Mountain hydrangea suitable for decorating the base

 As the hot summer months of July and August arrive, florists' worries increase. Even if you pick and choose fresh flowers from the early morning wholesale market, they don't last long, so everyone, except the happy florists who take and process as many pre-orders as possible, worry about maintenance. There is a rich and fruitful flower that helps florists at this time of year, and it is the mountain hydrangea that is suitable for decorating the base.

Blue and purple mountain hydrangeas blooming in highly acidic soil (Image by Karsten Paulick from Pixabay)

What about mountain hydrangea?

 

 It is called Mountain Hydrangea and has the scientific name 'Hydragea serrata'. In English-speaking countries, it is also called 'Hortensia' or 'Bigleaf hydrangea'. It is a plant belonging to the hydrangea family and has a very similar ecology to hydrangeas. For florists, it is a material that can be used more lightly than hydrangeas, which are somewhat more expensive, and it is especially advantageous in management because it washes more smoothly.

 Mountain hydrangeas are widely distributed in the mountains south of Gyeonggi-do, Korea, and their unique feature is that their color changes depending on the composition of the soil in which they are rooted. The closer the soil is to acidity, the more bluish-purple it is, and the closer it is to alkaline, the more pink it is to it. The most common colors on the market are blue-purple or bright light green.

 Mountain hydrangea grows as a shrub about 1 meter tall. The leaves look like perilla leaves and grow facing each other like perilla leaves. The flower of the mountain hydrangea is not the five leaves that look like petals, but the small stamen-pissil-like flowers in the middle, and the five leaves are called the calyxes. It is a perennial flower that is propagated by insects and usually blooms between July and August.

Various uses of San Hydrangea (Image by wendy CORNIQUET from Pixabay)

Uses of Mountain hydrangea

 

 When you purchase Mountain hydrangea at the market, you purchase it in units of 1 bunch. Unlike hydrangeas that are sold individually in water capsules with cut sections, mountain hydrangeas have multiple flowers on a single stem, making them easy to use and economical. It is usually cut in 40-80cm units and has several leaves attached. Since mountain hydrangeas also like water as much as hydrangeas, it is recommended to remove all but the few leaves needed for conditioning to improve watering. Additionally, since many of the calyxes are in an unopened state, treating them with boiling water to promote flowering can be a wise conditioning method.

 Cut flowers usually last about 5 to 10 days, but in hot weather, the neck may bend sooner.

 Since the flowers are clustered together, it can be used as a mass flower, and especially when used to fill the lower part of the bouquet, it is good for arranging various point flowers in the desired location. In particular, when making flower baskets, there is no better material to cover floral foam, and in the case of bright light green mountain hydrangeas, they express a very subtle cream color, allowing for a refreshing harmony with other flowers.