Hydrangea Care

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This lens will inform you on everything you need to know about hydrangea care...
Noted for their long lasting, late blooming flowers and their unique foliage, hydrangeas are one of the most versatile shrubs in the garden. They are known to be late bloomers however when they do create an impressive display.

Hydrangeas prefer part shade and rich organic soil, too much sun will dry out the leaves so lots of water will help prevent this also. The color of the flower is dependent on the PH level in the soil so simply change PH levels to change flower color.

Fertilization should be done Spring and late Summer and composting each Spring also to keep the soil healthy.

In the spring prune broken branches and old flower blooms from the previous season leaving any new shoots. Thinning the plant by reducing its number of stems by half will yield larger flower clusters.

Controlling the Color of your Hydrangea Flower

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So your hydrangea is flourishing nicely however you just aren't quite happy with the color of the blossom and would like to change it. Well this is rather simple and is just a matter of controlling the soil in which your hydrangea are growing.

Aluminum in the soil is what gives the flower it's blue color, however by changing the pH levels you can control how much aluminum your Hydrangea gets thus controlling the blossom color. Most soils naturally contain enough aluminum so usually changing the pH levels will be enough. If changing the pH levels is having no effect then perhaps lack of aluminum could be an issue.

To achieve a totally blue colored flower then pH levels should be 5.5 or lower, for a combination of pink and blue 5.5 - 6.5 and for a completely pink flower 6.5 and higher.

To raise pH levels simply add more lime to the soil around your hydrangea, to lower pH levels add aluminum sulfate or in some cases adding acidic material such as peat and pine bark can also help to reduce pH levels.

Endless Summer Hydrangea

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The endless summer hydrangea in true hydrangea fashion is as hardy as they come and flower color can be controlled by controlling acidic levels in the soil. This hydrangea is the first to flower in Summer and will bloom right throughout hence the name.

Plenty of watering is required during the first month or so of planting, shredded tan bark mulch will help keep the surrounding soil moist. Endless Summer Hydrangea will grow to about one and a half meters by one and a half meters.

Make sure you locate your endless summer hydrangea with plenty of drainage as although they like moist soil too wet and they won't survive. Morning sun is preferred to afternoon sun as too much sunlight can dry out the petals.

Pruning isn't too important, most end less summer hydrangeas will do well without any especially when they are young. If you do wish to prune then Spring is the best time.

Pruning your Hydrangea

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Pruning of your Hydrangea will depend on the type of species it is.

Climbing Hydrangea (anomala) - Don't actually require any pruning at all simply train them to grow around whatever you wish.

Smooth Hydrangea (arborescens) - Flower in late Spring and early Summer therefore can be pruned winter, late autumn or early spring. To achieve nice strong stems and maximum flower size, around 12" is an ideal height to prune back to.

Big Leaf Hydrangea (macrophylla) - Also Do not require any pruning either however certain shaping of the plant and flower can be achieved by applying certain pruning techniques.

Panicle Hydrangea (paniculata) - Can tolerate rather excessive pruning up to half of the original size and in fact the more aggressive the pruning the larger the flower size.

Hydrangea Serrata - Can be pruned but not necessary unless trying to achieve a certain shape or flower.

There are a number of different species of hydrangea as there are with most plants nowadays and it is important to cater for each particular species however due to there hardy nature pruning isn't a particularly important factor in hydrangea care.