In Georgia, bigleaf hydrangeas, Hydrangea macrophylla, sometimes known as French, Japanese, or snowball hydrangeas, are grown both as landscape and florist plants. Bigleaf hydrangeas are frequently bought as gift plants from florists and can be moved to the landscape for yearly blooms. By modifying the soil pH, homeowners can alter the color of flowers from pink to blue or from blue to pink.
Two Main Groups
In the nursery industry, bigleaf hydrangeas come in more than 500 different cultivars. They can be split into two main categories: hortensias, which have huge flower clusters resembling snowballs, and lacecapes, which often have flowers with fairly flat tops, fertile blooms in the center, and showier sterile flowers on the periphery.
Location
Bigleaf hydrangea prefers moist, well-drained soil, morning light, and afternoon shade. Don’t plant it in exposed, hot, dry areas. Winter and late spring can cause cold damage to the buds, so be ready to offer some winter protection by wrapping the plant in an old sheet, blanket, or cardboard box when the temperature drops below freezing. Additional effective cold protection is offered by a cylinder of chicken wire surrounded by leaves.
Bigleaf hydrangea is a great patio plant that is simple to cultivate in containers. The ability to bring the plant indoors on a chilly night is another benefit of growing it in a container.
Planting
Prepare the soil over a large area if at all possible. Apply 50 pounds of decomposed organic material per 10 square feet and thoroughly work it with a tiller or shovel into the top 8 to 12 inches of soil. Organic matter keeps nutrients and water in the soil and protects plants from stress caused by changes in soil moisture from wet to dry.
Before the plant is established, don’t fertilize (4 to 8 weeks after transplanting). Since Georgia’s soils tend to be acidic, the first blossom color will probably be blue.
After transplanting, make sure the root ball’s top is flush with the soil’s surface and give it a good drink of water. To retain moisture and manage weeds, add 3 to 5 inches of an organic mulch to the soil’s surface, such as pine straw, pine bark, or fallen leaves.
Fertilization and Watering
Throughout the growing season, bigleaf hydrangea responds to many sparing fertilizer applications. It is advised to apply a general-purpose fertilizer, such as 8-8-8 or 10-10-10, at a rate of 1 pound (2 cups) per 100 square feet in the months of March, May, and July. When fertilizing, it is not required to remove the mulch; however, watering soon after application will help the fertilizer dissolve and go into the soil.
Bigleaf hydrangea is a water-hungry plant that does best in landscape zones with moderate water requirements. When the plant starts to wilt in the absence of rain, water it. Avoiding plant stress during the spring, when the blooms are developing, is especially crucial.
Flower Color
According to research, the presence or absence of aluminum compounds in the flowers is the real cause of color variation. The color is blue if aluminum is present in the plant. If it’s absent or only minimally present, the blooms are pink, and if it’s there, the color is “in between.”
Through influencing the amount of aluminum in the soil, soil pH indirectly influences flower color. Aluminum is typically more accessible to the roots in soil that is acidic (pH 5.5 or lower). Alkalinity (pH 7.0 or above) in the soil reduces aluminum availability and increases the pinkness of the blooms.
Distribute 1/2 cup of wettable sulfur per 10 square feet and water it in to gradually turn pink flowers blue. Spread one cup of dolomitic lime per 10 square feet and soak it into the soil to turn the flowers pink. The effects of this treatment on flower color could not be visible for a year.
Through liquid soil drenches, you can change the color of your flowers more quickly and easily. In March, April, and May, saturate the soil around the plant with 1 tablespoon of alum (aluminum sulfate) dissolved in 1 gallon of water to make the blossoms blue, or perhaps more blue. In March, April, and May, soak the soil surrounding the plant with a solution of 1 tablespoon of hydrated lime in 1 gallon of water to turn the blossoms pink. Avoid getting the mixture on the leaves to prevent foliar damage.
Failure to Flower
Bigleaf hydrangeas can have problems with flowering failure. This may be brought on by winter damage to the flower buds, overly-shady plant growth, an excess of nitrogen fertilizer, or untimely pruning. Pruning throughout the late summer, fall, and winter will eliminate prospective blossoms since bigleaf hydrangeas develop their flower buds in the late summer for the next year.
Pruning
When the bigleaf hydrangea’s blossoms start to fade, prune it. To promote branching and fullness, remove blossom heads and head back other shoots as appropriate. Avoid pruning after August 1 since flower buds for the following season will start to grow in late summer.
After a difficult winter, it may be necessary to prune plants to remove damaged foliage. The removal of winter-damaged leaf is healthier for the health of the plant and its aesthetically pleasing appearance, even though it will promote vegetative growth at the expense of flowering.
Propagation
Softwood cuttings collected in the early summer can be used to multiply bigleaf hydrangeas. Choose terminal cuttings from shoots that are not in bloom. A minimum of three leaves and a length of 3 to 5 inches should be present on each cutting. Make a little angle cut at the node (where the leaves are joined), then dip the cut end in a rooting hormone and plant it in a moist growing medium. To prevent wilting and dehydration, propagators frequently cut off the top half of each leaf. While the cuttings are rooting, keep them wet and in a shaded environment.
