How to Grow Hydrangeas

Whether you call them Hydrangea Macrophylla, HouseHydrangea, French Hydrangea,, or Mopheads, growingHydrangeas in the home garden can be an enjoyableexperience. They are lovely, whether used as single plantsor in mass, such as in a hedge, or border.

Growing Conditions:

Hydrangeas grow best in partial shade to full sun.They prefer morning sun and afternoon shade, especially inhot areas

Hydrangeas need a lot of water. In fact the word”Hydrangea” comes from the Greek for “water tub”!

They grow best in rich soil, so dig in a lot of compost,and other organic matter, when you plant them, and mulchwell.

Fertilization:

Fertilize liberally in the spring, in May in the South,and again in August. Wait until June to fertilize innorthern areas. Use a good balanced, slow-release,fertilizer and apply ¼ cup around the base of a very smallplant, and 1-2 cups around a very large plant. Spread outto drip line, but don’t get it next to the trunk. Mulchwith homemade compost to cover roots.

Never fertilize a plant that looks sick or wilted, itwill just stress it more.

Propagation:

You can propagate from softwood cuttings in June. Takea 6″-8″ tip cutting, strip off the bottom leaves, dip end inrooting hormone, then stick about one inch deep in sterilemoist sand, vermiculite or sphagnum moss. Create a minigreen house over plants with plastic and place in brightlight, not full sun, until roots form.

Or, you can just root them in water. Again, place inbright light away from full sun until the roots form.

Planting:

1. Dig a hole 2 times as deep and wide as the rootball. Break up soil in the hole and mix in 1 inch compost.

2. Remove from container and loosen soil around outsideof root ball.

3. Set in hole so plant is at same level it was in thepot, you may need to add dirt back into the hole to raiseit up.

4. Fill in hole, around plant, with the soil and packgently. Water well to remove air pockets. Mulch well withcompost.

5. Early fall is the best time to plant new Hydrangeas.

Pruning:

In Spring, prune back old or damaged growth, and oldflower stems. Don’t cut new shoots, they are where the newblooms will be.

In late summer, after blooming, prune to just above thenext outward facing bud.

For larger flower clusters, thin plant down to half thenumber of stems.

Problems:

Powdery Mildew-evidenced by white powder on leaves,which then turn yellow and wilt. Treat by removing infectedparts and spraying with a fungicide.

If the plants aren’t blooming well, it could be due to: 1. Winter kill. The buds form on the previous years growth,and can be killed off if temps drop below 25 degreesFahrenheit. Protect when harsh weather is expected.2. Too much shade. They prefer partial to full sun,preferably morning sun, with shade during the hotafternoons.3. Poor Fertilization.

Fun Fact:

You can change the color of the blossoms, by changing theacidity of the soil.

Add Aluminum Sulfate to make the soil acid for Blueflowers. Or, add Lime to make the soil alkaline for Pinkflowers.You will need to repeat the process 2 or 3 times over thegrowing season and continue it as long as you want thechange to continue. It may take a year or two to see theresults you want. This doesn’t usually work on the whitevarieties on Hydrangeas.

You are free to publish this article on your website or inyour Ezine as long as you publish it in it’s entirety,including the resource box at the end of the article, withactive (clickable) links back to the authors website. Youcan publish this article in a print publication as long asyou reference the author and publish the URL of the authorswebsite. A Courtesy copy of the Ezine or the URL of awebsite would be appreciated. E-mail Charlotte Harris @charlotte@thethomasinsight.com.

Charlotte Harris is the owner of Charlotte’s Garden A monthly gardening calendar with lots of helpful gardeninghints and articles.