Your hydrangea care guide is here
Everything you need to know to identify, prune and care for your hydrangeas.
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Good morning, sleepyheads!
I know we lost an hour of sleep last night as we sprung ahead, but weโll be gaining an hour of sunlight, which is more than fine with me.
I realize not everyone shares my DST glee, however: My husband, John, loathes the lost hour -- and mourns it until his beloved Standard Time returns in autumn. What about you?
Do you like Daylight Saving Time? ๐ ๐
How to care for every type of hydrangea
Lacecap Hydrangea macrophyllas spilling over my fence into my driveway last summer. (Photo by Jessica Damiano)
Although hydrangeas are deservedly beloved, they can be downright confusing. Not to worry. Today, youโre going to identify which type you have โ once and for all โ and learn exactly what it needs to ensure the blooms keep coming.
If you don't have any hydrangeas, you can certainly plant them in spring. Whenever planting any plants, it's ideal to shoot for early morning or late afternoon, when the sun isn't at its strongest. Too much sun can stress these guys out (Wilting! Decline!) so opt for spots with northern or southern exposures, if possible, or areas that provide full morning sun with some shade in the afternoon.
Water deeply three times per week, adjusting for rain, until fully established. Watch them afterward and gauge their need, which will be roughly once a week, aside from during hot, dry spells or weeks with heavy rainfall.
Once-a-year fertilizer applications are sufficient (use a balanced 10-10-10 product, according to package instructions) or simply incorporate generous amounts of compost or well-rotted manure around plants at the start of each season, taking care not to disturb roots.
Hydrangea macrophylla
Also called โbig leaf",โ both types of macrophyllas โ large-leaved shrubs that produce lacecap and mophead flowers โ can bloom in blue or pink, depending on the soilโs chemistry (pH levels below 5.5 result in blue flowers; readings above 6.5 yield pink). Thatโs why you might bring home a pink hydrangea from the garden center only to find it starts turning blue a few weeks later.
But itโs pretty easy to turn flowers from blue to pink by adding some lime to the soil to raise its pH level. Turning pink flowers blue is more difficult and, in my opinion, not worth the effort. Youโll need to incorporate coffee grounds, minced citrus peels or aluminum sulfate into the soil. It takes a long time, though, and applications need to be repeated continuously to keep the pH low.
The exceptions here are fixed-color varieties like the โLanarth whiteโ lacecap and โBlushing brideโ mophead, both white, and โLetโs Dance Rhythmic blueโ and โNikko blue.โ
Pruning isn't necessary as a matter of maintenance, but when plants grow too large or become misshapen, you can cut them back.
Timing is critical becauseย these plants produce flower buds during summerย for the next season. Removing them in autumn or the next spring would result in diminished or nonexistent blooming, although it wonโt harm the plant.
Instead, prune in late summer, as soon as the flowers fade, but never after September.
When you do prune, remove weaker stems from the base of the plant, being careful to retain several stems of old wood, which will produce buds for next year's flowers.
Hydrangea arborescens โGrandifloraโ
Also called 'smooth hydrangeas,' these shrubs are characterized by their dark-green, heart-shaped leaves and flowers that start green and mature to creamy white (some varieties may become pink- or blue-tinged as they age.)
They require more water than some other types, so be sure to keep the soil moist โ but never soggy. As with the others, well-draining soil is best.
โInvincibelleโ lacecap is pictured above; โAnnabelleโ is a popular mophead variety with large white blooms.
To prune, cut them to the ground in late winter or early spring as a matter of routine.
If they survived the winter nicely, however, and you'd like it to grow larger, you can do a light selective pruning instead, cutting branches at varying heights.
Hydrangea paniculata โGrandifloraโ (Peegee hydrangea)
So-called โpanicle hydrangeasโ are named for the shape of their blooms. Available in shades from greenish-cream (try โLimelightโ or โLittle limeโ) and light-to-dark-pink (like โPinky winkieโ or the โZinfin dollโ above) to deep red (โFirelightโ), these require regular watering and well-drained soil, along with some protection from the strong afternoon sun.
