My wholesaler swore by using sugar in the water for cut hydrangeas, but after a wilting disaster with a $350 wedding order, I'm convinced it's a myth.

He said 'a tablespoon per gallon keeps them perky for a week,' but the stems slimed up and drooped in under 48 hours, so has anyone actually had this work, or should we all just stick to commercial flower food?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivan7741mo agoMost Upvoted

Okay, a "wilting disaster" sounds rough, but I've used the sugar trick for years. It works if you do it right. You can't just dump sugar in dirty water. You have to re-cut the stems under water, strip the leaves, and change the sugar water every other day. If the stems slimed up, that's a vase cleaning and bacteria problem, not a sugar problem. My hydrangeas from the farmers market last week are still fine.

max_brown1mo ago

Totally agree, clean vase is key!

the_anthony1mo ago

Sugar works fine, my grandma did it for decades.