Two in one Hydrangea flowers

For centuries Hydrangeas have been a staple of any well-appointed garden design. That said, it’s that time of year when the hydrangeas are glorious in the garden, showing off with their prolific, display of flowers. Their massive and profuse clusters of blue, pink, white and sometimes even purple blooms are always long lasting with a no-fuss pom-pom flower. It has been said that these shrubs will delight anyone who welcomes them to their garden and able to convert anyone from owning just one to owning several.

Today, with the newer ever-blooming varieties, the Hydrangea is no longer an old fashioned design idea, as there are more than 1,000 Hydrangea species and cultivating them is more varied now, too, as the forms of shrub can vary in sizes and shapes — from small to extra large — and there are even vine types of Hydrangeas that can climb and can reach in excess of 50 feet high. So no matter where you live or what you’re looking for in a garden flower there is a Hydrangea for you.

This season I began creating combination Hydrangea bouquets using a variety of colors of blooms at different stages of the growing season. I reasoned that it would be fun to create something that could pass for a single, exotic bloom: one with multi colors, which doesn’t happen in nature. The result is a one of a kind arrangement that is worthy of center stage in your home.

It’s simple; let me show you how.

Gather two different blooms with stems from the garden (picking only in the morning, of course,) one with the flowers completely opened and one with the flower bud just beginning to open, and preferably of different colors. You’ll need a rubber band, some clippers and a simple bud vase to display them in.

Begin by removing all the leaves from your flowers. You may leave one or two for accent color, but choose leaves close to the flower; anything well below should be removed. Now carefully place the two flower stems together making sure their blooms are at the same level. Gently massage the blooms together a little to encourage integration, which will increase the perception that the two blooms are one and the same. When done right, this should create a full circle when viewed from above (versus a figure-eight), and a domed half-circle when viewed from the side.

Next, take your rubber band and wind it around the stems to attach the two flowers together. The rubber band should be close enough to the blooms (top of stem) to keep the flowers tight but loose enough that you don’t break the flower head. Trim the stems to be the same length and place in your bud vase. The flowers will look like they are “overflowing” the bud vase, so a fancy one is never needed.

That’s it! You’ve just created “Two in One.” You can expand on this idea by increasing the number of flowers, but this makes a great little display with punch with only two. Go ahead and use different colors to create the look of one multi-colored flower — something that wouldn’t exist on its own in nature, but no one will be able to figure out. Don’t worry, I won’t tell too many people.

And there you have it.