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Growing Hydrangeas


Gold Post Medal for All Time! 858 Posts
March 15, 2006
Growing: Hydrangea

Botanical Name:

Hydrangea

Life Cycle:

perennial flowering shrub

Planting Time:

spring or fall

Height:

3' to 15'

Exposure:

full sun to partial shade
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Soil:

rich, well-drained, evenly moist soil

Hardiness:

hardy to zones 3 to 9

Bloom Time:

early summer to fall

Flower:

white, pink, red, purple and blue clusters; acidic pH produces blue flowers and alkaline pH produces pink flowers in certain varieties.

Foliage:

green

Propagation:

layering or cuttings-softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings (taken late spring or early to mid summer), hardwood cuttings (taken from dormant growth in fall or winter).

Suggested Use:

shrub borders, hedges, cut flowers and dried flowers

Growing Hints:

Plant in spring or early fall from cuttings or purchased plants. Dig holes as deep as the existing root ball, but three times wider to accommodate the lateral spreading roots.

Pruning Tips:

When to prune your hydrangea depends on the variety. Smooth hydrangeas (H. arborescens) and Panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata) bloom on new wood (growth from the current year) and should be pruned in late winter or early spring. On the other hand, oak-leaved hydrangea (H. quercifolia) and florist's hydrangea (H. macrophylla) flower on old wood (previous year's growth) and should be pruned immediately after flowering. Certain varieties are not suited to colder zones and the cold may kill flower buds, resulting in plants with nice leaves that never flower.

More Solutions

This page contains the following solutions.


Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 213 Posts
July 13, 2008

Keep hydrangea bloom colors bright for months of enjoyment. I have some wonderful hydrangeas that would bloom for several weeks then the blooms would dry on the branch and the colors would fade.

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But several years back I came up with an idea that prolongs my hydrangea blooms for months.

 
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17 Questions

Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.

August 30, 2019

My hydrangea is getting white stuff on the leaves. What is this and how do I get rid of it?


Answers


Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
August 30, 20190 found this helpful

They could be newly bugs or spider mites. Use insecticidal soap.

 

Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 105 Posts
August 30, 20190 found this helpful

I have seen this on several plants in our organic garden. Normally I'll see these small white flies on the leaves. I just spray the plant with some mild soap and water to clean the plant.

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Then each time you water you should wash the leaves really good to keep them off your plants.

 

Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,298 Posts
August 31, 20190 found this helpful

It could be powdery mildew, bugs...
Suggestion check out this post: homeguides.sfgate.com/organic-ways-kill-fungus-hydrangeas...

 
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June 25, 2016

Will the red hydrangeas (Red Beauty) stay red? Does the type of soil affect them?


Answers


Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 949 Feedbacks
July 13, 20170 found this helpful

Sorry no one answered your question in a timely manner but perhaps and answer will help someone else with the same question.
It seems that if you have the "red" hydrangea you can add lime to keep it looking red. Here is a link that explains how to do this plus other useful information.

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www.hunker.com/.../how-to-make-my-hydrangeas-red

 
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May 17, 2016

I have fallen in love with hydrangeas this spring. I live in Indiana, zone 5. I bought 2 bigleafs from a store around Mother's Day that were big and beautiful! I am having a hard time keeping them that way. I kept them in the pot because I was told to wait to transplant them until they go dormant in the fall to keep them from shock. They do not get direct sun. I have no room on the "morning sun" side of my house, so they are on my shaded porch. Sometimes I put them in the yard for afternoon sun. My pink bigleafs are doing well. My blue ones are drooping and I have tried putting them in direct sun for a while, watering them more, etc.

It's just been a game, which is quite odd seeing as they are 2 feet away from my other one that's doing well. The blue one has some brown leaves, droopy leaves, soft leaves, and maybe one or two that are okay. One I pruned off completely because it had totally fallen over droopingly. I'm confused. The woman at the store told me to water them daily, but then I read that I shouldn't if the soil is moist 2" deep. So I haven't watered them much because they feel pretty moist. Our weather has been crazy! It's basically rained 2 weeks straight with little sun. Help!

hydrangeas in pots
 

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Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 105 Posts
July 27, 20170 found this helpful

I had a problem similar to yours. I finally took my plant out of the pot and changed the dirt. When I had the plant out of the pot I checked the roots of the plant.

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I found out that my plant had some ant eggs attached to the root. I cleaned the roots and replanted the plant. It is dong great now.

 
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October 19, 2014

What is the life cycle of the hydrangea? Do they have spores? If so, where? Also, what organisms usually help with pollination?

