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Growing conditions for hydrangeas


Hydrangeas: How to Plant and Care for Hydrangea Shrubs

With immense flower heads, hydrangeas flaunt an old-fashioned charm. Our Hydrangea Growing Guide provides information on how to plant and care for these flowering shrubs. Plus, find answers to common questions, such as why your hydrangeas aren’t blooming this year.

About Hydrangeas

Unrivaled in the shrub world for their beautiful flowers, these elegant plants are easy to cultivate, tolerate almost any type of soil, and produce abundant blooms. Colors beguile with clear blue, vibrant pink, frosty white, lavender, and rose blossoms—sometimes all blooming on the same plant! 

Hydrangeas are excellent for a range of garden sites, from group plantings to shrub borders to containers. Varieties abound (every year, it seems, breeders present us with more options!), and gardeners’ expectations of bloom size and color are boundless. To know how your hydrangea will grow, pay attention to the species, defined below, as some require different care. When you know what to expect, delights will be magnified.

Enjoy this ode to the beautiful of hydrangeas and learn how to grow hydrangeas in our guide below.

Planting

Where to Plant Hydrangeas

When to Plant Hydrangeas

How to Plant Hydrangeas

How to Grow Hydrangeas from Cuttings

Hydrangeas can easily be grown from cuttings. They root readily and the process makes for a great lesson in propagation. Here’s how to do it:

  1. On a well-established hydrangea, find a branch that is new growth and that has not flowered. New growth will appear lighter in color than old growth, and the stem will not be as rigid. 
  2. From the tip of the branch, move 4 to 5 inches down and make a horizontal cut. Make sure that there are at least 3 to 4 pairs of leaves on your cutting.
  3. Remove the lowest pair of leaves from the cutting, trimming them flush to the stem. Roots grow more easily from these leaf nodes, so if you can afford to remove more than one pair of leaves, do so. Be sure to keep at least 2 pairs of leaves at the tip end of the cutting, though. 
  4. If the remaining leaves are quite large, cut them in half, removing the tip-half. This prevents the leaves from hitting the sides of the plastic bag you will place over the cutting later on (to keep the humidity up).
  5. (Optional) Dust the leafless part of the stem with rooting hormone and an anti-fungal powder for plants (both available at a local hardware or garden store). This will encourage rooting and discourage rotting.
  6. Prepare a small pot and fill it with moistened potting mix. Plant the cutting in the soil, sinking it down to the first pair of remaining leaves. Water lightly to get rid of any air gaps around the stem.
  7. Cover the entire pot loosely with a plastic bag. Make sure the bag isn’t touching the leaves of the cutting, otherwise the leaves can rot. (Chopsticks or something similar can be used to prop up the bag and keep it off the leaves.)
  8. Place the pot in a warm area that’s sheltered from direct sunlight and wind.
  9. Check on your cutting every few days to make sure that it isn’t rotting and only water again once the top layer of soil is dry. With luck, the cutting should root in a few weeks! (Check by gently pulling on the cutting; if you feel resistance, roots have formed.)

Growing

Hydrangea Care

Watering
Fertilizing

If your soil is rich, you may not need to fertilize hydrangeas. Too much fertilizer encourages leafy growth at the expense of blooms. The best way to determine your fertility needs is by using a soil test.

Apply fertilizer based on your specific hydrangeas. Each variety has different needs and will benefit from different application timing.

Winter Protection

 

 

How to Prune a Hydrangea

Many of our readers’ questions involve pruning hydrangeas. And no wonder—it’s confusing, and all depends on the variety of hydrangea. Luckily, as long as you know which type you’ve got, it’s easy to figure out what sort of pruning technique to employ.  Learn the essentials below, then read more about how to prune hydrangea varieties here.

Hydrangea Type When to Prune Where Flowers Appear
Bigleaf (H. macrophylla) Summer, after flowering On old growth
Oakleaf (H. quercifolia) Summer, after flowering On old growth
Panicle (H. paniculata) Late winter, before spring growth On new growth
Smooth (H. arborescens) Late winter, before spring growth On new growth
Mountain (H. serrata) Summer, after flowering On old growth
Climbing (H. anomala subsp. petiolaris) Summer, after flowering On old growth
Pruning Common Hydrangeas

The most common garden hydrangea shrub is the Bigleaf variety, Hydrangea macrophylla. (See more below.)

Bigleaf (H. macrophylla), Oakleaf (H. quercifolia), Mountain (H. serrata), and Climbing hydrangeas (H. anomala subsp. petiolaris) are pruned AFTER the flowers fade in the summer. These varieties bloom on the previous season’s stems (“old wood”).

Pruning Other Hydrangeas

Panicle (H. paniculata) and Smooth (H. arborescens) hydrangeas are pruned BEFORE flower buds are formed. These varieties bloom on the current season’s stems (“new wood”).

Read more about how to prune hydrangea types.

How to Change the Color of Hydrangea Flowers

It is possible to change the flowers’ colors, but not instantly. Color correction takes weeks—even months. Wait until the plant is at least 2 years old to give it time to recover from the shock of its original planting. Also note that it’s easier to change blue flowers to pink than pink to blue.

