Hydrangeas create picturesque impressions in beds and pots. Cultivated as a romantic flowering shrub or trained into a small tree, hydrangea demands little from the gardener. You can find answers to previously unanswered questions about dealing with this magnificent ornamental tree here.
How do you properly care for hydrangeas?
Hydrangeas need partially shaded, wind-protected locations, humus-rich and acidic soil and regular watering with lime-free water. You should cut off wilted flowers in early spring and thin them out if necessary. Winter protection with a layer of leaves and fleece is recommended.
Planting hydrangeas correctly
The professional planting of a hydrangea begins by placing the potted root ball in a bucket of soft water. Proceed as follows:
- Dig a pit in the bed with twice the volume of the root ball
- Fill the hollow with rhododendron or ericaceous soil, enriched with leaf compost and horn shavings
- Unpot the hydrangea and place it in the soil according to the previous planting depth
- Press the substrate with your hands and water it
Finally, spread a layer of mulch consisting of fern leaves, leaves, grass clippings or pine needles. Planting in the pot follows the same pattern, supplemented by the creation of drainage from potsherds over the water drain in the bottom of the pot.read more
Care tips
The care protocol for a hydrangea consists of the following factors:
- Determine water needs daily using a thumb test to water early in the morning and/or late in the evening
- Use primarily collected rainwater or decalcified tap water
- Fertilize from March to the end of August/beginning of September
- Winter protection recommended in the form of a 20-30 cm high layer of leaves and a felt or jute cover over the branches
Cut back the wilted flowers in March until the next strong bud. Apart from panicle hydrangeas, extensive pruning takes place at the expense of the next flower. To prevent a shrub from becoming senescent, thin out dead wood every year and at the same time remove all 5-year-old shoots close to the ground.read more
Which location is suitable?
Assign hydrangea to a partially shaded, wind-protected location. Avoid a location at the foot of an embankment or in a depression, as there is a risk of damaging waterlogging. The decorative shrub feels particularly comfortable in the moving shade of tall deciduous trees. Hydrangeas also thrive in sunny locations as long as there is a sufficient supply of water.read more
The correct planting distance
The correct planting distance is relevant in two ways. If you arrange hydrangea as a group or hedge, the distance should be chosen just as wisely as in the immediate vicinity of the neighbor. How to find the perfect value:
- The ideal planting distance corresponds to half the growth width
- Rule of thumb for the distance to the neighboring property: expected height in cm minus 130 results in the planting distance
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What soil does the plant need?
In order to get the best out of a hydrangea, the soil should be like this:
- Rich in nutrients and humus
- Deeply loose, fresh-moist, with good drainage
- Low lime with a pH value of 4.0 to 5.5
In the planter, hydrangeas thrive both as a shrub and as a small tree in compost-based ericaceous soil enriched with lava granules or expanded clay.read more
What is the best time to plant?
The best time to plant hydrangea is spring, when the risk of ground frost has passed. Alternatively, plant the shrub in the ground in late summer when the soil is deeply warmed by the sun. In principle, a date in the summer can also be considered in the container, but it carries a higher risk of failure due to drought stress.
When is flowering time?
The central flowering period extends from June to September. If the weather is mild, the hydrangea from the Endless Summer Collection will bloom more often as early as May. If autumn comes with a golden October, hydrangeas delight us with their splendor of color until the beginning of November.
Cut hydrangeas correctly
The majority of hydrangea require restraint when pruning. Since hydrangeas mainly bloom on the previous year's wood, you will deprive yourself of the summer blossom spectacle if you cut them too extensively. Modern breeding and selected varieties are nevertheless more flexible. The following overview provides more information:
- Farmer, plate and velvet hydrangeas: Cut off wilted flowers in spring and thin out the bush
- Panicle hydrangeas: tolerate pruning of more than 50 percent in March
- Endless Summer: Thin out the first hydrangea collection that blooms more often in late summer. Cut off faded flowers in March
- With each thinning, cut the 5-year-old branches at the base for rejuvenation
Thanks to its tolerance to pruning, the panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) is primarily qualified as a small tree or standard tree. For all other hydrangeas, extensive pruning immediately after flowering or in early spring is possible, but this will be at the expense of this year's abundance of flowers.read more
Watering hydrangeas
The hydrangea evaporates large amounts of moisture through its lush flowers and leaves. Thus, the shrub turns out to be a very thirsty plant. Probe the moisture content of the substrate daily using a thumb sample. During summer droughts, water early in the morning and late in the evening if necessary. Use predominantly lime-free water, which you pour directly onto the root area of the shrub and tree.read more
Fertilize hydrangeas properly
The primary prerequisites for vital growth and opulent flowering of hydrangeas include a balanced supply of nutrients. How to fertilize hydrangea properly:
- Administer leaf compost with horn shavings and coffee grounds every 14 days from March to September
- You can choose to apply natural fertilizer for hydrangeas from Compo or Substral to the roots every 4 weeks
- Alternatively, apply special long-term fertilizer for hydrangeas once in March, e.g. B. from Cuxin, Beckmann or Compo
- Additionally mulch hydrangea with fern leaves, nettles, leaves, grass clippings or pine needles
In addition, specialist retailers offer fertilizer preparations with a blue agent if this color is specifically intended to be retained over a long period of time. In order to properly fertilize the shrub in the pot, we recommend using adequate liquid fertilizer.read more
Wintering
So that a hydrangea gets through the cold season he althy, the following precautions should be taken:
- Before the first frost, pile up the root area thickly with leaves, pine needles, straw or brushwood
- Wrap the branches of the bush or the crown of the tree with jute ribbons or garden fleece
Leave the wilted flowers on the branches until spring so that the buds underneath are more protected. Hydrangeas preferably overwinter in pots in frost-free, not too dark winter quarters at 4-6 degrees Celsius.read more
Propagate hydrangeas
When hydrangea spread their summery flower flair, the desire for more specimens grows. The following methods of propagation are straightforward:
- Cut head cuttings in early summer and let them root in lean substrate
- Pull side shoots from the bush to the ground as a sinker
- Pick off the root runners and plant them horizontally so that they take root
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How do I transplant correctly?