Layering is another method of bigleaf hydrangea propagation in the landscape. This is accomplished by excavating a trench close to the plant and bending a branch downward into the trench. At the point where the limb touches the ground, use a knife to carefully remove a narrow band of outer bark that is about an inch broad. After that, bury the limb in dirt, leaving 6 to 12 inches of the growth at the tip exposed. The new plant should be ready for transplantation the following winter if layering is done in the summer.
Early spring is a good time to separate clumps of mature, older hydrangeas with a shovel. A cluster that has been there for a while can produce many plants.
For More Information
On hydrangeas, there are several top-notch books accessible from publishers and online. Dr. Michael Dirr, a former professor at the University of Georgia, is the author of the book Hydrangeas for American Gardens. Both online and in bookstores, it is widely accessible. Additionally, the U.S. National Arboretum offers a fantastic online resource for choosing and growing hydrangeas. To learn more, visit www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/hydrangeafaq2.html.
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Are bigleaf hydrangeas pruned?
The big-leaf hydrangea species Hydrangea macrophylla includes varieties like Dear DoloresTM and “Big Daddy.” The two most popular varieties of hydrangeas, mopheads and lace-caps, are included in this category, which is the most varied. Big-leaf hydrangeas bloom on old wood, which means that their stems from the previous growing season are where their blossoms first appear. In the spring, pruning would eliminate the flower buds, leaving us with a plant that wouldn’t bloom that year. Big-leaf hydrangeas are instead pruned in the summer, following their flowering season. Trim the stems every season, up to one-third of them. Start by pruning at the base of the weakest shoots, both old and young. Keep several stems of the more prolific older wood, as well as healthy new stems that will bloom the following year. This kind of replacement pruning will maintain the plant’s productivity while promoting healthy growth.
Although Dear DoloresTM is a member of this family, it is a bit of an outlier because it reblooms and does so on both old and new wood. As a result, it is a little more understanding. Pruning it in the winter, spring, or summer will still result in blooms from the growth of the current season.
Do you trim back hydrangeas for the winter?
Hydrangeas with mopheads and lacecaps (Hydrangea macrophylla) bloom on the growth from the previous year. They defy the generalization that shrubs that produce their flowers on the growth from the previous season should be clipped after flowering. The optimal time to prune hydrangeas is in the spring because of the way their stems are built. This is due to the stems’ cork-like, as opposed to woody, nature, which allows them to store enough moisture during the winter for this to freeze in cold temperatures. The stems and their buds may freeze if they are clipped in the fall, following flowering. The stems and their new buds will be better protected if the old flowers are left on the plant throughout the winter, until the severe frosts have passed. These buds will open as the sap begins to rise in the spring, and many of them should go on to bear blooms the following year.
Which hydrangeas ought to be left alone?
Here are several common hydrangea varieties and when to prune them:
- The most popular species of big-leaf hydrangeas, Hydrangea macrophyla, are the well-known mopheads and lacecaps, which come in a variety of shades including blue, violet, pink, purple, red, and white. After flowering, trim them since they blossom in the early summer on old wood.
- Hydrangea quercifolia, sometimes known as oakleaf hydrangea, is a native hydrangea with cone-shaped white blooms that turn a stunning shade of russet in the late summer. It too blooms on old wood, thus pruning shouldn’t be done before flowering.
- Panicle hydrangeas, Hydrangea paniculata: These shrubs (Tardivas, PeeGees) burst into panicle-shaped white flowers in mid- to late summer and are frequently pruned into tree forms. Prune these in the early spring before they produce new foliage since they blossom on fresh wood.
- Hydrangea arborescens, ‘Annabelle’: This variety flowers on new wood as well, so prune in early spring. In the spring, the globe-shaped blooms start out chartreuse and gradually turn white.
recurring, or “Reblooming hydrangeas: This unique breed of hydrangeas was developed to bloom multiple times throughout the growing season. They come in a variety of colors, and “Endless Summer” is one of the most well-known cultivars. This means that these hydrangeas can be pruned at any time because they bloom on both old and new wood.
Remove any dead branches and limbs from a hydrangea that blooms on old wood before thinning down the center of the plant to allow more sunlight to enter. The Tardiva and PeeGee types, which flower on fresh wood, can be trimmed judiciously by removing branches that don’t conform to the plant’s desired shape or regulate size. The most extreme haircuts are available for ‘Annabelle’ hydrangeas, which can have their entire shrub cut back to six to twelve inches above ground.
Do you now comprehend why the query “One of the biggest mysteries in gardening is when to prune my hydrangeas.
Which month do you prune back hydrangeas?
Depending on which group the plant belongs to, the timing and extent of pruning are determined:
Advice on Pruning for Group 1:
- As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder in the late summer and fall, buds for the following year’s blooms start to form.