It’s not every hydrangea that changes color. The color of some Bigleaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla)—especially Mophead and Lacecap types—and H. serrata cultivars change color based on the soil pH.

Acidic soils with a pH of less than 5.5 produce blue flowers; soils with a pH greater than 6.0 produce pink flowers. White flowers are not affected by pH.

See How to Change the Color of Hydrangea Flowers for more information.

Recommended Varieties

For a more detailed overview of the many types of hydrangeas, check out Hydrangea Varieties for Every Garden.

There are two main groups of hydrangeas:

Group 1: Plants that Bloom on New Growth (This Year’s Stems)

The following hydrangeas, which form their buds in early summer on new growth, will flower reliably each year, requiring no special care.

Image: Lacecap hydrangea

Group 2: Plants that Bloom on Old Growth (Last Year’s Stems)

If you live in Zone 8 or warmer, choose plants from this group. Gardeners in cool climate zones will find many of them a challenge, because they set flower buds in the fall. Although hardy to Zones 4 and 5, the buds are prone to damage by an early frost in fall, a late frost in spring, or excessively cold temperatures when dormant in winter. This, along with untimely pruning, can result in inconsistent flowering or no flowering at all.

For more about hydrangea varieties, see Hydrangea Varieties for Every Garden.

Harvesting

How to Cut and Store Dried Hydrangea Flowers

Use dried hydrangea flowers to create a wreath or other decorations around the house:

  1. Cut the flower heads when the flowers have matured and developed a papery consistency.
  2. Remove leaves from stems, and hang upside down in a warm, dry, dark, airy room.
  3. When completely dry (usually a couple of weeks), store in a dry location out of direct sunlight.
  4. To enhance flower color, spritz dry flowers with diluted fabric dye.

How to Use Hydrangeas in a Bouquet

  1. Place the freshly cut hydrangea stems immediately into cold water to avoid wilting.
  2. Recut the woody stems at a slant under water. Remove lower leaves on the stems.
  3. Arrange the stems in a vase and place in a cool spot. 
  4. Check the water in the vase daily and mist the blooms with water. 
  5. Soak wilting blooms in cool water for 10 to 15 minutes to revive them.

Wit and Wisdom

Pests/Diseases

Pests are rare, but can appear when plants become stressed. Common pests include aphids and red spider mites. Powdery mildew, leaf spot, wilt, and bight can all appear on hydrangeas. Protect against pests and disease by choosing resistant cultivars and follow our tips on caring for your hydrangea.

Why Hydrangeas Don’t Bloom

A more common problem is hydrangeas that don’t bloom. Here are five common reasons your hydrangea isn’t flowering:

  1. As discussed above, you need to know the variety of hydrangea as some types are pruned before flowering and some are pruned afterwards. Without knowing this, you risk cutting off its buds (aka blooms).
  2. There’s a reason why “hydra” is in the word “hydrangeas.” These plants need soil that is always moist (but not wet). Water correctly.

  3. The perfect location for a hydrangea is a place with a few hours of direct sun in the morning and dappled sunlight in the afternoon. Too little sunlight or overly intense sunlight affects flowering.

  4. Are you getting lush green leaves without blooms? Then check your fertilizer. Do not use a fertilizer high in nitrogen; use one that’s high in phosphorus (P) in the early spring and mid-summer.

  5. Weather and climate is an issue. You must pick a variety that works for your climate zone. And even then, a late spring frost that happens right when the plant is budding could kill the buds. If a frost is forecasted, cover hydrangeas the shrubs with a sheet until morning. 

How to Plant, Grow & Care for Hydrangeas

Hydrangea Care: How to Plant, Grow & Care for Hydrangeas

Tips & Techniques

Betterdays in Full Swing

Gardening

If you’re looking for a garden flower with show appeal, hydrangea flowers are truly stunning. Large globes of flowers cover this shrub in summer and spring. Although their appearance may seem high maintenance, with the right conditions and care, hydrangeas are actually fairly easy to grow. So grab your garden gloves, because our growing hydrangeas guide will have you ready to plant in no time.

What Are Hydrangeas?

Blooming in spring and summer, the hydrangea is considered a shrub. But despite their ability to be rather large showstoppers in your yard, how to grow hydrangeas isn’t a question even the novice gardener will need to ask – these beauties all but grow themselves. Reaching up to 15 feet in height, the hydrangea grows quickly and often fills in a space in just one summer. You’ll find hydrangeas growing in hardiness Zones 3 to 7 as perennials. With flowers starting in spring and often last throughout summer into early fall, hydrangea flowers can be the foundation plant of your landscape.

Planting Hydrangeas

As with most things in your garden, learning the basics of how to plant hydrangeas can save you time and money. By choosing the proper location, getting the soil just right and planting correctly, you’ll increase your chances of enjoying large, colorful hydrangea blooms for years to come.

  1. Best time to plant hydrangeas

    Fall is the best season to plant hydrangeas, followed by early spring. The idea is to give the shrub plenty of time to establish a healthy root system before blooming. The best time of day to plant is early morning or late afternoon. The cooler parts of the day offer protection against heat stress. Keep new plants well-watered until established.

