Hydrangea is a timeless plant with impressive flowers, and they often remind us of some of the best vacations, secret hideaways, old family gardens, etc. For this reason, the purchase of a hydrangea is often an emotional investment. K Drive Greenhouse understands this and wants to ensure that prior to purchasing you make the right selection for your garden. There are six different species of hydrangea that are commonly grown in North American gardens. Each one has unique characteristics:
When you cut them back leave a framework of old growth. This will help new branches to stay more erect under the weight of blooms.
For gardeners who like to maintain a tidy appearance in their gardens, spent blooms may be snipped off just below the flower head, and removing old, woody canes at the soil line will help keep the shrub healthy and enable it to produce larger blooms.
1. Take into consideration what the mature size of the hydrangea you are purchasing will be. This will enable you to space your plants so that they have room to expand and breathe. For example, the PINKY WINKY shown below grows to be 6 to 8 feet tall and wide. Spacing on any side of this newly planted plant should be approximately four feet.
2. They like well-drained soil, and most like to be moist (not wet).
3. Be sure that you've dug a hole that is wider than the pot you bought it in and is as deep as that same pot.
4. Once that is done, carefully remove the root ball from the pot, loosen the soil at the end of the ball, center it in the hole and backfill.
5. Last of all, water it well and apply 2-3" of mulch.
6. Hydrangea should be fertilized in the spring with controlled release fertilizer.
7. Some hydrangea, such as PINKY WINKY, have a change in blossom color as the bloom ages.