Do Hydrangeas Need - SmileySprouts

Hydrangeas have huge bloom heads and exude an old-fashioned elegance. How to plant and take care of beautiful floral bushes is explained in our hydrangea growing guide. Additionally, learn the answers to frequently asked questions like “why aren’t my hydrangeas blossoming this year?”

About Hydrangeas

These elegant plants are simple to grow, withstand nearly any sort of soil, and produce an abundance of blossoms that are unmatched in the world of shrubs for their stunning flowers. Clear blue, vivid pink, frosty white, lavender, and rose blossoms sometimes grow on the same plant, enticing us with their colors.

From container gardens to shrub borders to group plantings, hydrangeas are great for a variety of garden locations. Breeders seem to give us more possibilities every year, and gardeners have countless expectations for bloom size and color. Varieties abound. Pay attention to the species listed below to get an idea of how your hydrangea will develop as some require different maintenance. The joys you experience will be enhanced when you know what to expect.

Enjoy this tribute to hydrangea beauty and read our guide below to discover how to grow hydrangeas.

Where to Plant Hydrangeas

The majority of hydrangeas like fertile, moisture-rich soils that drain well. Compost can help improve bad soil.
Hydrangeas typically prefer some sun. In an ideal world, they would receive full sun in the morning and then some afternoon shade to avoid the intense midday sun. The Bigleaf Hydrangea (H. macrophylla), with its huge, prone-to-wilting leaves, is a prime example of this. Some kinds can withstand more direct sunlight.
Depending on the kind, place hydrangeas anywhere between 3 and 10 feet apart. Plants should always be spaced according to their anticipated mature size!

When to Plant Hydrangeas

The optimum season to plant hydrangeas is in the fall, followed by spring. The cooler shoulder seasons are the ideal times to plant shrubs because they will have plenty of time to build a strong root system before the intense heat of summer or the bitter cold of winter.
In the early morning or late afternoon, plant the shrubs. The plant is less prone to experience heat stress from direct sunshine because it is typically cooler.

How to Plant Hydrangeas

Gently remove the hydrangea from its container and examine the root ball. Snip off any rotten or dead sections, and if the plant is very root-bound, pry the roots free.
Make a hole that is two to three times as big and as deep as the root ball. The top of the planting hole should be level with the base of the plant, which is where the stem joins the earth.
After placing the plant in the hole, add enough soil to fill it halfway. generously hydrate. Fill the remaining space in the hole with soil once the water has been absorbed.
once more, thoroughly rinse.

How to Grow Hydrangeas from Cuttings

Cuttings of hydrangeas can be easily grown. They easily take root, and the process is a wonderful teaching tool for propagation. This is how you do it:

Find a branch on a mature hydrangea that is fresh growth and has not flowered. In comparison to older growth, new growth will appear lighter in color, and the stem won’t be as firm.
Make a horizontal incision 4 to 5 inches down from the branch’s tip. Make sure your cutting has at least three to four pairs of leaves.
Trim the cutting’s lowest pair of leaves so that they are flush with the stem. If you can afford to remove more than one pair of leaves, do so. Roots develop more readily from these leaf nodes. But make sure to leave at least two pairs of leaves at the cutting’s tip.
Remove the tip half of any leaves that are still pretty large by cutting them in half. This keeps the leaves from slamming into the sides of the plastic bag you’ll later use to cover the cutting (to keep the humidity up).
(Optional) Sprinkle rooting hormone and a plant antifungal powder on the stem’s leafless area (both available at a local hardware or garden store). This will promote roots and deter decay.
Prepare a small pot and put moistened potting soil inside. The cutting should be planted in the ground, buried down to the first remaining pair of leaves. Lightly water the area surrounding the stem to close any air spaces.
Wrap a plastic bag loosely around the entire pot. To prevent the cutting’s leaves from rotting, make sure the bag is not touching them. The bag can be supported by chopsticks or other such objects to keep it off the leaves.
Put the pot in a warm location that is protected from the wind and sun.
Only rewater your cutting after the top layer of soil is dry after checking on it every few days to make sure it isn’t decaying. In a few weeks, hopefully, the cutting will start to root! If you feel resistance when you gently tug on the cutting, roots have grown.

