Once you know a few growing tips, you’ll enjoy these easy-to-grow beauties even more.
They Can Take the Sun
You don’t need heavy shade to grow hydrangeas. In our South region, most will thrive in morning sun and afternoon shade. We can help you depending on what variety you’re interested in planting.
Avoid Trees
Don’t plant hydrangeas directly under trees. They don’t like competing for moisture and nutrients, and aggressive tree roots will crowd them.
Transplanting Hydrangea
The best time to transplant a hydrangea is when it’s dormant in early spring or late fall, after most of the leaves have dropped.
Deadhead Your Blooms
Deadhead your hydrangeas to encourage more blooms. (Deadheading refers to cutting off dead or faded blooms.) But unless your plants have outgrown their location, it’s not necessary to prune at all, except to remove dead stems and branches.
Cut Flower Arrangements
If your hydrangea blooms wilt soon after you cut them, take a bucket of cool water along the next time you go into your garden. Drop the stems into the water right after you cut them. Back in the house, boil some water and let it cool for about a minute. Re-cut the hydrangea stems to the length you want, and pop them into the hot water for 30 seconds. Now put the stems in room temperature water and arrange as desired.
Watering Hydrangea
Hydrangeas are thirsty plants and like deep watering, especially in hot, dry weather. But don’t let them stand in puddles. Amend your soil with plenty of organic matter so it drains easily. We can help!
Leaves, But no Blooms?
Lots of leaves, but no blooms? You probably over-fertilized your hydrangeas. Once in early spring and again in late summer/very early fall is enough Use a time-release fertilizer or a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10. We can help!
Great Plant Combos
Hydrangeas make a beautiful backdrop. Combine them with camellias, sweet potato vines, azaleas, begonias, gingers, caladiums, ferns, impatiens, hostas and any other flowers or foliage plants that like the same growing conditions. If necessary, keep your hydrangeas in shade or part shade, behind plants that need more sun.
Great Company
Try growing some evergreen shrubs and conifers near your hydrangeas. They’ll help provide winter interest when the plants drop their leaves.
Change Their Color
Hydrangeas will often be labelled as either blue or pink. The plants can be changed back and forth, however, with simple soil amendments. If you long to change the color of your hydrangea, try this simple trick. Adding sulfur to the soil will make it more acidic, and turn pink hydrangeas blue. Adding lime to the soil will make it alkaline, and will turn blooms pink. Have fun, and treat different plants with different amendments to have some of each color in your yard! We can help since we carry the right blends to change the soil AKA your hydrangea color!
Read more in "Hydrangeas for Mom"
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