Hydrangea is a wonderful flowering shrub to add to the garden this season! The name hydrangea comes from the Greek words “hydor” and “angos” which essentially translates to water vessel, a good name for these water lovers with their cup shaped flowers. These flowers can be presented in bouquets for different occasions around the world. In the United States they are given as a sign of appreciation in a floral arrangement for a 4th wedding anniversary. Any newlyweds reading this? We will see you soon!
Depending on the variety, hydrangea can be hardy to zone 3. The perfect planting site for a hydrangea is one with morning sun and afternoon shade. Hydrangea will thrive best if they are not forced to compete with the root system of a tree. If planting your hydrangea under a tree is the only option then it’s important to ensure that the watering program is sufficient to sustain the hydrangea. You will also want to fertilize at the time of planting and then routinely every couple of months throughout the growing season. Whether you are planting in the ground or into a pot we recommend planting with Gardner and Bloome’s Acid Planting Mix and using a granular fertilizer for acid loving plants.
Thoughtfully choose a planting site that will accommodate the mature size of the variety you’ve selected. Hydrangea may be pruned but it is better to do so for increased airflow rather than size management. If you were to shear a hydrangea in hopes of reducing its size you will certainly be successful in that endeavor. Unfortunately, you will also be quite successful in maintaining a bloomless hydrangea! Yikes! Nobody wants that! A good rule for pruning Hydrangeas is to work in pie slices around the shrub. Now stay with me here. I don’t want to lose you because this is important. Think of the hydrangea as a pie with three slices. If you work your way around the hydrangea each spring taking a few branches from just one pie slice all the way down to the ground you will effectively maintain good airflow and be rewarded with better blooms. It can be helpful to draw yourself a guide to remember which pie slice you reduced last season. With this pruning plan, every fourth season you will be back to the slice you started on. If you need any further advice or more clarification please do not hesitate to visit or call us here at the nursery.
There are many different varieties of Hydrangea to choose from. They differ in size, leaf shape, bloom color and flower characteristics. Hydrangea macrophylla or “mophead hydrangea,” have those iconic brightly colored and almost balloon-like blooms. They come in shades of blue, red, pink and purple. They also come in light green and white. It is important to note here that you can only alter the color by making pH adjustments to the soil for the first group of colors mentioned. White and green hydrangeas will never respond to efforts made to change the color. Additionally, you should be patient in your process as it can take weeks and even months to see noticeable color change. It is also recommended that you wait a season or two for the hydrangea to become more established before attempting to change the color.
Hydangea paniculata can be identified by their more conical blooms. The varieties ‘limelight’ and ‘quickfire’ are two fan favorites in this category. You may see these available in shrub form or what is referred to as “on standard” which have been grafted to achieve a tree shape. ‘Little lime’ hydrangeas have green and white blooms; an elegant addition to any garden.
Hydrangea quercifolia commonly referred to as, “oakleaf hydrangea” named for the obvious reason that their leaves resemble those of an oak tree. This variety of hydrangea has a brilliant fall change of color from dark green to orange to deep red. The oak leaf hydrangeas are a lot less picky than the others in this family when it comes to choosing a planting site. They can tolerate more sun and sandy soil. They can even handle colder winters and drier summers. Now that reminds me of someplace…
