1. Be cool about it.
The first step in growing healthy Hydrangeas is to make sure you’re planting at the right time of year. There are two ideal seasons to plant shrubs like Hydrangeas: spring and fall.
Why? Both spring and fall have cooler temperatures, which alleviates stress on your shrub when it is newly planted. If you plant a Hydrangea in the summer, the long days and high temperatures can prevent it from establishing a strong root system, and it will require an incredible amount of water to survive.
Another benefit to planting in spring and fall is that, while the temperature above ground is cooler, the soil temperature remains warm enough that the roots are protected. Just make sure you plant after the ground thaws in spring or before it freezes in fall.
2. Get the lighting right.
Plant tags give you important clues into the ideal environment for your Hydrangea variety. However, sometimes they can be vague. In general, Hydrangeas need at least 6 hours of sunlight each day, but the timing of this light exposure can have a big impact on your plant’s health.
Some Hydrangeas prefer morning sun and afternoon shade. This shady break helps keep them from wilting during the day, especially in warmer climates. Before deciding where to plant a Hydranega, watch the movement of the sun in your yard or garden and identify an area that provides sunlight early and a bit of shade cover in the afternoon.
3. Keep your balance.
Pink or blue? It’s a question you should ask yourself if planting certain varieties of Hydrangeas. Hydrangea macrophylla, or Bigleaf Hydrangea, can change bloom color depending on your soil’s pH level. Acidic soil promotes blue blooms and alkaline soil promotes pink blooms. Can’t remember which is which? Alkaline and pink both have the letter K!
Growing a Panicle Hydrangea like Sweet Starlight™? This type of Hydrangea is not affected by soil pH but will naturally transition through a beautiful blend of white, pink, and bronze blooms.
4. Know when to cut it out.
Knowing how to correctly prune your Hydrangea is one of the most important things to master. Hydrangeas either bloom on old wood or new wood and knowing which type you have is key.
Hydrangeas that bloom on old wood, such as Bigleaf and Oakleaf types, produce buds on the stems from the previous season. You’ll want to wait until after the last flush of blooms in late summer to prune. Focus on damaged, brittle, or diseased branches. If you prune this type of Hydrangea in the winter or spring, you’ll remove the buds and may miss out on some of the early blooms.
If you are growing a variety that blooms on new wood, like Panicle Hydrangeas, buds will appear on the freshly developing stems in the spring season. You should prune these types in the late winter/early spring. This allows you to see where the buds are growing once the plant begins waking up from winter dormancy, and you’ll avoid accidentally cutting off stems in the wrong spot.
5. Try something new.
There are a ton of Hydrangea varieties available to purchase, and more are being introduced every year. This is good news for gardeners, as developments in breeding give access to plants with improved disease resistance, better habits, and longer blooming. If you’ve been loyal to a particular Hydrangea for a while, especially if it is an older variety, consider trying a newer plant with modern breeding. These days, you can find Hydrangeas that don’t flop, bloom earlier, stay compact in the landscape, and so much more.