- Typically, removing dead, diseased, or damaged branches is all that is required to preserve shape, size, and a healthy plant. Otherwise, gentle pruning ought to be practiced.
- In the summer, trimming should begin as soon as flowering ends, but no later than August 1. Pruning should not be done in the fall, winter, or spring because you risk removing fresh buds.
- Tip-pruning the branches in the spring as the leaves begin to appear can promote more numerous, smaller flower heads as opposed to fewer, larger flower heads.
- On the growth of the current year, flower buds form.
- Early in the spring, as the leaves are starting to emerge, prune.
- Just above a node, prune branches back by half to a third.
- After that, prune any fragile or spindly branches.
- Minimal trimming encourages huge, strong bushes with many of tiny flower heads in H. arborescens. Hard pruning between 12 and 18 inches from the ground, or even all the way down, will result in fewer but larger flower heads that may flop if unsupported.
- For H. paniculata, remove the surrounding smaller wood while leaving the larger stems in order to establish a sturdy foundation.
Flower head size might be related to pruning. Shoots will grow more vigorously and flower heads will be bigger and fewer with more rigorous trimming. Smaller but more numerous flower heads may result from less aggressive or tip pruning.
Consideration of hydrangeas’ mature size is the best piece of advise. Place them in a location where they won’t outgrow and won’t need a lot of pruning to keep them in check. Hydrangeas don’t need to be pruned precisely or often; as long as dead wood is removed, they will remain healthy and continue to develop and bloom.
On aged wood, do bigleaf hydrangeas bloom?
Many gardeners, both novice and expert, are confused about how to prune hydrangeas. Determine which species are present in your garden before you even consider getting your trimming equipment. In New Hampshire, hydrangeas come in a variety of kinds, and each one has quite distinct growth patterns and pruning needs. Some plants only produce flowers on fresh growth, while others mostly produce flower buds on older wood. To learn when and how to prune your hydrangeas, refer to the short guide below.
The type of hydrangea that most gardeners are most familiar with is the bigleaf variety. Bigleaf hydrangeas, often known as mopheads or lacecaps, are distinguished by their glossy, dark green foliage and enormous, vibrant blooms. In New Hampshire, it might be difficult to get them to flower because they often grow on old wood. A plant may have luxuriant foliage but no blooming buds because of the cold winter temperatures and drying winds.
At the tops of stems on old wood from the previous year, flower buds are created. Although lower buds along the stem have the capacity to grow blooms as well, the hydrangea’s blossoming potential is decreased if those buds are died or damaged throughout the winter. Wait until new growth sprouts in the spring before pruning your bigleaf hydrangeas. Approximately 1/4 inch above the first group of live buds, prune the plant. A hint: the interior of living stems will be green, whereas the interior of dead stems will be brown. Cut completely dead stems flush with the base.
Consider replacing your bigleaf hydrangea with a “remontant (reblooming) variety if you have difficulties getting it to bloom consistently year after year. In recent years, a number of cultivars that blossom easily on fresh shoots have been introduced.
Bigleaf hydrangeas and mountain hydrangeas have a striking resemblance and are closely related. Compared to their relative, mountain hydrangeas have more delicate branching and less ostentatious blossoms. Because flowers only grow on old wood, wait to prune stems until the spring when new growth starts and you can identify which buds are still healthy.
Native to Eastern North America, smooth hydrangeas fit in well with most gardens in New Hampshire. They have mounded growth patterns and mid-summer blooms of white to pale pink flowers. Smooth hydrangeas, in contrast to bigleaf and mountain varieties, bloom on young wood and may withstand severe pruning. From late winter until early spring, you can remove dated flowers from the previous year. The flowers on old stems will bloom, but they will be modest. In the spring, trim stems all the way to the ground for bigger, more vigorous blossoms.
The panicle hydrangea is without a doubt the most popular variety planted in New Hampshire. It is extremely cold hardy and blooms consistently from season to season. It develops into a tall, low-branched little tree or broad shrub, with branches that frequently arc under the weight of its numerous, enormous conical blooms. Panicle hydrangeas should be clipped in late winter or early spring before the emergence of the leaves because they blossom on new growth. To enhance the general structure and habit of the plant, remove wasted blossoms and prune. Make cuts to the branch collar of stems or one quarter inch above living buds.
The Southeastern region of the United States is home to oakleaf hydrangeas. Despite the possibility of winter damage and flower bud loss in northern gardens, this shrub’s eye-catching foliage and exfoliating bark are sufficient reasons to cultivate it. Removing dead or broken branches should only be done in the spring because oakleaf hydrangeas also bloom on old wood. Oakleaf hydrangeas often don’t need a lot of pruning. After fresh growth has started, thin stems as necessary and shorten the plant’s height.
By making simple trimming mistakes, many well-intentioned gardeners lower the potential blooming of their hydrangeas. Fortunately, hydrangeas are actually pretty easy to maintain as long as you are aware of their growth patterns and adhere to these straightforward pruning instructions.