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Hydrangeas – Everything you need to know about Growing Hydrangeas in your Garden

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Hydrangeas are one of the most amazing flowers you can have in the garden. Hydrangeas start to flower around midsummer and they go on often until around the end of November.

In this article I will tell you everything you need to know about Hydrangeas, such as how to choose and care for hydrangeas.

Hydrangeas' blooming season and aesthetic qualities

Hydrangeas start to flower around midsummer and they go on often until around the end of November. Some of their flowers keep their shape in winter so they look fantastic in frosty gardens and others have leaves which contribute to autumn colour because they change into wonderful reds and golds. On top of that, hydrangeas grow in almost any soil. They adore the shade and some of them are quite happy in the sun and they also will grow in quite difficult conditions like woodland gardens or coastal gardens and hydrangeas are fairly trouble free when it comes to pests.

Deer and rabbits actually don’t like them because the leaves are toxic and when it comes to slugs and snails, Roger Butler (Hydrangeas specialist) says that there is a small problem there but actually you can deal with it using natural methods. At Signature Hydrangeas they have fairly wildlife friendly gardening. So they do use some organic slug and snail control such as nematodes. But the birds and the hedgehogs and the frogs take care of their slug and snail problem. And I’ve certainly found that in my garden. I’ve never seen any slug or snail damage on my hydrangeas.

Types of Hydrangeas & Prune

There are four different kinds of hydrangea and it’s a good idea to know the difference because you need to prune them in different ways.

Hydrangea Macrophylla

The most common sort of hydrangea is the macrophylla and that’s the hydrangea that most of us think of and those divide into two types. There’s the mop heads and the lace caps.

The mop heads are just simply round balls, they’re like mop heads and the lace caps have a rather delicate filigree appearance in the center. Where they’ve got little buds and then open flowers around the outside. Mop heads and lace caps both need to be pruned in February or in early spring and Roger suggests that you simply snip off the dead flowers and one set of leaves and you leave below a fat bud which will be the next summer’s flowers. If you cut back the stems of mop heads and lace caps too far, you’ll actually cut off the flower buds.

Hydrangea Arborescens

The next two types of hydrangea are growing in popularity. One of them you’ve probably seen in designer gardens a lot over the last 10 years and that’s Hydrangea arborescens. Arborescens hydrangeas are known as wild hydrangeas in the United States or even smooth hydrangeas and along with paniculatas, they need really hard pruning.

Paniculata Hydrangeas

Paniculata hydrangeas have cone-shaped flowers and Roger says that these are growing in popularity really fast. He’s noticed more people buying paniculatas over the last few years than any other kind of hydrangea. When you’re pruning arborescens and paniculatas, you need to prune them right down hard down to the last two buds from the ground and once again this is done in February or early March.

Oak Leaf Hydrangeas

And the last type of hydrangea that I’ll talk about is the oak leaf hydrangeas and you can recognize these because their leaves are quite literally like oak tree leaves. The foliage of oak leaf hydrangeas changes color in the autumn. So they’re a wonderful part of the autumn garden and they only need very light pruning. Oak leaf hydrangeas will generally withstand drought and cold even better than any of the other hydrangeas. So, they are good for difficult conditions and all you need to do when pruning them in February or early March is to snip off the dead flowers and take out any stems that are spoiling the shape. They really only need very light pruning

My Hydrangea Garden

Well hydrangea macrophylla and cerata varieties change their color with the acidity of the soil. I have hydrangeas in my garden where the soil is very acidic and the soil pH is 5 and it has a lot of aluminum sulfate watered into the soil. Which is why it’s lovely blue. If that was growing on an alkaline soil it would be deep pink. White is white, it doesn’t matter what happens. When they get old, the white flowers do change, so some of them go pink.

Every Question about Hydrangea

How Should You Choose hydrangeas?

Well you should consider the site that you’re using to start with. If you have a sunny site, you’re better off planting perniculatas or arborescens varieties and if you’ve got light to heavy shade or woodland conditions, the macrophyllas and the ceratas are the best bet. 

Where to Grow Hydrangeas?

If you’re growing macrophyllas, they don’t need to be in full sun because in a hot summer the flowers will burn, particularly the white ones, so you’re better off to keep them in a shady spot or a light shade. So they’re not in the sun all day. And otherwise you can just put the others anywhere. The perniculatas like being in full sun and the arborescens varieties like being in full sun.

What is the Best Time of Year to Plant Hydrangea?

You can plant them virtually any time of the year as long as you care for them properly. And water them well during the summer.

Which Plants Grow Well With Hydrangeas?

Generally, hydrangeas like to grow their own because the macrophyllas are quite dense plants and it’s not particularly good to have plants that need sun right next to them. My personal feeling is that they look better planted on their own. Although you can dot them in borders in groups.

Can Hydrangeas be moved?

If you’ve got a hydrangea in one place and you think you’ve put it in the wrong place, can you move it? Yes you can move them. The best time to move them once you’ve planted them is the end of October early November and plant them and get them back in the garden as soon as possible. 

Do hydrangeas grow indoors?

Lots of the macrophyllas now are grown as patio pot plants and houseplants. And these of course are forced because you can buy hydrangeas in flower from February through to November.

Could you Plant Those Out in the Garden Afterwards?

You can definitely but you’ve got to be quite careful at what time of the year you plant them out. I would suggest that if you have plants that are flowering early, it’s fine to plant them out after they’ve finished flowering but if you’re having plants that flower say from September onwards, it’s best to keep them in the pots and plant them out in the spring because their season has been totally interrupted by being in cold store and then forced under glass. 

What Should You Do When Hydrangea is Wilting?

Hydrangeas that are wilting are ones that are still in pots and it’s usually they’re too dry or they’ve been stood in water and lost a lot of root, so if they’re dry, soak them completely and if they’re sitting in water, let the water drain away.

Do You Need to Feed Hydrangeas?

Yes, they’re quite gross feeders. You feed them in the spring. We feed them with Osmocote which is a coated slow release fertilizer. In the garden you can use blood fish and bone which is ideal for it. I would feed them at the end of February or early March and possibly again in sort of July or early August after they flower. But not too much fertilizer for the autumn. 

Are There Any Particular Hydrangeas That Attract Bees?

The bees seem to like the lace cap varieties and the piniculatas.

Why are hydrangeas not flowering?

Quite often the plants that don’t flower have been pruned incorrectly. When you grow hydrangea macrophylla you must understand that the new flowering buds for next year are in these shoots and they’re not down close to the ground. So, if you cut sort of half or more of the stems off, all you’re going to do is get growth buds and no flower. That is true for 95% of the varieties although some of the newer varieties are repeat flowering ones. Learn more about Hydrangeas planting Mistakes

What To Do With Hydrangeas in Winter?

If they’re in pots, I would suggest that they’re put somewhere they can’t get too cold in really cold easterly winds if the temperature’s dropping below minus five or six. Apart from that they’re fine outside.

Which Hydrangeas Keep Their Heads Well in the Winter?

Quite a lot of the macrophyllas do keep their heads. If they’re not in too moist a condition in the autumn and of course they change color from when they’re flowering through till the autumn and then when they go dry in the winter they look particularly attractive in frosty weather. 

Which Hydrangeas are Good for Foliage?

There are some varieties like Julissa which has that purple foliage all of the time. Some of the Serratas like bluebirds color up nicely in the autumn.

Conclusion

That’s everything you need to know about hydrangeas. I think there is nothing you should be knowing and of course if you think i miss something tell us in the comment section.

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Good luck and keep growing.

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