coloring hydrangea

[rewolf]

I have a blue hydrangea wedding next weekend with medium to dark blue being the color of choice.
My suppliers just called - Nikki hydrangeas wholesale for $8 per stem while the white/blue hydrangea wholesales for $2.25.
I'm not a spray painter of flowers but now I am rethinking this. Who has spraypainted blue hydrangeas successfully and any tips would be appreciated.

 

[Tracy D'Amico]

god I love spray paint. Just made lavender mini callas as dark as schwarzaldes .....

For blue hydrangea, I layer "blueberry" and JFF hydrangea blue. I think the hydrangea blue is too light on its own, and blueberry is very heavy. Spray lightly and they come out P E R F E C T. And believe it or not, the spray helps them maintain moisture - I find sprayed hydrangea lasts out of water much longer than natural.

have fun !

 

[rewolf]

For blue hydrangea, I layer "blueberry" and JFF hydrangea blue. I think the hydrangea blue is too light on its own, and blueberry is very heavy.

That's what I'm looking for. Thanks Tracy! :bouncy:

 

[lori042499]

I have a blue hydrangea wedding next weekend with medium to dark blue being the color of choice.
My suppliers just called - Nikki hydrangeas wholesale for $8 per stem while the white/blue hydrangea wholesales for $2.25.
I'm not a spray painter of flowers but now I am rethinking this. Who has spraypainted blue hydrangeas successfully and any tips would be appreciated.

Spray them all the time.....

I layer JFF spring green, JFF delphinium blue and DM hyacinth alot...

I will also tint with some burgundys and pink to get the antique shandes of the 10.00 wholesale hydrangeas....I will not pay the price for those flowers especially if my brides don't want to pay the price for me to play with them...I also find that the tinted hydrangeas stay better so it is like getting and insurance policy on them to boot...

 

[makescents]

I have a blue hydrangea wedding next weekend with medium to dark blue being the color of choice.
My suppliers just called - Nikki hydrangeas wholesale for $8 per stem while the white/blue hydrangea wholesales for $2.25.
I'm not a spray painter of flowers but now I am rethinking this. Who has spraypainted blue hydrangeas successfully and any tips would be appreciated.

I too am loving the spray paint? Where else can you get teal Hydrangea then from a can??? The customers say - "Wow are those real? They really look fake they are so beautiful."

Spray on!!

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

a word of caution on spray painting flowers.

SHAKE THAT CAN!!! For one whole minute before spraying

Point the sprayer to the little red dot, this insures you get every drop of paint.

Hold the can at least 12 inches away from the flower and spray in quick short bursts.
This insures that you do not freeze the flowers.

I personally like all the Just For Flowers tints. Really love them. I like them way better than plain old design master.
But I tell you what, cranberry design master can really make a red ginger come back to life!

Callas take paint like a champ!!

Also, condition your hydrangeas really good and let them dry before you paint them.

 

[alisonm1215]

Ditto to all of the above.
Save your money and paint away!

 

[TGDragonfly]

I agree with Tracy. We did a all pink wedding Saturday and sprayed white hydrangea with pink. I am cleaning up right now and throwing away arranged hydrangea that is still fresh looking.

 

[Kristine]

same here, we layered wild rose and pink petunia for a "shades of pink" wedding and they were fab! The bride was thrilled with the results.

I love adding some hydrangea blue with the pinks to get a soft shade of lavender/blue

 

[Trinity]

I love the Just for Flowers for hydrangea, callas and even cymbs. I agree with Shannon thought that you have to keep the can back so as not to freeze the flower. The delphinium blue would do nicely.

 

[HeatherTuckey]

Hold the can at least 12 inches away from the flower and spray in quick short bursts.
This insures that you do not freeze the flowers.

I second that. Had a feature at VD with pink hydrangea. Asked my DM to have one of the night sales gals (with has some design experience too) to spray the hydrangea (about 50 stems). We both assumed, since she has been here for a number of years that she knew how to do this. Big mistake. She obviously sprayed them VERY close and with WAAAAY too much paint. I found three empty cans in the trash can the next morning and 50 dead overly sprayed hydrangea.