  2. Where to plant hydrangeas

    Knowing where to plant hydrangea shrubs is an important first step. 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. You often find this on the north or south side of your home. Avoid planting directly underneath trees, which can lead to competition for water and nutrients. High winds can rip and damage leaves and destroy the flowers.

  3. Best soil for hydrangeas

    Hydrangeas grow well in soil containing an abundance of organic material. Good drainage is vital. While hydrangeas like moist soil, they cannot tolerate being waterlogged. Soggy, poor draining soils can cause root rot. In just a few weeks, your hydrangeas can quickly die. If you have heavy soil, consider mixing in plenty of compost prior to planting to improve soil quality.

  4. How to plant hydrangeas

    To plant hydrangeas, simply dig the planting holes 2 feet wider than the root ball. Keep the depth of the hole consistent with the size of the root ball so your plant sits level with or just higher than the surrounding soil. By creating a slight mound, you help increase water drainage away from the base of the plant.

  5. How to propagate hydrangeas

    One hydrangea can turn into many through simple propagation techniques. Bigleaf and panicle hydrangeas are best propagated through layering in early to mid-summer. All you have to do is:

    • Dig a small trench near your hydrangea plant.
    • Bend a branch down to the trench so it touches the soil in the middle of the branch (six to 12 inches of branch should extend past the trench).
    • Make scratches in the bark where the branch touches the trench soil.
    • Fill in the trench and place a paver, brick or stone on top.
    • With time, the branch will form its own root system and may be transplanted to a new location.

Smooth and oakleaf hydrangeas put out new shoots through underground stems. Just dig up the young plant and separate it away from the main plant. It can then be transplanted to a new location.

Hydrangea Care Tips

Although the hydrangea’s leaves and flowers appear delicate, they actually don’t require a lot of tender care. These tips provide all you need to know about how to care for hydrangeas.

Types of Hydrangeas

There are four different types of hydrangeas grown in the United States:

Consider planting these popular hydrangeas in your garden landscape:

Common Questions About Growing Hydrangeas

When do hydrangeas bloom?

The hydrangea blooming season depends upon the type and cultivar as well as your planting zone. Most new growth hydrangeas put on buds in early summer to bloom in the following spring, summer and early fall seasons. In hot climates, hydrangeas may stop blooming in the heat of summer, but will rebloom in the fall.

How do you cut back hydrangeas?

When hydrangea plants are given plenty of growing space in the garden, they don’t need pruning. All that is required is the occasional removal of dead wood.

Do you need to deadhead hydrangeas?

Deadheading hydrangeas will keep your plants blooming into fall. You don’t have to wait until the flower wilts – hydrangeas make excellent cut flowers. Leave those early fall blooms in place to fade on their own. You don’t want to encourage new growth close to your freeze date.

How do you control hydrangea color?

Hydrangeas are unique in that you can control their color. But keep in mind, not all hydrangea types are capable of color adjustments. Bigleaf hydrangeas, H. macrophylla, react to changes in soil pH. A low soil pH allows hydrangeas to absorb aluminum, which turns the flowers a beautiful blue color. To increase blue hydrangea flowers, lower your soil pH by adding sulfur or peat moss to the soil. You can also add additional aluminum sulfate to your soil throughout the growing season. Pink and red flowers shine when you add ground limestone to increase the pH.

A soil pH test can help you accurately adjust your hydrangea color. Avoid pH levels above 7.5 to prevent damage to the plant. No matter what adjustments you’ve made, all hydrangeas will naturally fade in the fall. Don’t worry – the plant will showcase fresh, colorful blooms again in the spring.

Can hydrangeas grow in shade?

Hydrangeas like dappled or occasional shade, but they will not bloom in heavy shade. It isn’t so much a question of do they prefer sun or shade, but rather more of a question of how much sun do hydrangeas need? The further north your garden is located, the more sunlight your hydrangeas need. An average rule of thumb is six hours of sunlight per day. However, hydrangeas growing in the south can perform on only three hours of sunlight.

Can hydrangeas grow in full sun?

Hydrangeas like morning sun, but do not do well if they’re in direct, hot afternoon sun. Partial shade in the later parts of the day is ideal for these beauties.

Can you grow hydrangeas in pots?

Even if you lack the space in your garden to grow hydrangeas, knowing how to grow hydrangea in a pot means you can still enjoy these beautiful blooms. The process is relatively simple, as long as you follow the basics of hydrangea care. Choose a large enough pot for the mature size of your specific hydrangea – at least 18 inches in diameter. Look for non-porous containers to help hold the consistent moisture level require by hydrangeas. Drainage holes will allow excess water to drain properly. Consider planting dwarf hydrangeas, such as Little Lime, Mini Penny and Buttons ‘n Bows.

How do you keep hydrangeas from wilting?