If a change of location is unavoidable, replant a hydrangea in late summer or early spring. The more soil and root volume is retained on the bush, the more promising the procedure will be. Therefore, cut off the root strands over a wide area, remove the hydrangea from the ground and plant it in the new location without wasting any time. Afterwards, water the plant regularly and extensively so that the rooting progresses quickly.read more
Hytensias in pots
Hydrangeas with a comparatively delicate habit are primarily predestined for cultivation in pots. Choose containers with a minimum volume of 20 liters and a bottom opening for water drainage. Drainage made of expanded clay or clay shards prevents unwanted waterlogging. The preferred substrate is high-quality ericaceous soil.read more
Are hydrangeas poisonous?
Toxic substances, such as hydrogen cyanide, saponins and other toxins, flow through the plant pathways of a hydrangea. Although it is a low concentration, caution should still be exercised when within reach of children and pets. In addition, wearing gloves is strongly recommended when planting and caring for hydrangeas.read more
Brown leaves
Brown leaves on a hydrangea are an alarm signal that should be responded to immediately. Look out for the following causes:
- Drought stress: Water the shrub or tree more regularly, even after a rain shower if necessary
- Sunburn: Move the hydrangea to a partially shaded location or protect it with a parasol
- Spider mites: Treat the infected hydrangea with a biological fungicide based on rapeseed oil
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When should wilted flowers be cut off?
As the gardening season comes to an end, the wilted inflorescences of hydrangeas always raise eyebrows among hobby gardeners. The paper flower heads are actually not that unsightly. Covered in hoarfrost, frost and snow, hydrangea flowers even decorate the garden during the winter as they glitter in the sun. We therefore advocate pruning in early spring, especially since by then the withered flowers act as additional winter protection for the buds underneath.read more
Why is my hydrangea losing its blue color?
Mother Nature didn't have the color blue up her sleeve when she created Hydrangea. If a pink hydrangea turns into a beautiful blue specimen, this has less to do with magic than with the acidic pH value of the soil. If the blue color fades, this process signals an increasing acidity of the earth due to too high a lime content. How to make your hydrangea turn bright blue again:
- Buy potassium aluminum sulfate - alum - at the pharmacy, add it to the water until you get the desired blue color
- Alternatively, administer a fertilizer with a deep blue dye, e.g. B. from Norax (€9.00 at Amazon), Cuxin or liquid from Frux Classic Line
- As an organic fertilizer, acidic leaf or needle compost also meets the requirements for a blue hydrangea
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Is the hydrangea suitable as a houseplant?
The hydrangea thrives wonderfully as a houseplant on the bright windowsill. Use acidic ericaceous soil as a substrate with drainage made of clay shards to prevent waterlogging. Check the watering requirements daily and fertilize every 14 days from March to the end of August with special hydrangea fertilizer. Once the hydrangea has exuded its flower charm this year, move the plant to a dark, frost-free room with temperatures around 5 degrees. Next spring, cut off the withered flower heads and gradually accustom the hydrangea to more light and higher temperatures.read more
The most beautiful varieties
- Forever & Ever: innovative hybrid line in blue, pink, white or red, robust and hardy
- Annabell: Hydrangea arborescens in a class of its own with flowers like big snowballs from June to October
- Diamant Rouge: fantastically beautiful panicle hydrangea with white and pink flowers; Raising a small tree possible
- Hot Chocolate: majestic velvet hydrangea with two-tone plate flowers in blue-violet and white
- Chique: breathtaking farmer's hydrangea bush with white, red-edged flower balls