Live and learn. Never assume employees learn just by watching.... cause they don't. Plus we usually spray outside, so I guess they're not really seeing it being done. $90 down the drain.

 

[boots12313]

Love the JFF tints we just did a wedding with hydrangeas used delphinium blue with touches of black cherry came out beautiful...learned the hard way about being to close to the with the spray...now it is dusting lightly...I have experimented with mixing two or three colors to get a different color...will not pay the ridiculous price for colored ones.
Becky

 

[SpringCity]

I love painting! If done well (subtly) you can make otherworldly colors and tints that look gorgeous and that customers love.

One tip for hydrangea: DON'T try to make white hydrangeas dark pink for example (or dark blue or dark anything)

They keep opening a little each day and you will have to keep spraying and it's a disaster when you are doing a huge wedding and have a LOT of hydrangeas.
How do I know this, I wonder?
lol

But adding darker blue or a lavender tint to light blue? Gorgeous.

 

[Sher]

a word of caution on spray painting flowers.

Also, condition your hydrangeas really good and let them dry before you paint them.

How are conditioning them that they need to dry...

We have had some great success with painting and the cost is a lot less
when using white hydrangea..good advice on the paint can position tho..
Thanks
Sher

 

[Tracy D'Amico]

I love painting! If done well (subtly) you can make otherworldly colors and tints that look gorgeous and that customers love.

One tip for hydrangea: DON'T try to make white hydrangeas dark pink for example (or dark blue or dark anything)

They keep opening a little each day and you will have to keep spraying and it's a disaster when you are doing a huge wedding and have a LOT of hydrangeas.
How do I know this, I wonder?
lol

But adding darker blue or a lavender tint to light blue? Gorgeous.

If you get your hydrangea in the week prior, and leave it out of the cooler, it opens tremendously, and is perfect for painting. And uses less stem to make larger arr's. Our hydrangea rarely hits the cooler before a wedding, till it's painted & in bouquets.

 

[SpringCity]

I must've got some big bad hydrangeas because they were out of the cooler for days and kept opening and opening....I'd come in and go "aaaagh!"... but your tip is still valid, probably would've helped to wait a bit before even starting.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

How are conditioning them that they need to dry...

We have had some great success with painting and the cost is a lot less
when using white hydrangea..good advice on the paint can position tho..
Thanks
Sher

I learned this from Susan Ayala....I love her.

first you put warm water in the sink, and soak the heads in the warm water for about 15mins. or more.
next you put super screaming hot water in the buckets with your flower food, just regular old flower food like aquaplus. Cut the hydrangea and put the stems in the buckets.
they last forever this way!

 

[rewolf]

I couldn't get back to my computer yesterday after asking the question. Wow, great advice from everyone.
I've been paying the high prices for the colored hydrangeas and it kills me. I see a little extra change in my pocket now.
:blowkiss:

 

[Brad]

I have bought pink hydragea plants and cut them because it was cheaper than the cut stem price and better quality.Have you priced them thru Fall River??? I have also got a good price on colored hydrangea from them in the past. I am not a big fan of painting hate the smell and I know I will never be happy with it because it is painted(just screams cheap to me).Worst case I would call the bride and just start charging more for colored hydrangea. I mean would you like real pink hydrangea or white hydrangea sprayed pink?? Leave painting flowers to the Mad Queen if any florist painted flowers at my wedding it would definatley be "Off with thier head" LOL Good Luck!

 

[rsef]

I must've got some big bad hydrangeas because they were out of the cooler for days and kept opening and opening....I'd come in and go "aaaagh!"... but your tip is still valid, probably would've helped to wait a bit before even starting.

Try leaving them out of the cooler for a few days to open & paint with a light coat of Just for Flowers. Then sort of lightly bounce them up & down & spray another light coat. Don't forget the underside. The bouncing will make the petals shift & you'll see more of the white petals. I usually go for a light color on white hydrangeas and don't worry about having some petals remain white.