Regular watering in the mornings can help prevent wilting. Some varieties of hydrangeas simply can’t handle the heat. It won’t matter how much water you give them – they’ll wilt a bit in the heat of afternoon. A thick layer of mulch can help retain moisture and keep soil cool. If your hydrangeas perk back up once the day begins to cool, you don’t need to worry. It’s better to have a little mid-day wilting than to overwater and drown your hydrangeas.

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outdoor planting and care, species, propagation

Many gardeners buy the wrong species and varieties, so they do not succeed. Usually they take the most spectacular bushes, with blue and pink inflorescences. But this is a large-leaved hydrangea, and it is the most thermophilic. Yes, it can also be grown in the middle lane, but you have to tinker a lot. But there are more unpretentious species that are not afraid of frost.

Winter-hardy hydrangeas

The hydrangea genus includes 52 species (1), but much less is used in horticulture. And there are two truly frost-resistant ones: tree hydrangea and panicled hydrangea. Experienced gardeners usually have no problems with them. Know yourself to water without sparing, fertilize when necessary, and cut if the bush is thickened and the inflorescences are crushed. These hydrangeas winter in the middle lane without shelter, but to the north they freeze slightly without it.

Winter-hardy varieties of Hydrangea arborescens

In hydrangea arborescens, the most famous is Annabelle (Annabelle), with large caps of snow-white inflorescences. The bush is sprawling, in favorable conditions it grows up to 1.5 m. The branches often bend under the weight of the inflorescences, especially after rain. Almost as popular are Grandiflora (Grandiflora) with cream and Sterilis (Sterilis) with white-green, then whitening petals.

But the lesser-known novelties so far: Hayes Starburst (Hayes Starburst) with white double flowers, Incredible (Incredible) (first lemon green, then white, and green by autumn). And, of course, pink Invincibelle Spirit (Invincibelle Spirit)!

Winter-hardy varieties of panicled hydrangea

The most common decorative form of panicled hydrangea is Grandiflora (Grandiflora). When blooming, its inflorescences up to 30 cm long are creamy white, then pure white, later they turn pink, and in autumn they become greenish-red. And this is the most frost-resistant variety in the middle lane (2)! Take a closer look at other varieties of panicle hydrangea. For example, to dwarf Bobo (Bobo) 60 - 70 cm high. Inflorescences abundantly covering the bush, first in lemon-green tones, then turn white and even turn slightly pink. Slightly larger than Little Lime (Little Lime). In partial shade, the flowers of this hydrangea are greenish all season, and in the sun they acquire a pinkish tint by autumn. Wims Red (Wim's Red), 1.5 - 2 m high. Blooming flowers are first creamy white, then pink and wine red by autumn.

And the most beautiful are Pinky Winky (Pinky Winky), Vanille Fraise (Vanille Fraise) and Limelight (Limelight) - they gain the highest marks for all indicators of decorativeness (3).

Photo: Anatoly Zhdanov

Winter-hardy varieties of large-leaved hydrangea

New - hydrangea Endless Summer (Endless Summer). Pink and blue. Blooming on the shoots of both the past and the current year! That is, remontant, and even wintering normally in the middle lane. Yes, with cover.

There are 9 more0013 Twits and Shout (Twist and Shout) - she has blue and pink varieties. And also variety Expression (Expression): its graceful flowers are purple-blue in acidic soil and pink in alkaline soil. All of them can withstand up to -29 ° C.

That is, a gardener who has taken care of a winter shelter for hydrangeas will be able to admire flowering from July to September-October! The main thing is to open them on time, but not too early in the spring, and in the summer, especially hot, indulge in watering.

Planting hydrangea outdoors

Hydrangea loves rich soils and does not tolerate excess lime. When planting in a pit, you need to add humus, peat, a little sand to clay soil. It would be good to mulch the trunk circle with riding (red) peat or coniferous litter.

It is better to plant hydrangeas in the garden in late spring. Seedlings with well-developed roots can be planted in early September. In the summer? After all, it is known that container plants can be planted throughout the warm season. Theoretically, this also applies to hydrangeas, but the problem is that in summer it is very hot and dry, and hydrangeas are water drinkers. If you live in a country house or you have a country house and you have the opportunity to water the sazhens every day, then plant it. If you come to the site on weekends, it is better not to risk it.

Planting holes are dug 50 cm deep and 50 cm in diameter. Humus, peat are added to it, and a little sand is added to clay soil.

If the soil is alkaline, it must be acidified with high-moor peat, Kemira-universal fertilizer or acidifier Acid plus. Lime and ash must not be brought into the planting pits! They alkalize the soil.

Hydrangea has a shallow root system, so it is not recommended to plant it close to trees and other shrubs - they will take moisture from it.

After planting, it is useful to mulch the trunk circle with high-moor peat or coniferous litter.

Photo: Mikhail Frolov Photo: Mikhail Frolov Photo: Mikhail Frolov Photo: Mikhail Frolov

Hydrangea care in open ground

Watering. Hydrangeas should be watered abundantly and often. In summer, it is supposed to pour 3-5 buckets of water under each bush! In hot weather - twice a week. On rainy days, once a week.

If it is not possible to water twice a week, it is necessary to mulch the soil with peat in a layer of 5 - 10 cm - it slows down the evaporation of water from the soil.

