Antique Hydrangea: The Old Souls of the Flower World

One of Sun Valley's Antique Hydrangea hoop houses

Sun Valley antique hydrangea are the “old souls” of the flower world, they have stories to tell. Maybe the story of an heirloom tablescape draped in vintage finery, maybe the story of faded love still sparkling in your mind’s eye,  …and more significantly, maybe the new story of a sustainable world, where blossoms still shine, even when their initial color dims.

Hydrangea wrist corsage

We have been slowly harvesting these multicolored Rainforest Alliance Certified gems, and now, with fall’s arrival, we are in the thick of it. Lane and our team have been selecting varieties which antique wonderfully, and now you and your customers get the reward.

Hydrangea with beargrass loops

As the days get shorter and the nights chillier in Arcata, California, the colorful hydrangea blossoms of summer undergo a transformative process, like few other shows in nature.  The blooms shift from the solid colors of summer into a kaleidoscope of color variations and mutations.
 
In the super-controlled world of fresh cut flowers, we just have to let go and see what colors are created when it comes to antiques. It’s intriguing to see some colors saturate in the extreme and others become muted with little droplets of color.

The modeled look captures the essence of today’s wild flower look weddings. The blooms fit perfectly into the “Field to Vase” esthetic which is in vogue from Manhattan to San Francisco, and every shabby chic outpost in between.

Hydrangea nested in huckleberry foliage

As the blossoms mature into antiques, they gain a crisp stiffness, even before cutting. They naturally dry as the metabolism of the plant slows, leaving the blossoms caught in a state of suspended animation, almost like a photograph.  In this state the antiques will stay preserved indefinitely.

Antique Hydrangea are a gift from the past, and we are still adding chapters to their story.