and parked cars during transport whenever possible. The most perilous part of their journey is the time they spend with FedEx, and they may arrive slightly wilted in the summer heat but will quickly recover, therefore I advise allowing 6-12 hrs of chilling before use. They should be unpacked and fluffed out upon arrival, and refrigerated in water filled containers after removing any noticeably damaged petals and unwanted foliage. This is a good time to cut stems to length (under water is best) and feed with a floral freshener like "Clear" (your florist will have packets) if they will be stored for more than 2-3 days. Your florist and/or function hall, or restaurant should be able to help out with temporary storage if you don't have access to an unused refrigerator. Always be careful to avoid crushing against the sides of the frig/cooler during storage, and make sure that the base of all stems are generously covered by water to avoid loss. Depending upon handling and time of year (temperature), you can usually expect at least a 7 day shelf life from this point onward.

Bouquets and arrangements should be prepared as close as possible to the actual ceremony and kept refrigerated/under water until ready for use. Water picks (little water vials on the ends of the stems) will prolong the life of bouquets (your florist will have them), and any arrangements should be prepared with thoroughly soaked floral foam. Searing the ends of the stems and avoiding strong sunlight will also help, though I wouldn't advise the use of hydrangeas for corsage work at this time of year. If the above mentioned guidelines are followed, your hydrangeas should survive your special day with flying colors, and if returned to water or refrigeration overnight, generally for several more days thereafter.

Although we are unable to supply fresh cut-cut flowers due to the devastating affect that would have on our beautiful display gardens, we are pleased to be able to honor the many requests from our customers through our friends in the Pacific Northwest. Their season begins in June and usually extends until the end of October. The price for a 30 stem box is $90.00 ($3.00/stem) before shipping. FedEx rates for Standard Overnight are between $45 and $105 per box depending on your zip code (zone), Saturdy and Priority Overnight are extra and with no delivery on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. Volume discounts (25%) are available for 80 stem lots and better. Orders are best placed a month in advance for summer weddings and confirmed via payment in full. For more information and ordering visit our sister site, HydrangeaBouquets.com. Your flowers will be picked the day before, hydrated, and chilled overnight before shipping with cold packs via Fedex Overnight. Unfortuneately, FedEx has discontinued Overnight deliveries to Nantucket and a few other outlying areas, and as such we are no longer able to offer this service locally. With color being such a subjective thing, I'll make no guaranties except to say that we do have a bit more control at the source. I can offer light, medium, and dark blue, as well as varying shades of purple and white. Greens are only available in the fall and are not the dark green seen with some imports, but rather a have a rather pleasing antique charm in various other fall colorations. Looking through the photo galleries on my website and giving us a range to work with will help, but I make no guarantees on color other than to do our best. The minimum order at this time of year would be 30 stems,,, we can be mix up the colors a bit if you like. These are field grown flowers and may have some slight imperfections as such... most people find them all the more stunning for these natural variations.