Top dressing . Over the summer, hydrangeas need three top dressings:

Mineral fertilizers are spread evenly under the bush, covered with a rake and watered. Humus and compost are poured out in an even layer - it is not necessary to close up their soil.

Cutting. In order for the hydrangea to bloom profusely and for a long time, it must be cut off annually - then more additional shoots with flowers are formed. Usually leave 6 - 10 of the strongest shoots. And they, in turn, are shortened, cut off the top with 2 - 5 kidneys.

Propagation of hydrangeas in the open ground

There are 4 ways to propagate hydrangeas: seeds, cuttings, green cuttings and lignified cuttings. It is difficult to propagate with seeds and this method is only suitable for species plants - varieties will not retain their characteristics. So it's not worth the hassle. But the rest of the ways are pretty simple.

Layering . The easiest way is to just bend the lower branch to the ground, pin it with wire, sprinkle it with earth, and bring the top up and tie it to a peg. You can do this throughout the summer. In the spring of next year, until the leaves have blossomed, the shoot is cut off from the bush, dug up with a clod of earth and planted in a permanent place.

Green cuttings. They are cut in mid-June 15-20 cm long. The lower pair of leaves is cut off. The lower cut is treated with Heterauxin or Kornevin (4) and stuck into loose soil so that it contains at least one internode (preferably two). The leaves are cut to 2/3 so as not to evaporate a lot of moisture. The planted cutting is covered with a jar or plastic bottle.

It is better to root the cuttings in the shade . They are transplanted to a permanent place in the spring of next year.

Woody cuttings. They are cut in the first half of April. The technology is the same as with green cuttings. But they take root worse.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about hydrangeas with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova - we asked her the most popular questions of summer residents.

Can hydrangeas be planted in the shade?

Hydrangea is fairly shade tolerant. But the less light, the worse the flowering, and the more sun, the more abundant the watering should be. So you have to make compromises. In the southern regions, plant so that at noon the hydrangea hides in partial shade, otherwise you won’t get enough water, and the inflorescences can burn out from the direct sun. And in the middle lane it is better to choose a sunny or shaded place for a small part of the day.

Can hydrangeas be planted next to trees?

It is definitely impossible to plant it with large watermelon trees. And hydrangea does not get along with a powerful specimen of girlish grapes - in summer it will not have enough moisture even with regular watering. The exception is a very damp area.

Is it possible to grow hydrangea in a pot?

Heat-loving varieties of large-leaved hydrangea can be grown in a pot. This is a fairly popular indoor plant, but for the summer it can be taken out into the garden. Hydrangea pots can be placed on the porch, decorate the patio, seating area, gazebo, or dig pots in the garden. But for the winter they will need to be brought into the house.

How to use hydrangea in landscape design?

Hydrangeas look good in the company of flowering and decorative leafy perennials, such as astilbes, echinoceas, vines, hostas, ferns, cereals. They fit perfectly into coniferous compositions. Hydrangeas also look impressive against the background of large stones. Great company for them - heathers and erics.

Why is the hydrangea not blooming?

There may be several reasons:

• flower buds killed by frost - this can happen both in winter and in spring, during frosts;
• plant suffering from drought - these plants like frequent and plentiful watering;
• Incorrect pruning - many varieties bloom on last year's shoots, and if the branches are cut short in autumn, they will not bloom next summer.

Sources

  1. Plant systematics. Hydrangea // The Plant List www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/Hydrangeaceae/Hydrangea/
  2. Redin D. V., Nechaeva E. Kh., Melnikova N. A., Stepanova Yu. V., Matveev V. A. The study of introduced varieties of hydrangea paniculata in the conditions of the Samara region // Epoch of Science, No. 15, 2018 cyberleninka .ru/article/n/izuchenie-introdutsirovannyh-sortov-gortenzii-metelchatoy-v-usloviyah-samarskoy-oblasti/
  3. Murzabulatova F. K., Polyakova N. V. On the method of assessing the decorative effect of hydrangeas (Hydrangea L.) // 2014 / Proceedings of the Samara Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. T. 16, No. 1, 2014 cyberleninka.ru/article/n/o-metodike-otsenki-dekorativnosti-gortenziy-hydrangea-l
  4. State catalog of pesticides and agrochemicals approved for use on the territory of the Russian Federation as of July 6, 2021 // Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation mcx. gov.ru/ministry/departments/departament-rastenievodstva-mekhanizatsii-khimizatsii-i- zashchity-rasteniy/industry-information/info-gosudarstvennaya-usluga-po-gosudarstvennoy-registratsii-pestitsidov-i-agrokhimikatov/

planting and care in the open field, wintering, pruning, replanting, types and varieties

Author: Elena N. https://floristics.info/ru/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=19 Category: indoor plants reprinted: Last amendments:

Content

  • Listen Article
  • Planting and Condemage of Hortension
  • Botanical description seeds
  • Duborite hydrangea (Hydrangea Quercifolia)
  • Hydrangea Hydro -cover (Hydrangea Heteromalla)
  • Literature
  • Comments

    thanks to archaeols, thanks In Asia, this plant has been cultivated for a long time, and Europeans began to show interest in it only since 1900, although the hydrangea was brought to Europe from Japan almost a century earlier. Now this shrub is found everywhere.

