PLANTING AND FERTILIZING
HYDRANGEAS
Q. Where and How Should a Hydrangea be Planted?
Planting hydrangeas in the right location is extremely important. It can make the difference between growing a lush, lavishly blooming shrub and one that struggles and produces scrawny blooms.
For information on choosing the right hydrangea for your climate (planting zone), see Choosing the Right Hydrangea.
WHERE TO PLANT HYDRANGEAS:
Sun or Shade
Sun or Shade
All hydrangeas will bloom and grow well in morning sun and afternoon shade. This is especially true of the most commonly grown hydrangeas, the macrophyllas. These are the blue and pink mopheads and lacecaps).
If you live in the northern half of the U.S., you can probably grow your hydrangeas in more than just a half day of sun.
No hydrangea will do well in HEAVY shade, such as under an oak tree. The blooms will be sparse and will not develop fully.
If your landscape is mostly sunny (and hot), you may wish to grow the PeeGee (paniculata) hydrangeas, which can take all day sun if they get adequate moisture.
The Oakleaf hydrangeas will also grow in sun or shade, but the blooms last longer if they get a little afternoon shade in hot climates. The leaves on the Oakleaf hydrangeas will "color up" best in the fall if they receive some sun.
MORE TIPS FOR PLANTING
- Place the hydrangea in an area where it can get plenty of moisture. Supplemental moisture is especially important the first year or two and during droughts. Hydrangeas planted under a tree often fail to thrive. This is because trees roots are very aggressive and are drawn to the rich, moist soil you use for the hydrangeas. No matter how many of the tree roots you are able to remove to make room for the hydrangeas (and be careful not to remove too many), the roots will all be back in a year (unless you remove too many and kill the tree).
Also, as mentioned above, under large hardwood trees the light is often insufficient for growing hydrangeas. If grass won't grow in the area, hydrangeas probably won't either. - Hydrangeas do not do well in extremely hot weather (except Oakleaf). Some areas in the landscape provide more shelter from the heat and hot wind than others.
- THE OAKLEAF HYDRANGEA is more temperamental about "wet feet" than the other types. Make sure that the Oakleaf will get perfect drainage in the area in which it is planted or the roots may rot. This is especially true when it is first planted.
BEST TIME TO PLANT HYDRANGEAS
Hydrangeas purchased from a garden center have been growing outdoors in a pot. They can be planted at any time of the year. However, to get good results, keep these considerations in mind:
- It is wise to purchase a hydrangea while it is blooming. It is usually impossible for the nursery to tell a lacecap from a mophead unless it is blooming, and plants get mislabeled quite often. Additionally, 'Annabelle', seems to be variable in the quality of it's bloom. You may get stuck with an 'Annabelle' that has skimpy blooms if you don't see it blooming when you purchase it.
- Avoid choosing and planting a hydrangea in EARLY spring when the leaves are first emerging. In my experience this is the most dangerous time to change the location of a hydrangea. Twice I have bought hydrangeas at the garden center in early spring and planted them in my yard. Then a late freeze arrived and zapped the foliage back. For some reason the hydrangeas did not recover.This was probably due to the fact that the garden center warms up faster than my location, and the plants were too far along for my colder weather.
- Don't plant a hydrangea during the hottest part of the summer unless it can't be helped. If it must be done, be on hand to give it some TLC and to keep it well watered.
GIFT HYDRANGEAS
(The Foil Wrapped Hydrangeas)
(The Foil Wrapped Hydrangeas)
Hydrangeas that come wrapped in colorful foil are beautiful. Each year I purchase a few for the house. However, there are many pitfalls that come with these plants.
The biggest problem is trying to water them properly. Most hydrangeas are pot-bound when we get them. The roots have so filled the pot that the plant dries out and wilts much quicker than we expect. This causes us to water the hydrangea every time we pass it, filling the foil encasing the pot. This may lead to root rot. Root rot causes the hydrangea to wilt, which brings us around to thinking we haven't watered it enough, and so on, as the health of the hydrangea spirals down.
