Hydrangea In My Garden

 

 

General:

Botanical name: Hydrangea

Plant type: Shrub

Hardiness Zones:  Can be grown in all zones with less then 30°C and - 1°C

 Sun exposure: Partial Sun, Shade

Soil type: Any

Soil pH: Acidic
, Slightly Acidic to Neutral, Neutral
, Neutral to Slightly Alkaline

Flower color: Red, Pink, Blue, Purple, White

Bloom time: Summer, Fall

 

With immense billowy blossoms, hydrangeas flaunt an old-fashioned charm that is hard to resist. Colors also beguile with clear blues, vibrant pinks, frosty whites, lavender, and rose—sometimes all blooming on the same plant.

 

The colors of some (H. macrophylla)  flowers are affected by the relative availability of aluminum ions in the soil. Acidic soils with a pH of less than 5.5 produce blue flowers; soils with a pH greater than 5.5 product pink flowers. White flowers are not affected by pH.

 

Unrivaled in the shrub world, these elegant ladies are easy to cultivate, tolerate almost any soil, and produce flowers in mid-summer through fall (when little else may be in bloom). Hydrangeas are excellent for a range of garden sites from group plantings to shrub borders to containers.

 

Planting

Most hydrangeas thrive in rich, porous, somewhat moist soils. Add compost to enrich poor soil.

They prefer full sun in the morning, with some afternoon shade; however, many will grow and bloom in partial shade. This is especially true for the big leaf hydrangeas (see Recommended Varieties below).

 

 Plant in spring or fall.

Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and 2 to 3 times as wide.

Set the plant in the hole and fill it half full with soil. Water. After water is drained, fill the rest of the hole with soil.

 

Water thoroughly.

Space multiple hydrangeas about 3 to 10 feet apart.

 

Care

For the first year or two after planting and during any drought, be sure hydrangeas get plenty of water. Leaves will wilt if the soil is too dry.

 

PRUNING

When growing hydrangea varieties in Zones with temperature range 15-20°C, don't prune unless absolutely necessary, and then do so immediately AFTER blooming. Otherwise, remove only dead stems in the spring.

 

If you need to prune an older hydrangea, it depends on which variety you have.

The common Big leaf hydrangea should be pruned AFTER flowers fade (late spring/early summer). If you prune before bloom, you may not have blossoms the following spring.

Oak leaf, panicle, and smooth hydrangeas blossom on the current seasons' wood so they should be pruned BEFORE bloom when plant is dormant, i.e. late winter or early spring.

In the fall, cover plants to a depth of at least 18 inches with bark mulch, leaves, pine needles, or straw. If at all possible, cover the entire plant, tip included, by making cages out of snow fencing or chicken wire, and loosely filling the cages with leaves. (Do not use maple leaves.)

 

Pests

Gray mold

Slugs

Powdery mildew

Rust

Ringspot virus

Leaf spots

 

Harvest/Storage

Try drying hydrangea flowers to create a wreath or other decorations around the house:

Harvest the heads when the flowers have matured and developed a papery consistency.

 

Remove leaves from stems, and hang upside down in a warm, dry, dark, airy room.

When completely dry (usually a couple of weeks), store in a dry location out of direct sunlight.

 

Recommended Varieties

There are two main groups of hydrangeas.

 

Group 1: Plants that bloom on new growth (this year's stems)

These hydrangeas, which form their buds in early summer on new growth, will flower reliability each year, requiring no special care.

 

Panicle hydrangeas ( H. paniculata)  boast fat, cone-shaped flower heads. They are a good choice for a beginner. The most common cultivar is 'Grandiflora', or P.G. (PeeGee) after its initials, a big old-fashioned floppy shrub that is 10 to 15 feet tall.

 

Smooth hydrangeas (H. arborescens) or "snowballs" are excellent for cold climates, flowering reliability.The flowers look like oversized white-flowered pop-poms. Look for cultivars 'Grandiflora' and 'Annabelle' which produce large blooms in late summer.

Group 2: Plants that bloom on old growth (last year's stems).

 

If you live in Zone  warmer then 30-40°C, choose plants from this group.

Oakleaf hydrangeas (H. quercifolia) exhibit incredible bud hardiness and thrive well . This graceful plant is noted for its spectacular fall colors that range from red to purplish burgundy. The flower heads turn a rich brown that lasts all winter. Try 'Snow Queen', 'Snow Flake', and 'Alice.'

 

Bigleaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) are the most common species and come in two flower shapes: Mopheads (or Hortensias) which are hardy to warm Zones and bear large, ball-shaped flowers and lacecaps which are suitable for these Zones and form airy, elegant, flat-topped clusters of flowers. We love 'All Summer Beauty' (Hortensia) which has profuse, dark blue flowers, pinker on soil near neutral. 'Nikko Blue' (Hortensia) is vigorous, with large, rounded blue flowers. 'Blue Wave' (Lacecap) produces rich blue to mauve or lilac-blue to pink flowers.

Climbing hydrangeas are just magnificent, lighting up the trunk of a tall tree. This vine blooms from late June to early July, exhibiting flat, lace, creamy-white flowers against glossy leaves.

 

You can change the colour of your Hydrengia flowers?

It is possible to change the flowers' colors but not instantly. Color correction takes weeks, even months. It is easier to change blue flowers to pink than pink to blue. Wait until the plant is at least 2 years old to give it time to recover from the shock of its original planting.