    Hydrangea has a unique ability to accumulate aluminum in itself, and then the inflorescences on the bushes turn blue or blue.

    • How to grow hydrangea from seeds?
    • How to plant a shrub?
    • How to care for hydrangeas throughout the season?

    Answers to these and other questions you will find in our article.

    Listen to article

    Planting and caring for hydrangeas

    • Planting: in the fall by sowing seeds for seedlings, followed by planting seedlings in open ground in early spring after two years. In the south, seedlings can be planted in the ground in the fall.
    • Flowering: from early summer to late autumn.
    • Lighting: partial shade in the south, bright sunlight in the middle lane and more northern regions.
    • Soil: rich and moist, lime-free (pH 5. 0).
    • Watering: weekly and plentiful, water consumption - from 15 to 20 liters per plant.
    • Top dressing: at the beginning of spring - with a solution of urea, after flowering - with a complex mineral fertilizer.
    • Pruning: annually from 3-4 years old. Paniculate and tree-like - in March-April.
    • Propagation: by seeds, dividing the bush, grafting, layering and green cuttings.
    • Pests: spider mites.
    • Diseases: peronosporosis, chlorosis.

    Read more about growing hydrangeas below

    Plant hydrangea (lat. Hydrangea) belongs to the genus of flowering plants of the Hydrangea family, which, according to various sources, includes from 30 to 80 species of shrubs, lianas and small trees. In nature, most often hydrangea can be found in East and South Asia - in Japan and China. It also grows in the Far East and North America. The hydrangea flower got its name in honor of the princess of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Latin name Hydrangea was given to the plant by taxonomists for its exorbitant moisture-loving nature (hydrangea is translated as “vessel of water”). The Japanese call the hydrangea "ajisai", which in Japanese means "flower - purple sun." Of the large variety of types of hydrangea in room culture, only garden hydrangea, or large-leaved, compact forms, is grown, all other types and varieties of hydrangea in our latitudes are grown in gardens.

    Botanical description

    Hydrangea flowers in natural conditions are shrubs up to 3 m tall, medium-sized trees and lianas that can climb tree trunks to a height of up to 30 m. In addition, depending on the species, they can be either evergreen or deciduous plants, and in our climate flower growers prefer to grow deciduous. Hydrangea leaves are usually large, opposite, oval with a sharp apex, often with serrated edges and prominent venation. Hydrangea blooms from spring to frost with large spherical inflorescences, corymbose or paniculate, consisting of flowers of two types: small fertile (fertile), usually located in the middle of the inflorescence, and large sterile (sterile), blooming at the edges. There are, however, species in which all the flowers in the inflorescence are fertile.

    Most of the hydrangeas bloom with white flowers, but such a species, for example, as large-leaved hydrangea (or large-leaved hydrangea), blooms not only with white and cream, but also with red, blue, lilac and pink flowers, and the color is directly dependent on the pH of the soil (pH level): on neutral soil, hydrangeas grow with beige and cream flowers, on alkaline soil with lilac or pink flowers, on acidic soil with blue ones due to the aluminum contained in the soil, which the plant can absorb. The fruit of the hydrangea is a 2-5-chamber box with small seeds. Sometimes plants from the closely related genus Schizophragmatic are confused with hydrangea, but you should know that the so-called petiolate hydrangea is actually a schizophragma.

    Peculiarities of cultivation

    Well, now we can talk about the peculiarities of growing hydrangeas in the garden. So:

    • the color of large-leaved hydrangea flowers depends on the pH of the soil in which it grows: in neutral soil, the flowers will be white or cream, in acid soil - blue or blue, in neutral soil - pink or lilac. Therefore, to create multi-colored bushes, it is enough to change the acidity of the soil under each of them;
    • hydrangea is very moisture-loving, so take watering the plant seriously;
    • bright light is very important for hydrangea, but in direct sun the delicate petals fade quickly, so it is best to plant it where there will be light partial shade on a hot afternoon;
    • The most important factor in post-watering hydrangea care is proper pruning;
    • do not overfeed hydrangeas with organic matter, otherwise they will grow rapidly, almost certainly will not bloom;
    • even cold-resistant varieties of hydrangeas need warm shelter for the winter, but if your beauty is frozen, do not despair: most likely, she will recover during the growing season;
    • hydrangea is very rarely affected by diseases or pests.

    Planting hydrangeas

    Growing from seeds

    Generic hydrangeas are successfully propagated by seed method (generative). The method of seed propagation is also used for the purposes of a selection experiment. How to grow hydrangea from seeds? Very simple, but you will need time.

    Hydrangea seeds are sown in autumn: hydrangea seeds are sown in a nutritious loose substrate, consisting of a mixture of leaf and peat soil with river sand in a ratio of 4:2:1, which are then covered with a light layer of the same mixture and moistened from a sprayer. The container is covered with glass or film, which is periodically removed to ventilate the crops and moisten the substrate, which should be slightly damp at all times. The temperature required for germination is 14-20 ºC. As soon as shoots appear (this usually happens after a month and a half), the glass can be removed.

