12 secrets for hydrangea care (+video)
May 12, 2022 135 Comments
The hydrangea is a spectacular flower that we could call a classic, as we remember it with nostalgia blooming in our parents’ yard.
To this day, the hydrangea is one of the most popular flowering shrubs planted in the spring season in the garden, while it is an excellent potted plant for the entrance to the house, in the yard and on the balcony. Depending on the species, the hydrangea blooms from late spring to early fall.
The hydrangea is a plant with wonderfully large flowers, in white, pink or blue, while now we also find varieties in purple, yellow, red and orange shades. Her flowers are particularly popular flowers for vase decoration and in demand for wedding and reception decorations.
Let’s see in detail what care hydrangea needs to keep it healthy, with lush vegetation and to give us beautiful and impressive flowers with a long duration.
1. What are the main types and varieties of hydrangea
Hydrangea is native to China and Japan and there are many species and varieties to plant, from bushy to climbing. So let’s see the main species and varieties that we can choose as well as their special characteristics such as their growth, the color of their flowers and their flowering season.
- Large-leaved hydrangea ( Hydrangea macrophylla ) : The large-leaved hydrangea reaches a height of 2 meters and displays white, pink and blue flowers from June to October. The color of the flower depends on the composition and pH of the soil.
- Wild hydrangea ( Hydrangea arborescens ) : A fairly hardy hydrangea that easily adapts to different soils and climates. Sensitive to drought, it grows to a height of 1-1.5 meters and gives abundant flowering from June to September with white and pink flowers.
- Conical hydrangea ( Hydrangea paniculata ) : Extremely resistant to winter frost characterized by white flowers in a characteristic cone shape. Its flowering occurs late from July to September.
- Hydrangea ‘oak’ ( Hydrangea quercifolia ) : A characteristic type of hydrangea with special foliage reminiscent of oak leaves, in various shades of yellow, orange and red. The color of its flowers ranges from white to dark red and appears from July to September.
- Climbing hydrangea ( Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris ) : A type of hydrangea that climbs and can exceed ten meters in height, suitable for fences and low walls. If the climbing hydrangea is not staked, it can cover a ground surface of up to 200 square meters. Its flowers are white and appear early from May to July.
- Mountain hydrangea ( Hydrangea serrata ) : There are also some varieties of hydrangea that look like the big leaves, they bloom in June — August and have more compact foliage and small numerous flowers in pink or blue.
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2. What position do we choose for planting the hydrangea?
Hydrangea grows best and blooms in semi-shaded and cool locations as it loves heat and humidity, but not strong direct sunlight.
It is resistant to frost and low winter temperatures, however it is sensitive to strong winds and especially north winds, so we make sure to place it in a sheltered position.
If we plant the hydrangea in a pot, we choose a yard or balcony with an east or west orientation that ensures protection from the wind. Hydrangea can also be planted in coastal areas, as it is resistant to water droplets from the sea and soils with relatively high salinity.
3. When does hydrangea need transplanting?
A suitable time to transplant the hydrangea into a larger pot is in early spring after we have pruned it first. For planting the hydrangea, we choose relatively large pots with a diameter and height of 30 x 30 centimeters that have holes to drain the irrigation water.
Hydrangea belongs to the acidophilic plants, as well as gardenia and camellia, and needs acidic as a neutral soil to thrive. The ideal soil for transplanting hydrangea is traditionally brown soil, i.e. the soil under the chestnut trees.
If it is not easy to find brown soil, we can get special soil for acidophilic plants from agricultural stores and nurseries to fill the pots in which we will plant the hydrangeas. Usually, in the trade we find small packages of growing medium for acidophilic plants with a capacity of 20 liters.
5 secrets for transplanting potted plants
4. How often does hydrangea need watering?
Hortasia needs small and relatively frequent waterings to give us rich flowering with a long duration. We water every 3 days in spring and autumn, while in summer it needs more frequent watering every 1-2 days to withstand the heat and high temperatures.
When watering, we try not to wet the foliage and flowers of the hydrangea to avoid the appearance of diseases on its foliage and flowers.
Hydrangea needs good quality water, as excessive salt build-up can create toxicity in its leaves. Ideally, we can collect rainwater in the winter season to water it as well as move our pots to a point where the rainwater falls.
5. What fertilizer do we put on the hydrangea and how often?
Hydrangea needs enough nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron and magnesium to grow and bloom. We add fertilizer once a month from spring to autumn, avoiding fertilizing during the winter period, as well as during the hot days of August.
We must emphasize that iron deficiency is very common in hydrangea as it happens in other acidophilic plants. It appears with yellowing of the leaves, the characteristic symptom of «herringbone», where the leaf turns yellow and its veins remain darker.
