PLANTING
Planting Your Hydrangea
- Planting your hydrangeas in early spring or in the fall is ideal.
- If you plant them in the summer, they need a lot more water in the beginning to establish the root system.
- When you are planting a hydrangea, remember that the blooms and stems must be protected from strong winds and the hot afternoon sun.
Avoid planting in open areas: strong winds could break stems with flowers on them.
Avoid trees: Don’t plant hydrangeas directly under trees. They don’t like competing for moisture and nutrients. Aggressive tree roots will crowd them.
- Choose a good garden soil, moist and high in organic matter, to give your hydrangea a strong start. Make sure your plant has good drainage. If the soil is too wet, the roots might rot, and the plant will die.
- The location should be sunny or partly shaded (planting on the eastern side of a building ensures that, in the afternoon, when the sun is at its hottest, your plants are in the shade).
- If the pH of your soil is too high (alkaline), it can be reduced (made more acidic) by the addition of one tablespoon or more of Aluminum Sulfate per plant – this will make your flowers a deeper blue. Coffee grounds and tea bags can be used as a mulch around hydrangeas. It changes the pH of the soil and makes the pink ones turn to blue.
To know more about changing hydrangeas color, check the boxes below!