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    Hydrangea seedlings should be dived twice: the first time at the stage of development of cotyledon leaves, the second - in May. Moreover, during the second picking, each seedling is planted in a separate pot with a diameter of 7 cm. After the second picking, young hydrangeas for hardening are exposed to fresh air during the day in a place where direct sunlight, rain moisture and drafts do not reach. In the evening, seedlings are brought into the room.

    At home, hydrangeas are grown for two years, in winter - in a bright, cool room, and in summer, exposing as much as possible to fresh air and removing emerging buds so as not to weaken young plants with flowering.

    Care of seedlings

    Two years later, in early spring, and if you live in a region with a cold climate, then in autumn, grown seedlings are planted in open ground in a permanent place. When choosing a site for hydrangeas, keep in mind that all species of this plant, without exception, love sunlight, but species such as rough hydrangea, ground cover, treelike and Sargent feel good in light shade. The soil is preferably neutral or slightly acidic, loose and rich in organic matter. Alkaline soil can be acidified with high-moor peat or Acid plus acidifier.

    Make sure that shrubs or trees with the same shallow root system as the hydrangea do not grow near the hydrangea area, as in the future there may be a struggle between them for moisture and nutrients in the upper soil layer. Planting a hydrangea begins with digging a hole, which should be twice the size of an earthen coma of a hydrangea seedling. In the finished pit, add peat, mineral and organic fertilizers mixed with soil. Remove the seedling with the clod from the pot, carefully shake off the soil, straighten the roots, lower into the hole and cover with soil mixed with compost so that the root ball protrudes slightly above the level of the site. Tamp down the soil, water the plant and mulch the area with needles or bark.

    Caring for hydrangeas in the garden

    Care instructions

    Caring for hydrangeas in the garden is not difficult at all, but there are mandatory items that must be followed strictly. The most important condition for caring for hydrangeas is properly organized watering - it should be plentiful, approximately 30-50 liters of warm settled water for each adult plant twice a week during hot weather. If the soil is mulched with peat, then you can water less often, because the peat remains wet for a long time.

    To improve the aeration of the roots, it is necessary to loosen the soil around the bush several times during the spring-summer period to a depth of about 5 cm. Do not forget to cut off faded shoots.

    Fertilizer

    If you want the hydrangea to bloom in full force, it is necessary to carry out complex top dressing at least twice a year - before and after the hydrangea flowering period. In early spring, the hydrangea is fed with a solution of 20 g of urea per bucket of water, on the basis that three buckets of such a solution will be needed to feed an adult plant. After flowering, the hydrangea is fed with complex mineral fertilizers.

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    Throughout the summer, you can fertilize the hydrangea from time to time with slurry, but be careful not to overfeed the plant, otherwise the large inflorescences can break fragile branches with their weight. Just in case, tie up the shoots so that this does not happen.

    Pruning

    Hydrangeas must be pruned when they are three or four years old. Those species that bloom on the shoots of the current year are pruned in early spring, before bud break and sap flow begins, so that the plant does not expire with juice and die. But too early pruning makes cuttings obtained after it unsuitable for rooting. Therefore, you need to guess for pruning such a time when the kidneys only swell a little and take on a “live” appearance.

    Hydrangea cuttings

    From the shoots you got after cutting, cut into pieces with two knots so that there is an oblique cut under the lower knot and a straight cut above the upper one. There should be a distance of 2-3 cm from the node to the cut. Plant the cuttings in a container-greenhouse with peat-sandy soil, immersing the lower part in the soil by 3 cm, water well. Then cover the greenhouse with a "house" made of polyethylene.

    Spray the cuttings with a sprayer to keep the soil moist at all times. As soon as the cuttings take root, they are planted in open ground in a permanent place, where they will have time to grow enough before the fall to courageously survive the coming winter.

    Hydrangea after flowering

    When the hydrangea has finished blooming, it is time to prepare the plant for winter. Young seedlings growing in pots are transferred indoors, and wilted inflorescences are removed from garden hydrangea species so that suddenly falling wet snow does not stick to them and break the fragile branches of the plant. In addition, you will need to pile up the base of the hydrangea bushes high and mulch the area where they grow in order to reliably protect their surface root system for the winter.

    The most cold-resistant of the hydrangeas are paniculate and ground cover. Their shoots become completely lignified by autumn, so it is easier to endure winter cold even without shelter, if you do not live in a cold climate. It can endure a harsh winter without shelter and tree hydrangea.

    Hydrangea wintering

    Preparing for winter

    In warm snowy winters, even heat-loving large-leaved and serrated hydrangeas can winter without man-made shelter, but no one will tell you for sure to what temperature the thermometer column can drop in winter and how high the snow cover will be in the coming winter . Believing in assumptions and making a mistake means ruining your garden, so it’s better to be vigilant and maybe even distrustful of forecasts, but sleep peacefully on frosty nights, knowing that your plants are also fast asleep under their warm shelter.