Watering

Make sure hydrangeas get enough water for the first year or two after planting and throughout any droughts.
Over the course of the growing season, water at a rate of 1 inch per week. Three times a week of heavy watering is preferable to shallow watering. Root growth is promoted by this.
All varieties of hydrangeas benefit from constant moisture, but bigleaf and smooth hydrangeas need more water.
If the soil is too dry, the leaves will wilt, and there won’t be enough moisture for the flowers to bloom.
To water thoroughly while keeping moisture off the flowers and leaves, use a soaker hose.
The best time to water hydrangeas is in the morning to protect them from disease and get them ready for the heat of the day.
Under your hydrangeas, spread organic mulch to help keep the soil cool and moist, gradually add nutrients, and enhance soil texture.

Fertilizing

You might not need to fertilize hydrangeas if your soil is rich. When fertilizer is applied in excess, blossoms are sacrificed in favor of green growth. A soil test is the most effective tool for determining your fertility requirements.

Apply fertilizer according to the type of hydrangeas you have. Every variety has varied requirements and will profit from applying fertilizer at various times.

Several mild fertilizer applications in March, May, and June are beneficial for bigleaf hydrangeas.
Two applications in April and June work best for oakleaf and panicle hydrangeas.
The only time smooth hydrangea plants require fertilizing is in the late winter.

Winter Protection

Cover plants with bark mulch, leaves, pine needles, or straw in the fall, at least 18 inches deep. If at all feasible, create cages out of chicken wire or snow fencing and cover the entire plant, including the tip, with the cages. (Avoid using maple leaves; they have a tendency to mat after becoming wet and may suffocate the plant.)

How to Prune a Hydrangea

Many of the queries from readers concern hydrangea trimming. It makes sense that it’s unclear because it relies on the hydrangea kind. Fortunately, identifying which type you have makes determining the best pruning strategy simple. Discover the fundamentals below, then read more about pruning different varieties of hydrangea here.

Pruning Common Hydrangeas

The Bigleaf cultivar of Hydrangea macrophylla is the most popular garden hydrangea shrub. (For more, see below.)

Hydrangeas with large leaves, such as Bigleaf (H. macrophylla), Oakleaf (H. quercifolia), Mountain (H. serrata), and Climbing (H. anomala subsp. petiolaris), are pruned AFTER the summer blooms have passed. On stems from the previous season, these kinds bloom (“old wood).

Avoid pruning after August 1 since flower buds actually grow in the late summer and bloom the next season.
Dead wood should only be removed in the fall or very early spring.
To stimulate branching and fullness, trim one or two of the oldest stems by cutting them all the way to the ground.
Pruning the stems all the way to the base is necessary if the plant is old, neglected, or injured. For the following season, you’ll lose the flowers, but you’ll also revive the plant for subsequent ones.
The huge Mopheads should not be deadheaded (faded flowers removed); instead, you should leave them over the winter and trim them back in the early spring (to the first healthy pair of buds). Deadheading Lacecaps is OK; simply trim down to the second set of leaves below the bloom head.
Avoid pruning unless it is absolutely required while growing H. macrophylla (and H. serrata) cultivars in Zones 4 and 5, and then only after blooming. If not, merely remove dead stems in the spring.

Pruning Other Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas called Panicle (H. paniculata) and Smooth (H. arborescens) are clipped BEFORE flower buds develop. On stems from the current season, these kinds blossom (“new wood).

When the plant is dormant in the late winter, prune. The plant will therefore grow new buds in the spring that will result in blossoms even if the winter kills the buds.
In general, avoid pruning to “shape the bush” and just remove dead branches.

Are hydrangeas water-intensive plants?

Although the hydrangea’s leaves and flowers seem delicate, little careful care is actually needed for them. Everything you need to know about caring for hydrangeas is provided in these recommendations.

Over the course of the growing season, water at a rate of 1 inch per week. To promote root growth, deeply water three times each week. All varieties of hydrangeas benefit from constant moisture, but bigleaf and smooth hydrangeas need more water. To water thoroughly while keeping moisture off the flowers and leaves, use a soaker hose. Hydrangeas won’t wilt as much if they are watered early in the day on hot days.
To keep the soil around your hydrangeas cool and moist, add mulch. Over time, an organic mulch decomposes, supplying nutrients and enhancing soil texture.
Apply fertilizer according to the type of hydrangeas you have. Every variety has varied requirements and will profit from applying fertilizer at various times. A soil test is the most effective tool for determining your fertility requirements.
In March, May, and June, bigleaf hydrangeas require numerous mild fertilizer applications.
By selecting cultivars with resistant characteristics, you can avoid pests and diseases. Hydrangeas can have leaf spots, bight, wilt, and powdery mildew. Although they are uncommon on hydrangeas, pests might arise when the plants are under stress. Aphids, leaf tiers, and red spider mites are examples of potential pests. Your best line of defense is to properly care for hydrangeas.