 

Start with the Hydrangea macrophylla variety. Have your soil pH tested.

 

To get blue flowers, you need to lower the pH, which you can do by adding sulfur or peat moss to the soil.  To get pink to light red flowers, add ground limestone only around the plant; a pH above 7.5 will result in poor growth.

 

 

 

 

PLANT CARE

PLANT CARE

 

OUTDOOR PLANTS

All outdoor plants require at least 5-6 hours of direct sunlight a day to remain healthy, retain their colour, fruit and flower. Depending on the type of plant, remember to place it in an appropriate position where plenty of sunlight is available.

 

While watering plants, keep a few things in mind:

Check soil for moisture, if moist watering is not required. If you do expect a hot day ahead then you could give it a bit of a sprinkle.

 

Make sure the soil is never left soggy for long periods letting it dry between watering. This will prevent the plants from rotting due to suffocation. Plants like cactus need to be watered once in a week and placed in full sun

 

The best time to water plants is in the morning, before the sunlight is at its strongest intensity as this is the optimum condition for plants to photosynthesize.

 

If plants have plastic trays beneath them, make sure there is no standing water in the tray as this could inhibit air flow to the roots. Once watered, make sure the tray is emptied of standing water and placed back. Standing water can cause mosquitoes to breed and results in over watering of the plants.

 

Make sure to thoroughly clean plants up to twice a week to keep them dust free. Dust interferes with the breathing of the plants and if not cleaned, plants appear dull and tend to wilt.

 

Re-Potting
All potted plants need to be re-potted at least once a year to maintain stable growth and luster. Some slow growing plants may take longer; hence pay attention to your plants. Some signs to look out for are:

 

Roots are visibly sticking out from the bottom of the pot as well as the surface.

Soil surface looks depleted of soil.

There is no space for you to apply any additional fertilizer.

The plant may look wilted and sick.

 

In that case, you must remove the plant from its pot and trim the roots. Be careful while doing this as some plants may suffer shock and not recover. Ideally, plants should be placed in a larger pot (approximately 2-4 inches larger) or the ground. Prune and re-pot the plant, making sure you have added a good amount of fertilizer. After re-potting, water the plant thoroughly and place under shade for two days till it settles and then reintroduce it to its desired location. 

Fertilizing
It is mandatory that all plants be fertilized once a month. Make sure they are supplied a balanced diet of NPK- Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium or any well-decomposed organic fertilizer.

 

Create a ring around the plant.

Dig about 2-3 inches in and sprinkle some fertilizer.

Cover it back with soil and then water.

For leaf shine and brightness, a weekly routine of spraying any organic liquid or soil fertilizer is advised.

Trimming and Pruning
Pruning is a horticultural practice that involves the removal of certain unwanted, diseased, non-reproducing parts of a plant. It is advised according to a particular plant's growth habit. While pruning, keep the following points in mind:

 

Is it flowering time of the plant in question?

If it is, then wait until it is done flowering and then continue to prune.

How much you need to prune will depend on how much you expect it to grow within a certain period. For example if you decide to drastically prune your bougainvillea, it will be another 6-10 months before you see in a lush bushy flowering state.

Pruning must be done systematically. A good method is to trim the young, wild, out of shape branches before you tackle the older, more established ones. In this way you give the plants a better form as it grows to increase its overall aesthetic appeal. It is advised that the cutters have sharp blades or else they could damage the plant creating and open wound susceptible to fungal and rust diseases.

 

INDOOR PLANTS

All indoor or semi-shade plants as they're more commonly called, require a minimum of 2-3 hours of light. It is suggested that early morning or late evening sunlight, or at least a good amount of reflected light from a nearby window is optimum for indoor plants.

Depending on placement, water semi-shade plants every alternate day. Again, this is not a rule of thumb as different plants have different needs; thus watering schedules should be arranged accordingly. Many factors like wind intensity, amount of light, daytime temperature, among others, have a considerable effect on the plant. Orchids for example, need to be watered at least twice a day and up to three times on really hot days, as with many fern varieties.

As leaves are severely light-responsive, it is important to change the orientation of plants from time to time to promote even growth. Upward turned leaves are a good indication of this, especially for the Fittonia plant.

Try and study the growth habit of your plant, for example, notice how they reproduce. Ferns, in this case produce spores on the underside of their leaves. These spores resemble little brown dots in appearance and most lead people to believe it is a pest infection. Unnecessary spraying should be avoided.

Semi-shade plants are comparatively hardier, so their maintenance isn't as delicate. Most semi-shade plants tend to have a creeping habit and thus need to be supported. Coconut husk sticks are a great durable and environmentally friendly option available at Green Grower.

Semi-shade plants that have hairy leaves like the African Violet can be watered from the plate below to avoid the unnecessary wetting of leaves which leads to rotting. However, make sure you constantly keep dust off leaves by washing or dusting them at least twice a week.

Clean plants thoroughly with water spray three times a week.

Fertilizer in solid form can be added once a month and in liquid form once a week to maintain leaf luster.

Regularly clean any dead or yellowing leaves from the plant to maintain its aesthetic value.

Common sucking pest infestation includes meal bugs, scale, spider mite and white fly.

Use a spray of Fenevelrate + Chlrophos or Fenvelrate + Chlropiryphos (CPP) at the reate of 10 ml per liter once a month.