Hydrangeas: care and how to prune the hydrangea

The gender Hydrangea includes ornamental plants, commonly known as hydrangeas, native to southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. Most are shrubs between one and three meters in height.

General hydrangea care

The common hydrangea and the mountain hydrangea in particular are very sensitive to a place that is too sunny and to excessive watering. Panicle hydrangeas are a bit more robust and easy to care for.

Location: Proper placement is an important factor in a long and satisfying hydrangea life. These beautiful plants should be in a shady or semi-shady location. This is important, otherwise the soil will dry out too quickly, when the hydrangea prefers it moist (but not waterlogged). In addition to the lighting conditions, care must also be taken to choose a place that is as sheltered as possible from the wind for all species.Irrigation:

The water consumption of hydrangeas is quite high, since the enormous number of leaves causes part of the moisture to evaporate through them. In summer you should water them every day, even twice if it is in a pot. The irrigation interval is reduced in autumn and even more so in winter. Make sure the soil doesn’t dry out completely.

In this video we explain how to know if a plant needs to be watered.

Land type: A clayey soil rich in humus that stores a lot of moisture is recommended as a substrate. However, it must be quite loose and permeable to avoid waterlogging.Pass: It is best to use a compost or horn shavings. The right time to fertilize hydrangeas is spring, just before the flowers form.

Hydrangea growth and size

Different types of hydrangeas grow at different heights. common hydrangea It reaches a height of 100 to 150 centimeters. Panicle hydrangeas, on the other hand, can grow up to 3 meters tall.

some species of climbing hydrangeas They can grow up to several meters in height, as they can stick to walls and trees with their sticky roots and can therefore reach extremely high.

The growth width of hydrangea species is between 80 and 150 centimeters. You should pay attention to this when planting young hydrangeas so that they do not get in the way of each other. The growth per year is between 10 and 50 centimeters, also depending on the variety.

How are hydrangeas pruned?

Not all hydrangea varieties are cut the same. The plants are divided into types that are only lightly pruned and those that should be pruned in the fall.

Hydrangeas that should be pruned little:

Common hydrangeaBall hydrangea (hydrangea arborescens)Oakleaf HydrangeaClimbing HydrangeaRough-leaved HydrangeaMountain Hydrangea

These species they must be pruned in spring when the frosts end and form their new cocoons in autumn. In spring, therefore, only cut the tips of the frozen shoots and the old inflorescences above the first pair of shoots.

Hydrangeas to prune in fall:

Hydrangea paniculataSnowball hydrangea

Cut both types of hydrangeas in summer, in late fall, all old shoots can be cut close to the ground above a pair of eyes. These two species produce strong new shoots with large flowers in the flowering year.

To do this, place your hand directly on the base of the blade and carefully break it by bending to the side. A new flower will form at this point after 5 to 6 weeks.

How to make hydrangea flowers blue

Most hydrangeas begin to bloom in June and brighten up gardens and terraces with their white, blue, pink or purple flowers, depending in part on the pH of the soil, until well into autumn.

Pink hydrangeas can be turned blue with special fertilization. For this, the plant needs an acid soil with a pH of 4 to 4.5, which can be achieved using a fertilizer rich in potassium and coffee grounds.

On the other hand, in alkaline soils, with a pH between 6 and 6.5, the flowers acquire a pink color; and in alkaline soils with a pH around 8, the flowers grow white.

hydrangeas in winter

This perennial plant resists well the low temperatures below zero. However, you should cover the root collar 10 to 20 cm high with bark mulch, compost or garden soil.

You can wrap the plant in a breathable fabric, such as a winter fleece. It is important that you do not use any airtight material, if the plant is already too large to be wrapped separately, avoid pruning it in autumn so that the sensitive shoots are not exposed to direct frost after pruning.

Hydrangeas as pot plants overwinter best in the basement, garage or garden shed. Protection against frost and darkness make the plant reduce the metabolic cycle to a minimum. This in turn favors the formation of buds in spring. There is also no pruning, since the shoots do not usually die. The only problem is that the temperature should not go above 5 degrees or below 3 degrees and should remain relatively constant.

If you don’t have a basement or the ability to move the potted plant, then some preparation for the cold season is necessary. Wrap the pot with a coconut or jute mat. Do not use Styrofoam, as these airtight materials are not suitable.

In addition, the pot must moved next to a wall of the house and/or placed on an insulating board to prevent frost from the ground from coming into contact with the pot. In this case, the soil in the pot should also be covered with mulch or similar and the plant packed.

Are hydrangeas poisonous?

hydrangeas They are classified as slightly toxic. If large amounts of leaves are consumed, it can cause poisoning. The symptoms are dizziness, shortness of breath, cramps and circulatory problems.

The plant is also considered poisonous to animals. However, to cause any real problems, dogs, cats and the like would have to ingest a large amount.

How do hydrangeas reproduce?

Hydrangea propagation is very easy, suitable even for amateur gardeners without much skill. You can propagate hydrangea by cuttings or by dividing the mother plant. Propagation from seed is virtually impossible for hobby gardeners.

If you have a large hydrangea bush, you can divide the root. However, is not suitable for all varieties of hydrangeas: snowball is suitable for division propagation, but panicle hydrangea is not.

If you want to divide hydrangea, you should dig up the healthy and vigorous mother plant in spring or fall, carefully divide the root ball and replant the two “new” plants.

But the easiest way to propagate hydrangeas is to use so-called top cuttings.

How do you take a hydrangea cutting?

When propagated through cuttings, the new plants inherit the growth characteristics of the parent plant. Therefore, it is essential to choose a plant with good flowers.

In June or July, cut back the green shoots below the third pair of leaves. The shoots should be about 8 cm long and without flower buds.Remove both the lower pair of leaves and the upper pair of leaves along with the tip of the shoot with a sharp knife. What remains is the middle pair of leaves.Halve the remaining two sheets cutting the tip of the leaf with sharp scissors. If the leaves are divided, evaporation is reduced, cutting saves energy and forms roots faster.Place the cutting about 4 cm deep in a pot with “potting soil”.Put the cutting in a mini greenhouse in a warm, but not sunny place, for the first two to three weeks, or cover the pot with a clear plastic bag. Since the cuttings do not yet have roots to absorb water, it is important that there is plenty of moisture.It is important to ventilate briefly once a day so mold doesn’t grow on the floor.After three weeks, you can remove the cover for hours to slowly acclimatize the hydrangea to life outdoors.When the little hydrangeas have formed the first pair of new leaves, the cuttings will be ready to move into larger pots.

Tips for the reproduction of hydrangeas

Dip bottom end of shoot in rooting powder (available at garden centers) gives the sprout the best chance to develop new roots.The so-called “potting soil” is very suitable for propagating cuttings.