Colorful Hydrangeas in the Botanical Garden in Florence

On June 5, Dr. Starman took the group on a field trip to the botanical gardens in Florence that used to be part of the University of Florence. Right at the beginning of the garden there were a few bushes of hydrangeas of different colors. It was interesting to see different colors of hydrangeas on one single bush.  Dr. Starman mentioned how the colors of the hydrangeas depended on the pH of the soil, that was how they got their different colors. It reminded me of what I had just learned this past semester in my wedding floral design class, and how popular/trendy hydrangeas are right now for weddings. They are such a fun flower to design with and most of the colors some in such a pretty soft color, which goes great with so many wedding themes. They are a great summer wedding flower and can be used in a variety of designs. The most popular way to use them is in bridal/bridesmaids bouquets, scattered throughout the wedding arch, and in center pieces. Another unique way to use them is by using their petals as a design element for the wedding cake, whether the petals are real or made of sugar to be edible. -CML