However, let's say we have done all the right things with the new "Gift" hydrangea. We have removed the foil, watered it regularly and placed it in plenty of light. When the blooms have faded and we have clipped them off, the hydrangea looks so healthy that we may be tempted to plant it outdoors. How well is it going to do?
"Gift" hydrangeas have been grown in a greenhouse and have been bred to produce an abundance of blooms under a frost free environment, with little interest in longevity. Therefore, you may or may not get a garden worthy plant. However, if you might like the idea of a challenge, it is worth a try if hydrangeas are hardy in your area. Many people have 25 year old plants that started out as greenhouse plants. But the results are much less predictable that if one purchases hydrangeas born and bred for the garden at a local nursery.
The biggest problem is trying to water them properly. Most hydrangeas are pot-bound when we get them. The roots have so filled the pot that the plant dries out and wilts much quicker than we expect. This causes us to water the hydrangea every time we pass it, filling the foil encasing the pot. This may lead to root rot. Root rot causes the hydrangea to wilt, which brings us around to thinking we haven't watered it enough, and so on, as the health of the hydrangea spirals down.
However, let's say we have done all the right things with the new "Gift" hydrangea. We have removed the foil, watered it regularly and placed it in plenty of light. When the blooms have faded and we have clipped them off, the hydrangea looks so healthy that we may be tempted to plant it outdoors. How well is it going to do?
"Gift" hydrangeas have been grown in a greenhouse and have been bred to produce an abundance of blooms under a frost free environment, with little interest in longevity. Therefore, you may or may not get a garden worthy plant. However, if you might like the idea of a challenge, it is worth a try if hydrangeas are hardy in your area. Many people have 25 year old plants that started out as greenhouse plants. But the results are much less predictable that if one purchases hydrangeas born and bred for the garden at a local nursery.
Most people know that "transplanting" means digging a plant up from one location and planting it in another.
Authorities agree that the BEST TIME to transplant hydrangeas is when they are dormant, i.e. after most of the leaves have fallen off the hydrangeas. When I lived in SC we transplanted hydrangeas in late November to late December, but if your ground isn't frozen, January and February are fine, too. If you are unsure when to transplant, ask a local nurseryman.
Authorities agree that the BEST TIME to transplant hydrangeas is when they are dormant, i.e. after most of the leaves have fallen off the hydrangeas. When I lived in SC we transplanted hydrangeas in late November to late December, but if your ground isn't frozen, January and February are fine, too. If you are unsure when to transplant, ask a local nurseryman.
TRANSPLANTING TIPS
- When digging hydrangea to transplant, dig up as much of the rootball as possible. It may be VERY heavy, so you might want to get some help with this.
- If you transplant while your hydrangeas are dormant (the best time), water them deeply one time. They may need no more water until spring brings warmer weather. If you live in a hot dry climate, regular watering during the summer will be very important for the first and second summer.
- The best way to water is deeply. It's better to water well and not water too often. Watering every day can be just as destructive as allowing them to dry out.
- If your soil does not drain well, do not allow it to remain soggy around the hydrangeas. This is especially true for Oakleaf hydrangeas which will rot in a heart-beat if they stand in soil that is wet.
FERTILIZING HYDRANGEAS
Hydrangeas grow best if they are fertilized regularly. Although some authorities recommend special fertilizer mixes to get the maximum results, hydrangeas do amazingly well with a more relaxed approach. One can use organic additions to the soil, such as manure and compost, or chemical fertilzers.
If fertilizers are used, I recommend applying a slow release, balanced fertilizer once or twice a year. Both applications should be in the summer. For the south, a May application and another in July would be about right. More northern areas may wish to fertilize only once in June. See below about how a gardener uses manure on hydrangeas.
The amount of fertilizer used per plant will vary with the size of the plant. It is much, much better to err on the side of too little fertilizer than too much. A very small plant will take about 1/4 cup. A very large shrub will take 1 - 2 cups spread around the drip line of the branches (not next to the trunk).
Never fertilize a plant that looks sick or wilted. If a plant is struggling due to a disease or root problems, the fertilizer will only add stress to it. Try to cure the illness before adding fertilizer.
Some pages on this site can only be reached through the FAQs.