First of all, make sure have the right variety in the right environment…You can make Big Leaf Hydrangeas switch from pink to purple to blue or vice versa, however white hydrangeas will stay white no matter what. Changing flower color requires changing the soil properties, which is easier done with potted plants. That being said, these tips will work on plants in the ground, but it may be a little more difficult.

Turing your hydrangeas blue is done by lowering the pH in the soil to 4.5-5 and increasing the amount of aluminum present. There are a few ways which can be accomplished; you can add a small amount of aluminum sulfate to the plant. Placing several nails right below the plant usually does the trick as well. Dumping coffee grounds in the soil will help keep the pH low.

Making your hydrangeas pink is done by raising the pH and depriving the plants of aluminum. The ideal soil pH for pink hydrangeas is 6.0-6.5, keeping the pH in this range will ensure the plants can’t access the aluminum in the soil. Add lime to raise the pH or plant your hydrangeas near a sidewalk or concrete foundation…Lime tends to leach out of cement and helps keeps hydrangeas pink.

You can also create purple hydrangeas by balancing the pH between the ranges state above (soil pH between 5-5.5 is ideal for purple hydrangeas).

Keep in mind that you have to continue to adjust the soil’s pH to maintain the desired color. We also recommend that plants be at least 2 years old before you attempt the color change.

Shop for cut hydrangeas here.

Here are some photos of hydrangeas grown on Vogue’s Hanover farm:

Here are a few simple tips that will help you prolong the life of your floral bouquets!

1. Bacteria can clog flower stems and prevent water and nutrient circulation, so be sure to use clean containers. Vases should be washed and rinsed with a mild solution of bleach after each use.

2. Help the stems of your flowers absorb water properly by cutting each stem at an angle

3. Flower stems stay open and moist in cold water, so make sure to fill your vase with 1 cup of cold water.

4. Place your arrangement near an open window where they can get some clean air…Pollutants reduce the health of fish and animals, just as they do the life of cut flowers.

5. Chill your flowers in the fridge overnight, this will preserve the petals and keep them bright. Plus it can extend their vase life up to 4 days!

6. Trim the stems every 2 days.

7. Be sure to refill the vase with cold water every day to help your flowers stay hydrated.

8. Most cut flowers live longer in a 2% sugar solution, which is about 4 tsp. sugar in 1 quart of water . Daffodils, marguerite daisies and tulips do not benefit from sugar.

9. Your florist can also supply you with floralife (plant food) that you can dissolve in the water. That helps to keep your flowers hydrated.

Try these tips on your next arrangement from Vogue Flowers and see the difference, shop here.

Enjoy your flowers!

· Autumn or Winter Rose Centerpiece
Purchase a glass bubble bowl (globe-shaped vase) and about a dozen roses, red and white roses are ideal for Christmas or another color or mixed colors for everyday. Fill the bubble bowl about half full. Cut the roses so they’re slightly taller than the bubble bowl and all approximately the same height. Always cut at an angle. Then simply arrange them in your hand and drop them into the bubble bowl. For a fuller look add a few more flowers in the center of the bowl or create a mounded look by making the center roses a little longer than the rest.

· Wreath Centerpiece
Get a holiday wreath and lay it down on a large platter or tray. Decorate the wreath with ornaments, pinecones or ribbon. Fill the inside of the wreath with festive flowers and plants, such as poinsettias, white asiatic lilies and red roses, red carnations and white chrysanthemums, etc.
For a different twist on the Wreath Centerpiece, place large pillar candles in the center of the wreath and surround the candles with seasonal flowers. If fresh cut flowers are used then some water must be available for the end of the stems to be in it.

· Basket of Holiday Cheer
For a rustic look, take an old basket or wooden box and fill it with pinecones. Then disperse pine needles and loose flowers between the pinecones…Hypericum berries, white alstroemeria lilies and white dendrobium orchids are all good choices for this centerpiece.

· Pinecone Roots Centerpiece
Use tiny pinecones to fill a glass vase about one-third of the way. Then insert a single flower (a lily is ideal), but leave the stem long enough that it appears to be growing from the pinecones. Easy yet elegant.

· Candy Cane Charisma
Perhaps the simplest idea yet…Glue candy canes around a square or rectangular vase and fill it with red and white flowers, roses, carnations or tulips will work well.

Stop by Vogue Flowers headquarters to purchase loose flowers and any other supplies you may need (such as vases or candles) to create your own centerpieces. Get directions here.

Don’t have the time? Browse our selection of holiday centerpieces and flowers, which are all available for for same day delivery if ordered before 2pm, here.

There are 3 main ways to dry your flowers…Air dry, air drying with a drying agent and combining heat with a drying agent. Here’s what to do:

Air drying-
This is the simplest, but longest way to preserve flowers. Simply gather your stems into small bunches (about 1/2 inch in diameter) and wrap them with a rubber band. Make sure your rubber band is tight, as the stems will shrink slightly while drying. Hook a paper clip through the rubber band and hang the flowers upside down in an area out of direct sunlight. The more light your flowers receive, the more they will fade. Your flowers will dry after 2-3 weeks, you’ll know they are dry when they become stiff and brittle.

