Hydrangeas are gorgeous! The plant itself is beautiful and the blooms are pretty cool, too. White, pink, green, purple: so many fun colors to choose from when deciding what type of hydrangea to plant. But before we get to that step {which you will notice is the hardest thing about hydrangeas.}, let’s talk about how to grow and care for them.
Hydrangeas are pretty easy to grow, and as a bonus, they’re also quite hardy and resistant to most pests and diseases, so caring for a hydrangea is a breeze! Here’s all you need to help those babies flourish:
Great soil: This is the key to getting your hydrangeas to grow and produce those gorgeous blooms all your neighbors will envy! While they can be grown in a wide range of soils, the ideal soil type for these plants is loam {equal parts sand and silt, with a bit of clay.}. They prefer that rich, moist soil because it drains easily.
If you have clay-rich soil, you can add in some gypsum to the soil to break up the clay and allow for that great drainage the hydrangeas like. If you have super sandy soil {say that 10x fast}, peat moss can help absorb some of the excess moisture. Hydrangeas often grow best with a higher level of organic or compost material {shoot for 5% compost in your soil}. If you have a lot of clay in your soil, organic matter is especially important because that also helps create air pockets that help the soil drain.
The perfect location: Location, location, location. This is so important for hydrangeas. You’ll want to plant your hydrangeas in a location that allows for full morning sun with some shade in the afternoon. If you live in a hotter climate with a lot of intense sun, they’ll only need about 2 hours of full sun a day and then they prefer some shade. If you live in a milder climate, your plant can handle more sun and can be planted where it gets a little afternoon shade.
The right amount of water: Hydrangeas like to be moist but not wet. This is vital in dry weather. Don’t let the soil dry out completely. Mulch helps with this. How much you water greatly depends on your soil type. If you have clay in your soil, it will hold more water than sandy soil. Using a drip irrigation system or a soaker hose will help prevent over watering and excess run-off. That’s what I would recommend.
Feed them: Hydrangeas love an occasional boost of fertilizer twice a year: once in spring and once in summer.
Move them if you wish: Hydrangeas typically survive a transplant pretty easily as long as you do it while they are dormant in the fall or winter, replant immediately and ensure that you dig up the entire root ball. Be sure to dig up the entire root ball and replant immediately.
Prune them: Hydrangeas bloom on new growth, so if you want more pretty flowers, you’ll need to prune them once they’ve stopped blooming. But be careful in how much you prune. If you over-prune, you could be removing potential blooms and you could also end up with less blooms next year since hydrangeas can also bloom on growth from last year. Also, don’t prune or cut back your shrubs after August 1st. You’ll want to leave the fall blooms on your plant to provide protection during the winter.
And now get out there and plant yourself some hydrangeas. Do you love them as much as I do? So gorgeous, right?
~Mavis
PS. If you are looking to change the color of your hydrangea, check out this post on How to Change Your Hydrangea Colors.
Brenda says
I was wondering if anybody knows the dates of when the Amish in Pennsylvania have there perennial plant sale.
Carrie says
I think the acidity of the soil, or if you use a fertilizer that is acidic, changes the color of the blooms to pink. I leave mine alone and they are a nice purple/blue color. If you pin down a branch to the soil you will grow a new plant!
Juli Nimitz says
I LOVE hydraegynas! I have the Endless Summer variety as a short row in front of my porch. Mine are pink because I give them HollyTome each spring. It makes the soil “acid”. If you add lime, the soil goes “alkaline” and the color changes to blue.
I love how big the blooms are. They are so visible from the street. Sadly, they are hybrids, not native, so they don’t feed the pollinators. I have planted lots of natives in other parts of my yard to compensate.
Tracy says
I also love, love, love hydrangeas. Probably the best bang for the buck in all of horticulture. But, I’d like to offer two corrections to Mavis’ information: please research each variety you’re interested in for their growing needs. Some hydrangeas prefer mostly shade, but there are varieties that require almost full sun. Also, not all hydrangeas set their buds on “old wood” or last season’s growth. Some of the most popular varieties (Limelight, for example, or Pinky Winky, and many more) should be pruned in late winter or early spring, as they form buds only on new growth.
Joely says
I adore hydrangeas. The complicated part about them is that there are different varieties where I live. Some bloom on new growth and some bloom on old growth. The pruning time varies depending upon the variety too. I am not a perfect hydrangea gardener but I absolutely love them in July. You can vary the soil acidity or alkalinity to change their bloom color. I prefer them blue (acidic)!
joi poulin says
the landlords landscapers pruned my (i bought them myself 🙁 ) hydrangeas down to the dirt one winter and they have never bloomed since…that was about 5 years ago…I guess they are never going to bloom again?