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    So, how and when to cover hydrangeas for the winter? It is better to do this after the first frost, during October. Very young bushes simply fall asleep with dry earth to the top. Older bushes are bent to the ground and covered with lutrasil or roofing material, which are pressed down with bricks so that the wind does not rip them off. Adult bushes will require a lot of effort from you: the bush is carefully tied and wrapped with lutrasil or spunbond. Then a frame is built around it in the form of a cylinder of metal mesh at a distance of 20-25 cm from the bush, and the frame should be 10 cm higher than the plant. The space between the mesh and the hydrangea is filled with dry foliage, which at this time of the year in the gardens is more than enough. In the spring, in April, the frame with foliage can be removed, and when a stable positive temperature is established, the spunbond is also removed.

    Hydrangea in winter

    Whether or not to cover your hydrangeas for the winter is up to you. We offer shelter options in the event of a harsh, and most importantly, snowless winter. If there are no severe frosts in your area, then the shelter may be symbolic, and if your hydrangea also belongs to winter-hardy species, then it may not need to be protected from frost. But if the hydrangea in your garden is not a cold-resistant species, and winters in your area are unpredictable, use our tips in the fall to sleep peacefully in the winter, see how the hydrangea awakens to life in the spring, and admire its incomparable, beautiful flowering in the summer. .

    Types and varieties

    Before planting hydrangeas in your garden, you need to know which type of hydrangea is right for you, because each of them has its own requirements in agricultural technology. Growing panicled hydrangea, for example, differs in some important ways (pruning, preparing for winter) from growing tree or large-leaved hydrangea, so the more you know about the species, the easier it will be for you to care for any of them. So...

    Hydrangea arborescens

    A species widespread in the gardens of our climatic zone. Tree hydrangea is a shrub that reaches a height of one to three meters. Inflorescences are formed at the ends of annual shoots, at the beginning of flowering the flowers have a greenish tint, but when they bloom, they become white or cream.

    Popular garden forms are Invisible Spirit - pink hydrangea, Sterilis - white hydrangea, characterized by abundant flowering, Annabelle hydrangea and Grandiflora hydrangea with large snow-white inflorescences (just do not confuse this variety of tree hydrangea with the paniculate hydrangea variety of the same name).

    Hydrangea paniculata

    In nature, it grows as a shrub or tree from two to five meters high. In garden culture, it is one of the most sought-after species. In one place paniculate hydrangea can grow for more than forty years. Its shoots become woody quickly, which makes this species resistant to cold. Inflorescences are formed on the tops of the shoots of the current year, so the flowering is very plentiful, although the buds that appear already at the end of June open only by August or September. Hydrangea inflorescences are paniculate pyramidal in shape, the flowers at the very beginning of flowering have a greenish tint, then turn white, become pink in the fall, then brick, and at the end of flowering again become greenish.

    The most famous garden forms: Grandiflora, hydrangea Vanilla Fraze, Kuishu, Tardiva.

    Large-leaved hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)

    Called garden hydrangea, it is most often grown in the garden, but there are compact varieties that can be grown in containers on terraces and even indoors. This species has dense foliage of bright green color, the shoots of the current year are herbaceous, so the plant has a very low cold resistance. However, the buds for the shoots of the current year, at the ends of which the inflorescences bloom, are laid the previous autumn, so it is believed that the large-leaved hydrangea blooms on last year's shoots. The shape of the inflorescences is usually umbellate, viburnum, which is commonly called Japanese, or hemispherical. The color of the flowers depends on the pH level of the soil.

    Interesting, for example, such varieties from recently bred cold-resistant ones: Endless summer - blue hydrangea if it grows on acidic soil, and lilac if it grows on neutral soil; Renata Steinger - blue hydrangea; variety forms with double flowers Romance and Expression.

    Hydrangea quercifolia (Hydrangea quercifolia)

    A very attractive look, but, unfortunately, not at all winter-hardy, therefore, it requires thorough warming for the winter. It impresses not only with lush flowering, but also with leaves of a beautiful shape unusual for hydrangeas. Oakleaf hydrangea grows up to two meters in height, has paniculate inflorescences 10-30 cm long with white flowers at the beginning of flowering, and eventually purple flowers that bloom in June-July.

    Ground cover hydrangea (Hydrangea heteromalla)

    Or mixed pubescent hydrangea is a frost-resistant species that reaches 2-3 meters in nature. In culture, it is often used to form a standard form. Dark green leaves 20 cm long have a smooth surface and a woolly, pubescent underside, the inflorescences are loose, corymbose, white at first, but turning pink towards the end of flowering. Blooms in late June or early July. Especially popular is Bretschneider's ground cover hydrangea, which blooms profusely with large milky-white inflorescences.

    In addition to these most popular types of hydrangeas, gardeners are also interested in radiant hydrangea, ashen hydrangea, rough hydrangea, serrate hydrangea, Sargent hydrangea, and the climbing hydrangea petiolate, which (you remember) is only conditionally a hydrangea.

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