My Hydrangeas - Some Tips and Tricks

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

My hydrangeas last summer.
P.S. I added another one right at the corner of the house. It's still a baby.

 
Since I have ummmm, ten hydrangeas in my front yard alone, I guess it's safe to say that I kind of like them. ;)

I planted the hydrangeas when we first moved in because the previous owners' landscaping just wasn't cutting it for me. An off-centre cedar and some scraggly vines? Umm, no thanks. I was actually inspired to create a hedge of hydrangeas along the front of the house from a Country Living photo that I saw in a book or magazine. Even though I haven't been able to find the picture since, I can still picture that pretty grey house with it's long row of hydrangeas as clear as day. 


While I'm no professional gardener by any means, I thought I would share some tips and tricks that have helped keep my hydrangeas healthy and full of giant, white blooms. (Seriously, one of my neighbours admitted that she almost snuck into our yard one night to clip some flowers for her dining table. Of course we installed an alarm system after that, hahaha.)

Keep in mind that where you plant your hydrangeas and how you care for them will vary depending on where you live, where you plant them, and the variety that you have. My hydrangeas are the 'Annabelle' or hydrangea arborescens variety and they receive dappled shade in the afternoon / evening in Hardiness Zone 3b.

Caring for my hydrangeas started even before they were planted. I removed about a foot of poor quality soil and clay before adding in a combination of peat moss, manure, and garden soil. I also added bone meal to the soil that I used to fill in around the bottom and sides of each plant.

Hydrangeas require a lot of water. Because most of my hydrangeas are in dappled shade and only receive a small amount of afternoon / evening sun I don't have to worry about them drying out too often. Hydrangea leaves will get all withered and droopy when they have been without water for too long. When I do water them I try to do make sure it is in the early morning or early evening (although I've read that morning is always better). I also make sure to water each one deeply rather than just spraying the leaves or lightly watering the soil surface.  

In early spring I do a general clean-up and pruning of each hydrangea shrub. I start by trimming off the dead blooms with snips. Next I pull out any dead wood and leaves from the centre of each plant. Once the shrubs are cleaned up a bit I go ahead with some gentle pruning. (Gah! The word pruning is weird.) Most years I bring out one of Alex's measuring tapes and prune back each stem to a specific length. For example in 2011 I cut them all to about 20" long. (I didn't have time to be that particular this year so I just randomly trimmed them all until I got a nice rounded shape to each one.)  When trimming the stems, I make sure to snip above the first or second set of buds. I try not to cut off more than that.  



For me, gentle pruning has two advantages. By keeping some of the old wood, it helps the stems get nice and thick over the years so that the plant becomes nice and solid. Thick stems are important to help hold up those giant flowers when it rains. I've also read that gentle pruning in early spring generates more blooms. And this girl looooooves hydrangea blooms.

Every once in awhile I will use some Miracle Grow fertilizer when I water but I don't do this very often for no other reason than I am forgetful.

Because my gardens are under the roofline, sometimes the soil around the plants gets washed away over time. Every spring I make sure to add some nice, dark topsoil to cover up any exposed roots.

Here's how my hydrangeas looked a few days ago, Not quite as meticulous as in 2011 but I suppose a kid and a second dog will do that to ya. ;)



So, that's that. I've had really good luck with my hydrangeas so far. Well, except when the freakiest hailstorm ever crushed them all to bits last fall. I cried. For real, I cried. My fingers are crossed that they will bounce back this spring and summer!

If you have any other good tips or if I've left something out, make sure to leave me a note in the comments section.

:)

20 comments:

  1. In what area of the country do you live? Trying to figure out what "early spring" translates to where I am.

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    1. I'm in Northern Ontario. Early spring for me is when the ice and snow finally melts, usually in April!

      :)

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  2. thanks so much for this post! mine are not as far along as your's (we're zone 2b, ug), but i'm hoping that they'll turn out well! your post is detailed and super helpful, thanks again, i'll be bookmarking it!

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    1. Thanks Wilma, and GOOD LUCK with your hydrangeas. :)

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  3. Kelly, I deleted your comment by accident with my fat finger when I tried to hit publish on my iPhone. Haha.

    Yes, the snow is finally gone here but it's still a bit cold and rainy. That snow in MAY was such a bummer. I'm hoping that I'll get to plant some flowers this coming weekend. Fingers crossed!!!

    :)

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    1. AnonymousMay 15, 2013

      No worries! Good luck with the planting on the weekend! We, too are still getting frost at night in the Niagara area so I might hold off my planting a week or so. I bought 4 huge ferns to put on my porch but it is too cold so they are scattered throughout my house. It looks like a greenhouse in here lol!
      Kelly

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  4. Your hydrangeas are really lovely! I recently bought my first one and its currently in a pot - did you put your new one straight in the ground? Now I've seen yours, I'm thinking one just isn't enough!! x

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    1. Thank you!!!

      The smaller hydrangea on the corner was added a year or so ago. I loosened up the roots and planted it in the ground right away with some bone meal. Hope that answers your question!

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  5. Your hydrangeas are lovely!

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  6. We just bought a few more hydrangea plants ~ you mentioned some great tips ~ thanks a million!!

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  7. Hydrangeas are one of my favourites (right up there with lilac bushes). Yours always look so lush and gorgeous - straight out of a magazine. Can't wait until we have our own house and can put in perennials like this. Thanks for all the awesome tips!

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    1. I love lilacs too! They smell sooooo good!

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  8. Hi There!! Do you have a ring support around each plant? It looks like it in the photo. I support my peonies but haven't tried it with the Hydrangeas.

    Also, I was taught that some hydrangeas set their buds on last years stems so if you trim in spring you will lose the flowers. That was my Nikko Blue--if it was a very cold winter, the buds would freeze and the flower show would be poor. I have since replaced it with an Endless Summer which blooms on new wood, so I can keep it neat.

    Your flowers are white. Some hydrangea are able to change their color from blue to pink depending upon the soil ph. I have to acidfy my soil with aluminum sulfate to keep it blue (so it coordinates with my dark blue shutters-blue flowers are not as common so it is fun to tie the color in with my accent house color).

    Thanks for your excellent tips. My garden has definitely been learn as you go. Love what you have done with your house.

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    1. Thanks so much. I haven't tried changing the soil pH at all. Sounds fun though.

      Yes, I have small ring supports around the five front hydrangeas because they get a lot of water on them from the roof when it rains. The three at the side have done well so far without supports!

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  9. Those flowers are looking so amazing.. I love gardening and I think this is a great choice.

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  10. thanks for the tips. We have several as well though 2 different varieties. One blooms nicely and is a beautiful blue, the other does not. Can't imagine what we are doing wrong. Will try your tips.
    Thanks!
    Linda
    mysewwhatblog

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    Replies
    1. Good luck and I hope yours blooms this year!

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