By Barrie R

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Silver Post Medal for All Time! 255 Posts
December 6, 20170 found this helpful

They have flowers from early spring to late fall. They are originally from Asia, but have been introduced to other countries as well. They do not have spores. Some are bushes, but other types are small trees. Various types of bees and fly's pollinate them.

 
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January 4, 2013

I have a quickfire hydrangea on which I didn't take the dead flowers off of this fall. Should those be cut off before spring so the new flowers will bloom? There are lots of them.

By Peggy C

Answers


Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 172 Posts
January 7, 20130 found this helpful

Yes, just cut off the flowers from last summer and you will be good to go.

 
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July 24, 2012

I have two hydrangea plants. One I believe is called a Lucy or Lacy and that is the one that is infected. The other one, we don't know what the name is, but it has a light blue flower turning to like a pink. So far that plant doesn't seem to be affected.

The blossoms on the infected plant have turned black and fallen off and now the leaves are doing the same thing. It looks like it is really dried out and feels the same. The leaves are black and shriveled. Can this plant come back or should I remove it?

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By Frank

Answers

August 1, 20120 found this helpful

Sounds like you have an infestation of white flies and the black is called sooty mold caused by the tiny white flies on the back. I use bleach and Murphy's oil soap and spray them 2 times a week till gone. Even in South GA heat that seems to be the best for the pest plaguing the shrubs in the humid heat. powdery mildew will also cause similar and that should take care of it too.

You could cut it back to just above the ground, if you don't want to wait for the big part to recuperate and spray but if you do burn or haul off the limbs immediately so you don't re-infest.

 
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May 21, 2010

I have a Big Daddy and Endless Summer variety hydrangeas (both currently in pots) and understand that they do well in morning sun. I left them out in the area that I wanted to plant and they both withered by 2pm, but regained after watering. The garden faces the NE direction. Would the plants do better if planted in the ground?

Hardiness Zone: 7a

By 24eva from VA

Answers

May 26, 20100 found this helpful

You can leave them where they are. Hydrangeas need a lot of water. Even in indoor settings, potted hydrangeas need to be heavily watered at least once a day. Since your babies are outside (at the hottest part of the day) they just need extra water, probably twice daily or even three times until you get them planted in the ground. Hope this helps!

 
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August 16, 2014

brown leavesWhy do some leaves on my hydrangea turn brown?

By lahib

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May 20, 2013

How often do I water the blue mop head hydrangea?

By Henrietta from Lafayette, LA

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April 13, 2013

I am trying to save a hydrangea received as gift from a funeral. The hydrangea was sitting by a vent where air conditioning was blowing. When I picked it up from funeral home, the pink blooms were wilted as well as the leaves. However, the new leaves were not damaged. I watered it with room temperature water so I would not further damage the plant.

Some of the bigger leaves are so wilted they a brittle like a leaf that has fallen from a tree. What do I do with the brittle leaves and the blooms that have been damaged. I live in Kentucky and am keeping this inside until all threats of frost have passed. Thanks for your input.

By Jane from London, KY

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Photos

Check out these photos.

June 15, 2016

This is my first hydrangea plant/bush. For the first 2 years it was a lovely green without blooms. After 2+ years and getting the soil correct and protecting it from insects it bloomed. Although it is only 2 feet, I love it as if it were 6 feet tall!

blue hydrangea flower

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 182 Feedbacks
March 13, 2017

My oakleaf hydrangea still in the winter season with beautiful wood standing like a soldier at attention looking toward the sky. A few days ago the leaves of this beautiful stunning bush begin to sprout, it indicates that spring is on the way.

Spring Greenery (Oakleaf Hydrangea) - new foliage

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Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 172 Posts
September 10, 2009

This is a limelight hydrangea. In the earlier part of the summer, it is a lime green and then turns to a pink as it gets closer to fall. It is very easy to care for and always blooms for zone 5 where most hydrangeas do not.

light hydrangea flowers

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July 16, 2018

Growing a well shaped hydrangea shrub that is covered with blooms is not too difficult although there are several factors that play a part in this enterprise. First and foremost is proper pruning. This is a page about hydrangea blooming more near bottom of plant.

A hydrangea bush that is blooming at the bottom more than at the top.

November 29, 2012

This is a page about growing hydrangeas inside. When we see beautiful blooming hydrangeas for sale in foil wrapped pots, we wonder how well they will grow inside.

Growing Hydrangeas Inside

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Home and Garden Gardening Growing PerennialsNovember 26, 2012
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