hydrangea bush care and maintenance

^{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. ...
• Add mulch underneath your hydrangeas to help keep the soil moist and cool. An organic mulch breaks down over time, adding nutrients and improving soil texture.
• Apply fertilizer based on your specific hydrangeas. Each variety has different needs and will benefit from different application timing. ...
• Protect against pests and disease by choosing cultivars with resistant traits. Leaf spots, bight, wilt and powdery mildew can all appear on hydrangeas. ...

How to care for your Hydrangea?

• Sunlight. Most hydrangeas will do best in morning sun and afternoon shade, or filtered sun, especially for flowering.
• Planting
• Water. Hydrangeas prefer good even moisture with well-drained and loamy soils. ...
• Fertilizer. ...
• Transplanting. ...

How do you care for hydrangeas?

Hydrangeas bloom best when they receive as much sunlight as possible. In really hot climates, though, they're sensitive to heat and can wilt quickly when directly exposed to the sun. Place them in an area that will get direct sunlight in the cooler morning hours only.

How to care for and select hydrangeas?

Potted Hydrangea Care

1. Choose the Right Pot "Make sure that the bottom of your container has holes to allow excess water to flow through," McEnaney says. ...
2. Plant the Hydrangeas When it comes to the planting process, it's similar to what you would do with in-ground hydrangeas, but you'll use pre-mixed, bagged potting soil. ...
3. Don't Forget to Water

Are you supposed to cut back hydrangeas?

So because they bloom both on old and new wood, these hydrangeas can be cut back at any time. When pruning a hydrangea that blooms on old wood, first remove any dead limbs, then crossing branches, thinning out the interior of the plant to open it to more sunlight.

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Should I cut dead hydrangea blooms?

No need to worry – this is simply a sign that it's time to remove the flowers, a process called deadheading. 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.

When should hydrangeas be cut back?

Trimming should be done immediately after flowering stops in summer, but no later than August 1. Do not prune in fall, winter, or spring or you could be cutting off new buds. Tip-pruning the branches as leaves emerge in spring can encourage multiple, smaller flower heads rather than fewer larger flower heads.

Should all hydrangeas be cut back?

First, know hydrangeas do not have to be pruned — unless the shrub has grown too large for its space or unruly and needs a little shaping up. Otherwise, you can simply clean up the plant by removing dead branches and deadheading spent blooms.

What happens if you don't cut back hydrangeas?

What happens if you don't prune hydrangeas? 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. Regular pruning of hydrangeas helps to maintain their shape and also encourages new growth and a better display of blooms.

What happens if you don't deadhead hydrangeas?

If you simply skip deadheading hydrangeas, no harm will come to your plant. At least nothing so serious that you should stress about it. Your hydrangea may not produce as many blooms as if spent blooms would have been removed, nor the blooms will be very large. But it will still bloom, regardless.

Do you cut off old hydrangea stems?

To rejuvenate the hydrangea, remove up to 1/3 of the older living stems down to the ground each summer. This will revitalize the plant. If necessary to control the size of the plant, cut back before late July to allow for buds to develop. Usually the plant will return immediately to its former size.

Should I cut off Brown hydrangea leaves?

However once the flower buds and newer leaves have turn brown there is not much you can do to revive them. Therefore cut back any growth that has been damaged by the frost and trim back to healthy growth.

Should I cut back my hydrangeas for winter?

Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood require pruning in late winter or early spring. Prune to shape, cutting back to about two feet. The pruning promotes new, sturdy growth, which provides the blooms next season.

How long can hydrangeas live without pruning?

Hydrangeas can live for many years without ever needing to be pruned, but if your shrubs grow out of bounds or lose flowering vigor, then there are some essential pruning guidelines you must follow to ensure bountiful blooms the next year!

How to make hydrangeas bloom pink?

Pink hydrangeas can be turned blue by applying aluminum sulfate to lower the pH and add aluminum to the soil. Applying lime to raise the pH level will help blue hydrangeas turn pink.

What pH does hydrangea produce?

Hydrangeas may produce pink, blue, or lavender blooms, depending on where it’s planted and how it’s fed. The presence of aluminum in the plant ultimately determines the color, and pH affects the uptake of aluminum. Alkaline soils, pH of 6.0 or more, are more likely to produce pink blooms, and more acidic soils, pH 4.5 to 5.5, produce blue flowers.

How to keep flowers from drying out?

Keep it out of drafty areas and direct sunlight to prevent the flowers from drying. Finally, you can just sit back and admire your new décor or enjoy your special moment.

Do hydrangeas wilt faster than other flowers?

You should be able to find this at a local nursery. Keep in mind that many gardeners and florists complain that hydrangeas wilt faster than other cut flowers and may require a little extra planning.

Can you grow hydrangeas in raised beds?

If your soil naturally produces very blue or very pink hydrangea flowers , you may need to grow your hydrangeas in containers or raised beds to achieve the desired color. If you do attempt to change the color of your blooms by adding these minerals, dilute them well, and add sparingly.

Why aren't my hydrangeas blooming?

You may be over-fertilizing: two to three applications during a season is usually plenty. Another culprit is damage from frost.

Do hydrangeas bloom in a vase?

Hydrangeas add gorgeous flowers and dimension to your garden and landscape. The perennials have stunning foliage and blooms, and are mostly fuss-free. Plus, the blooms look absolutely beautiful in a vase!

Do hydrangeas need fertilizer?

Hydrangeas like fertile, well-drained soil. You can improve soil with compost and other organic matter to add nutrients. If you add fertilizer, do so only a couple of times in the growing season—too much will mean fewer flowers. Only the macrophylla hydrangeas change color based on soil acidity.

How to tell if a hydrangea is new growth?

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.

How long does it take to change the color of a hydrangea?

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.

What is the most common hydrangea shrub?

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

What is the pH of a big leaf hydrangea?

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 5.5 produce pink flowers. White flowers are not affected by pH.

How to determine hydrangea fertility?

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. Bigleaf hydrangeas can benefit from several light fertilizer applications in March, May and June.

Why do hydrangeas wilt?

Leaves will wilt if the soil is too dry, and flowering will be hampered by a lack of water. Use a soaker hose to water deeply and keep moisture off the flowers and leaves. It’s best to water in the morning to prepare hydrangeas for the the heat of the day and to avoid disease.

What does a hydrangea symbolize?

In the language of flowers, hydrangeas symbolize gratitude for being understood, or frigidity and heartlessness. See more flower meanings.