Plants that need iron and in what quantity
To address iron deficiency in hydrangea, we add iron chelate which is water soluble and more easily absorbed by the plant’s root system. It is good to add iron in spring once a month, as well as in early autumn.
6. How do we make hydrangea blue?
The natural color of hydrangea flowers is pink or white. Depending on the acidity of the soil, the pink varieties can take on a color from light pink to normal blue or an intermediate shade of violet or lilac.
So to give blue color to the flowers from the pink varieties of hydrangea, we make sure to increase the acidity of the soil (lowering the pH). Specifically, we gradually add iron sulfate or sulfur to the pot or incorporate pine needles into the soil.
It is worth mentioning that all the colors in the hydrangea flowers at some point begin to fade and turn green or white. This is normal and should not worry us, as they mature and lose their color.
Ripe pink hydrangea flowers that have lost their color
7. Why does the hydrangea show spots ?
If our hydrangea shows brown spots on the edges of the leaves that then turn black and dry, this is usually due to too much water. Similar symptoms appear in hydrangea when we give a large amount of fertilization, as toxicities are created due to an excessive accumulation of salts.
Brown spots on hydrangea leaves can be seen when the hydrangea receives direct sunlight, especially in the summer months. To correct the problem, we move the hydrangea to a bright spot where it does not get direct sunlight.
8. When do hydrangea leaves turn yellow ?
If the hydrangea initially shows yellowing on the top leaves of the vegetation, while the central veins of the leaves remain green, this is due to a lack of iron, which occurs mainly in early spring.
In this case, in the spring, the addition of iron sulfate or chelate is required for the leaves of our hydrangea to regain their green color.
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9. At what time do we prune the hydrangea and in what way?
Hydrangea needs pruning every year to develop vigorous growth and abundant flowering. A suitable time for pruning hydrangea is at the end of winter, during the month of February, when the plant is in a dormant phase and does not yet develop new vegetation.
Prune hydrangeas well, leaving two to three buds (the points from which the shoots emerge) counting from the base and cutting off the top of the plant, as the hydrangea blooms on branches of the current season.
By pruning the hydrangea, we remove the plant material that the plant does not need and at the same time keep the plant in a compact and symmetrical form with strong flowering shoots.
The fewer flowering shoots left symmetrically of the plant, the richer and more impressive the hydrangea’s produced inflorescences will be to give us lovely flowers in a beautiful shape.
10. How is hydrangea propagated?
The selling price of hydrangea in nurseries is relatively high compared to other ornamental plants, while we don’t always find the varieties we want. So we can create our own hydrangea plants quite easily and cheaply.
Propagation of hydrangea can be done in two ways: a) by dividing the rhizomes and b) by cuttings. Let’s see in detail below when propagation takes place as well as the basic steps for creating new plants.
a) Propagation of hydrangea by division of rhizomes
A practical way to create new hydrangea plants is by dividing the rhizomes. At the beginning of spring, as soon as we prune the plant, we take it out of the pot, take a sharp knife and divide the soil ball of the plant into sections together with the roots.
Then we plant them in a pot or in the ground and the new plants are ready to grow. Within a few weeks they will be enjoying new beautiful hydrangeas.
How plants are propagated by division
b) Propagation of hydrangea by cuttings
For propagation by cuttings, in the period of September-October, we cut sections of shoots 10-15 cm long from the top of the plant. We remove 2/3 of the leaves along the stem starting from the base and plant them in nursery pots.
It is worth noting that hydrangea cuttings root relatively easily, so the use of rooting hormone is not necessary to increase the success rate of propagation.
How to propagate hydrangea by cuttings
11. What diseases and insects affect hydrangea?
Hydrangea is a relatively sensitive plant and is affected by several diseases and insects. In conditions of poor ventilation and relative humidity, hydrangea suffers from the fungal diseases of botrytis, powdery mildew and rust.
To deal with the diseases we spray with a solution of sulfur and copper that we get from agricultural stores.
Alternatively, we can proactively make an improvised ecological preparation by dissolving 1 teaspoon of baking soda and one teaspoon of olive oil in two liters of water to spray our plants.
For the ecological treatment of the meligra and tetranycho insects that attack hydrangeas in the spring and summer, we spray with biological preparations of summer pulp, natural pyrethrin or potassium salts.
Alternatively, we use homemade ingredients and spray with a mixture made by dissolving 1 tablespoon of grated green soap and 1 teaspoon of rubbing alcohol in a liter of water.
How we use green soap on our garden plants
12. And one last secret about hydrangea
Hydrangea flowers retain their beauty even when dried. So by following the detailed instructions on how to dry flowers, we can keep hydrangea flowers unchanged over time and decorate them in a wonderful vase.
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