Many people plant hydrangeas in beds next to their homes or fences. This is because hydrangeas love the warm morning sun, but they dislike the heat of the afternoon. The best place to plant hydrangeas is in a sheltered location with sunny mornings and shady afternoons.
A potted hydrangea can be planted in the ground at any time of the year. However, spring or fall are the best times. Wait until the frosts are over in spring, or plant in early fall when the soil will still be warm and before the frosts.
Hydrangeas grow well in gardens, but can also grow in pots. They need well draining soil that has a slightly acidic pH. If these are not the conditions in your garden, I urge you to try planting a hydrangea in a container.
A good rule of thumb is to calculate one and a half times the estimated maximum width of your Hydrangea and plant it at least that far from your house. And as always, you should take sun exposure into account.
Most hydrangeas prefer only morning sun. Yet one type of hydrangea can soak up the sun all day: the panicle hydrangea. While they can stand the sun, these do just fine in partial shade, too. Plus, panicle hydrangeas are the hardiest hydrangeas.
With proper timing and basic propagation techniques, you can grow new hydrangeas from simple stem cuttings. Just follow these steps to multiply your hydrangeas and their breathtaking blooms: Time hydrangea cuttings for optimal results. Gather your tools before you start.
When you deadhead hydrangeas, you aren't harming the plants at all. Removing the spent blooms triggers flowering shrubs to stop producing seeds and instead put their energy toward root and foliage development. This makes plants stronger and healthier, so by deadheading, you'll be doing your hydrangeas a favor.
As rapid growers—averaging about 2 feet of growth per year—larger varieties of hydrangeas can reach up to 15 feet tall. Applicable in growing zones 3 to 9, hydrangeas are a low maintenance plant that will return year after year with proper care.
The hydrangea should be watered thoroughly at least 3 times a week. Always water the plant all the way around the container, not just in one place. Water should come out the bottom of the pot. Never let it sit in water which will cause the roots to rot away.
Keep good air space between the plants; don't crowd them together or against other plants. Don't give bigleaf hydrangeas too much love; if they're too comfortable (water, fertilizer, etc.), they may devote all their foliage to leaves instead of blooms.
As to when hydrangeas bloom, the simple answer is that a usually a hydrangea flowers from mid-spring through the late summer or early fall.
Hydrangeas Are Toxic To Dogs
"The toxic component of the hydrangea plant is a cyanogenic glycoside." Chewing plants with this compound causes cyanide to be released. The leaves, buds, flowers, and bark all contain the toxin, so if your dog munches any part of your hydrangeas, he could get sick.
Hydrangea Care Tips
Water at a rate of 1 inch per week throughout the growing season. Deeply water 3 times a week to encourage root growth. Bigleaf and smooth hydrangeas require more water, but all varieties benefit from consistent moisture.
Miracle-Gro Performance Organics Blooms Nutrition
This is an all-purpose blossom booster that's suitable for use on a wide variety of perennial and annual blooming plants, including hydrangeas. It provides various minerals, including copper, calcium, and iron, to supplement common nutrient deficiencies.
The Short Answer. The best location for most hydrangeas is the east side of your home, but this will depend on your growing location and the structures of the home and any trees or structures around that could block the sun.
If you don't prune hydrangeas then they can eventually resemble a tangled mass of woody stems, and the flowers will become smaller and less showy.
Some gardeners report success in turning their hydrangeas blue by applying coffee grounds to the soil. The coffee grounds make the soil more acidic, allowing the hydrangea to more easily absorb aluminum. In addition, fruit peels, lawn clippings, peat moss and pine needles, are thought to have a similar effect.
Cut the dead stumps down to their base to completely remove them. This will allow the new growth underneath to have a chance to succeed. Dead and old blooms need to be removed to make room for new buds to come through. Cut the flower head off right above the first few leaves to encourage blooms for the next summer.
In addition to encouraging hydrangeas to produce more flowers, pruning these shrubs each year helps keep them healthy if they get damaged by weather and allows you to shape them however you like.
To help Hydrangeas thrive, give plants a deep soak 1-3 times a week rather than giving them little sips of water daily. Hydrangeas do not tolerate overwatering or drought well. Their leaves wilt in the heat of midday, making it difficult to tell by appearance whether they need additional water or not.
Hydrangeas do best if grown outdoors. Here are two suggestions for getting cuttings through the winter: (1) sink pots of cuttings into the ground and cover well with lightweight mulch. (2) put smaller pots of cuttings next to a foundation and cover them with large clay pots for the winter.