Growing Hydrangeas
With massive flower heads, hydrangeas in summer show ancient beauty that is hard to resist. Although these flowering shrubs are low maintenance, proper care will make them bloom. Our Hydrangea guide provides all the summer plant care tips you need to know about growing hydrangeas from watering to pruning to winter care.
About Hydrangeas
Unmatched in the shrub world for beautiful flowers, these elegant plants are easy to grow, tolerate almost any soil, and produce plenty of flowers. The colors are clear blue, vibrant pink, frost white, lavender and rose - sometimes they all bloom on the same plant!
Hydrangeas are ideal for many garden sites from group gardens to shrub borders to containers. Varieties abound (every year, growers give us more options!), And gardeners ’expectations about flowering size and color are endless. To learn how to grow your hydrangea, pay attention to the types defined below. If you know what to expect, the joy will be great.
Enjoy beautiful hydrangea and learn how to grow hydrangea in our guide below.
Planning
When planting hydrangea
Plant in the spring after the last spring frost or in the fall before the first autumn frost. See local frost dates. Plant before the summer heat arrives.
Where the Hydrangeas plant
Most hydrangeas thrive in fertile, well-drained soil that receives high humidity. Add compost to enrich poor soil.
In general, the hydrangea area prefers the sun. Ideally, they will be given full sun in the morning, with some afternoon shade to protect them from the hot afternoon sun. This is especially true for the Bigleaf Hydrangea (H. macropilla), which withers. Some varieties can withstand full sun.
Hydrangeas spaced 3 to 10 feet apart depending on location.
How to plant hydrangeas
Dig a hole 2 and 3 times deeper than the root ball.
Set the plant in the hole and fill it halfway with soil. Water. After the water is absorbed, fill the remaining pit with soil.
Water completely again.
How to grow hydrangea from cuttings
Hydrangea can be easily grown by cuttings. They take root immediately and this process creates an excellent lesson in propagation. Here's how to do it:
In a well-established hydrangea, find a branch that is new growth and not flowering. The new growth will appear lighter in color than the old-growth, and the stem will not be hard.
From the tip of the branch, move down 4 to 5 inches and make a horizontal cut. Make sure you have at least 3 to 4 pairs of leaves on your cut.
Remove the lower pair of leaves from the cut and trim them to pluck the stem. The roots grow very easily from the tip of this leaf, so if you can remove more than one pair of leaves, do so. Keep at least 2 pairs of leaves at the cutting edge.
If the remaining leaves are too large, cut them in half and remove the tip in half. This prevents the leaves from sticking to the sides of the plastic bag.
(If desired) Dust the leafless part of the stem with rooting hormone and anti-fungal powder for the plants (both available at local hardware or garden stores). This will encourage rooting and rotting.
Prepare a small pot and fill it with the moistened pot. Dip one foot into warm paraffin 3 times, pausing between layers to allow them to dry. Pour water lightly to clear the air gaps around the spine.
Cover the entire pot loosely with a plastic bag. Take care not to touch the cut leaves, otherwise, the leaves will rot. (Soapsticks or something similar can be used to keep the bag from sticking and leaves.)
Place the pot in a warm place protected from direct sunlight and wind.
Make sure your cuttings do not rot every few days and water again as the top layer of soil dries. Luckily, the cuttings should be rooted in a few weeks! (Check the cuttings by gently pulling; if you feel resistance, the roots have formed
Maintenance
Hydrangea Care
Irrigation
For the first couple of years after planting and during any drought, make sure the hydrangea gets plenty of water.
Water at the rate of 1 inch per week throughout the growing season. It is better to water 3 times a week than shallow watering. It promotes root growth.
Large leaf and soft hydrangea require more water, but all varieties are stable
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