Using a drying agent-
You can speed up the process by using a drying agent like silica gel. This is particularly a good idea when drying fragile flowers or flowers with a lot of moisture. Get a shallow airtight container and spread an inch of silica gel on the bottom. Then place your flower heads on the silica gel and surround the flowers with at least another inch of silica gel. Seal your container and let it sit for about 3-5 days. Silica gel can be found at just about any craft store and it is reusable.

Combining heat and a drying agent-

If you want to speed up the process even more you can add heat. Just microwave the container with flowers and silica gel for 2-3 minutes, but make sure you allow the flowers to cool completely before you open the container

Once you’ve dried your flowers try to keep them away from direct sun light, as exposure to sun will cause them to fade.

Here are some flowers that dry well, click on the flower name to view arrangements containing these flowers:

Hydrangea
Delphinium
Larkspur
Dahlias
Roses
Statice

Fall is also time to pick pumpkins. Vogue Flowers and the Flower Market grow gourmet white pumpkins for the fashion floral accent as well as tradiditonal small round pumpkins which we use as containers and accents in our fall centerpieces. The harvest is plentiful and ready to be used in creative fresh ways for weddings or any occasion.

About Vogue Flowers
Vogue Flowers is a leading Richmond Florist, supplying fresh flowers to Richmond, Virginia and the entire US. Visit us today at: http://www.vogueflowers.com today to order your flowers from this leading online florist.

Doing this ahead of time ensures that when you are ready to plant you don’t have to worry about the soil not being ready, or having to spend extra hours preparing it and then planting your flowers. A little preparation can save you a huge amount of time later.

Plant by Size

If you’re planting your flowers against a wall, make sure to plant the taller ones (like sunflowers) back against the wall, with the smaller ones further away from the wall. If you’re planting your garden in the middle of an open space, you’ll want to plant the taller ones in the center, with the smaller ones radiating out from there.

These two configurations allow for all of the plants to get enough sunlight without having to compete with each other and insures that all of your flowers will be visible to both you and anybody else that might be enjoying your garden.

Plant Plenty

To help compensate for losses to insects and birds, plant the seeds closer than recommended on the package, as well as planting more than you expect to grow. Weather, wildlife, and any variety of other causes can leave you with far fewer plants than you put into the ground, and planting extra means you don’t have to worry about a sparse garden when everything blooms.

Be Colorful!

With so many summer flowers out there – sunflowers, petunias, marigolds, and cosmos just to name a few – there’s no reason that your summer garden should be anything less than a bright spot of color for your home. Don’t limit yourself to one type of flower or one color scheme, mix and match and brighten up your garden, lawn, or backyard with bright and colorful summer flowers that are sure to be a pleasure for you and your family to enjoy all season long.

Have Fun

The most important part of planting your garden this summer season is to make sure you have fun with it. Plant lots of flowers, plant more than one garden, get your family involved, get your neighbors involved, plant in patters – whatever you want to do to make sure that your flowers are something that you enjoy from the moment you start turning the soil to when you sit back and watch them bloom.

About the Author

Steve Papoulakos is the president of Vogue Flowers, a Richmond florist that allows you to send roses and buy flowers from our stock of amazingly fresh flowers. We can be found online at: http://www.vogueflowers.com .

Plan Ahead to Plant Sunflowers Early
If you want to grow your own Sunflowers than you had better plan ahead and plan to plant in early Spring. Getting the seeds into the ground by between March and August, with mid-May being an ideal time, is the best way to go to ensure that you get maximum return on the seeds that you plan. Also, make sure you test the soil where you’ll be planting well ahead to make sure that there’s not too much Nitrogen in the soil, but that there is a good amount of Potassium and Phosphorus.

Give Yourself Enough Space
Growing Sunflowers can take up some space, so make sure that you have enough space devoted to the amount of plants that you will be growing. You’ll want to plant each seed roughly 1 to 2 inches deep into moist soil, spacing the seeds 12 inches apart in rows that are spaced between 2 and 2 ½ feet apart. If you’re planning on growing a larger varietal of Sunflower than you may want to give yourself even more space to allow for the added size.

Managing the Plants
Your Sunflowers plant should mature in roughly 60 to 90 days at which point they will need to be cut daily. The best time to cut your Sunflower plants is in either the early morning or late afternoon. Once you’ve cut your Sunflowers you’ll want to immerse them in clean buckets filled with water and a solution of Quick Dip to open their pores. Refrigerating them within a few hours of cutting ensures that they will last long once they are put on display.

Ready by Fall
Depending on when you plant your Sunflowers they can be ready to be cut anywhere from September and into October. You can display your Sunflowers in any number of ways, to having them be the center of a large display to using them as a way to add color and vibrancy to an existing floral arrangement. If properly managed and prepared before being put into an arrangement, your Sunflowers can maintain their fresh flowers appearance for upwards of two weeks.

Just in Case
Ok, so you can see that it’s not really that hard to grow your own beautiful Sunflowers for your Fall floral arrangements, but what if you don’t have the time, or the green thumb, to grow your own Sunflowers. Well there are number of places that will offer fresh flowers this time of year, chief amongst them being Sunflowers. While there is certainly a certain satisfaction in growing your own flowers, if you don’t have the time or space to do so, there’s certainly nothing wrong with deciding to buy flowers from your local florist and having them include some fresh Sunflowers for you.

About the Author
Steve Papoulakos is the president of Vogue Flowers and has been in the floral industry for over 22 years, offering fresh flowers and flowers online for those looking for quality and experience.