Do hydrangeas like shade or the sun?

The answer is both, of course! Partial sun or partial shade-loving plants require between three and six hours of direct sunlight each day. Plants that thrive in the sun need at least six hours of direct sunshine each day.

Simply examine a specific area of your garden every hour or so from dawn to sunset if you are unsure how much sun your yard receives. From there, note if the area is sunny or shaded. Garden centers now sell sunlight estimators, which are a wonderful choice if you’re pressed for time.

In fact, all hydrangea species may thrive in some shade. Some of these species, meanwhile, will actually prosper with a little more sun. The panicle hydrangea, or Hydrangea paniculata, is one cultivar in particular that enjoys full sun.

The pH of the soil can affect the color of your flowers in many hydrangeas, especially when it comes to managing that hue. But H. macrophylla and H. serrata are two species that don’t do well in full sun or deep shade.

Do hydrangea plants require a lot of sun?

A lot of hydrangea species thrive in part shade, which is less than four hours of direct sunlight each day, and even full shade. These species include the blue, pink, or white bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla, zones 5–11). The pH of the soil affects the color of the blooms. Pink flowers grow on alkaline soils, while blue flowers are produced by acidic soils. Depending on the exact type, bigleaf hydrangeas may bear lacecap or mophead flowers, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden.

The smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens, zones 3-9) enjoys part shade and is another hydrangea that thrives in shade. It expands to a height and width of 5 feet. Between 2 and 6 inch wide corymbs of hairy white flowers are produced by this plant from June to September. According to the Missouri Botanical Garden, both the bigleaf and smooth hydrangea can occasionally grow in full sun if there is regular rain.

Do hydrangeas need a lot of upkeep?

With the assistance of Annabelle and panicle hydrangeas like Limelight and Little Lime, the summer landscape can be adorned with a flurry of blooms.

These resilient bushes require little maintenance and offer a lot of beauty. Hydrangeas of the Annabelle variety have long been favored shrubs for the landscape. They stand out in the shady garden due to their enormous white blossoms. These shrubs do well with hostas, ferns, and asters, among other shade plants.

By leaving the dried blooms on the bushes over the winter, you can prolong your enjoyment. Then cut each stem to 12 inches above the ground. To promote new growth at the plant’s base, cut off half of the older, fatter stems at ground level. If you don’t want the increased winter interest, prune in the late fall.

Although they do best in full sun, limelight and other panicle hydrangeas may withstand little shade as well. Use them as specimen plants, screening, mixed borders, or informal hedges.

In the case of Limelight and Little Lime, its cone-shaped blossoms emerge white or lime-green. Initially pink, they eventually turn brown. Remove the dried flowers in late fall or early spring, or leave them on the shrub for winter interest.

Like the Annabelle-types, these shrubs bloom on new growth, but require very little trimming. In the spring, trim branches that have broken off as necessary. Less pruning is required to maintain the lower size of the more recent dwarf types, such Little Lime.

When the top several inches of soil are crumbly and barely damp, water well.

A hydrangea can you overwater it?

We are aware that Hydrangeas require a lot of water and that it is preferable to soak them several times per week as opposed to watering them lightly each day. You may therefore believe that it is impossible to overwater them, but this is untrue. Hydrangeas are susceptible to overwatering, and they like dry soil.

Although hydrangeas prefer moist soil, excessive moisture can cause root rot. A hydrangea’s development can be stunted, its blooming cycle can be slowed down, and eventually it can die from overwatering. This problem could be just as challenging as submersion.

Second, your hydrangeas might be getting too much water. Even when Hydrangeas are adequately hydrated, plants can appear wilted during the heat of the day. Hydrangeas may wilt in the middle of the day due to heat and humidity, but if the ground is moist, they will recover when the temperature drops.

The importance of watering in the morning or evening can be attributed in part to this. If you water in the middle of the day, you risk giving your Hydrangeas considerably too much water out of worry at the sight of them wilting.