If using as hedges, as these often are, be sure to plant the shrubs 15 feet apart to account for their mature size. You might even see these at the garden center with their lower branches removed, pruned into tree form.
To prune, simply remove spent flowers and, if desired, thin or cut back stems by one-third in early spring, just as new growth appears.
Hydrangea quercifolia (Oak-leaf hydrangea)
Youโll know this species by its lobed, oak-tree-like leaves, and just like the mighty oak, these hydrangeas are native to the U.S., albeit the southeast, and they bloom in spring and early summer. The show continues through fall, however, as the dry flowers hang on and foliage shines bright in red and orange.
As for the flowers, they are panicle-shaped, starting out white and maturing to pink and eventually brown.
Plant them in full to part sun.
To prune, remove dead wood at the base of the plant in early spring.
Hydrangea anomala petiolaris (climbing hydrangea)
These slow-growing vines climb walls, trees and fences and sport showy, 5-inch blooms in late spring and summer, but they can also be planted without support and used as a ground cover (they are toxic to dogs and cats, so keep that in mind if you have pets and are considering this planting method, as they will pose more of a risk than those trained to grow off the ground).
Also requiring consistently moist soil, climbing hydrangea can handle the most shade of any variety.
To prune, shorten unruly vines during summer. More extensive pruning is seldom necessary.
๐ Sunday shoutout
โI saw your photo of your heart-shaped rhodie. Here is one of ours,โ writes Mike Delehanty, who previously shared a photo of his winter-blooming witch hazel.
The unusual rhododendron is a 'Blue Peter', which is a sun-tolerant variety with frilly lilac-colored flowers and maroon eyes. โIt was 3 inches tall in 1970,โ he said. โMy wifeโs first father-in-law owned greenhouses [and] grew football mums, among other things, and propagated many bushes and plants.โ
It wonโt be long before you get to see this beauty again, Mike! All our gardens will be popping shortly โ Iโve already got a bunch of shoots poking up. Anyone else?
Send in your photos, and you might be featured next! Be sure to include your full name and the names of anyone depicted, your hometown, details about your plant or garden, the name of the person who took the photo, and a sentence granting permission for its use in this newsletter and archives.
๐ฌ Ask Jessica
DEAR JESSICA: I have two hibiscus plants that I bring indoors for the winter; I tend to them and they produce healthy flowers. At the beginning of March, I prune them way back and wait until mid-June at the earliest to bring them back outside. Does this sound right to you? โJoe Fasano, Long Island, NY
DEAR JOE: Yes, hibiscus are tropical plants so, of course, they cannot withstand winter outdoors on Long Island -- or anywhere else where temperatures drop to below 50 degrees.
Instead of cutting it back in March, however, I'd recommend trimming new growth back by about one-fourth before bringing it indoors in late summer. You'll find it's less messy that way because fewer leaves will fall as the plant acclimates to the indoor climate.
Place it by your sunniest window, but away from drafts, radiators and heating vents, and water when the soil begins to dry out, roughly once every week to 10 days.
Early June is good timing to bring it outdoors, but you should harden it off to protect against shock: Set it outdoors in a shady spot for one hour and bring it back in. On the second day, put it out for two hours; on the third day, three hours. And so on for a week, after which time you can place it in its permanent sunny summer home.
๐ก If you do one thing this weekโฆ
Plant peas! I like to tie garden chores to holidays whenever I can to make them easier to remember. And St. Patrickโs Day is for planting peas!
It's best to soak them in warm water overnight before sowing, then plant them an inch deep and 1.5 inches apart in the garden, spacing rows about 18 inches apart.
For more daily tips โ 365 of them! โ grab one of my last remaining calendars before theyโre goneโฆ
Just a few left and available autographed for a limited timeโฆ
๐ง Send me your feedback!
I welcome your comments and suggestions, so please send them along โ as well as any topics youโd like to see covered and questions youโd like answered in the Ask Jessica section.