Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Subscribe
YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

Three tricks for hydrangeas

Three tricks for hydrangeas

How to propagate hydrangeas

How to propagate hydrangeas

Simple trick to make your hydrangeas change colour

Simple trick to make your hydrangeas change colour

How to care for a Bird of Paradise Plant

How to care for a Bird of Paradise Plant

{headline}

{headline}

Everything you need to know about Japanese maples

Everything you need to know about Japanese maples

Before & after: An incredible patio transformation

Before & after: An incredible patio transformation

The top 10 indoor plant influencers in the world

The top 10 indoor plant influencers in the world

{headline}

{headline}

How do you fix yellow leaves on a lemon tree

How do you fix yellow leaves on a lemon tree

Space-saving vertical garden ideas for any budget

Space-saving vertical garden ideas for any budget

10 of the best low light indoor plants

10 of the best low light indoor plants

How to get rid of rats in your garden without poison or traps

How to get rid of rats in your garden without poison or traps

How to grow passionfruit

How to grow passionfruit

The ultimate guide to Australian native flowers

The ultimate guide to Australian native flowers

3 ways to make a compost bin for your backyard

3 ways to make a compost bin for your backyard

  1. Home
  2. Garden

How to grow and prune hydrangeas

Get bright and beautiful bunches of colour. - by Roger Fox
  • 12 Jan 2021
How to grow and prune hydrangeas

Beloved by gardeners far and wide, hydrangeas offer beautiful bouquets of clustered flowers.With their flamboyant flower-heads in cool blue, pink or white, hydrangeas are one of the signature blooms of the summertime garden.

Traditionally a shrub for shady garden beds or side paths, hydrangeas have spread their wings in recent years, with a bunch of new sun-loving varieties appearing on the scene. And they’ve scaled down a little in size too, so that now they make great container plants for decks and patios. So if you don’t have hydrangeas in your garden, you’re missing out on one of the best summer flower shows going around. Check out some of the beauties here and be inspired!

hydrangerea

Mophead hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla)

Getty

Meet the family

The best known varieties are the mophead hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla), which are deciduous shrubs growing to around 1-2 metres in height and bearing large rounded flower heads. Lacecap hydrangeas are a smaller group (belonging to the same species), which have more flattened flower heads, where the showy coloured petals form a ring around a cluster of tiny flowers in the centre.

Hydrangea paniculata, which is native to China and Japan, produces large panicles of flowers on a robust shrub, growing to around 4m in height and is more tolerant of sun. New forms include ‘Candlelight’ and Diamond Rouge’, both of which will grow in full sun or part shade.

The oak-leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is another lovely form, which is native to the USA. It features deeply-lobed leaves , which turn fabulous red shades in autumn, and produces creamy white, cone-shaped flowers in summer.

Hydrangea paniculata

Hydrangea paniculata

Getty

How to grow them

Position

Mophead varieties of hydrangea grow best in filtered shade, or else a combination of sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. They won’t thrive in heavy all-day shade, especially where there is no air movement around their leaves, as this tends to lead to problems like powdery mildew on the foliage. Hydrangea quercifolia and H. paniculata both tolerate more sun – just avoid positions which are blasted by hot westerly afternoon sun in summer.

Soil

Hydrangeas thrive in organically rich soil, so dig in additional compost and cow manure at planting. They also love moisture, so add some water-retaining crystals to the soil as you backfill. After planting, mulch the surface of the soil to a depth of about 3- 5cm.

Maintenance 

Feed hydrangeas in early spring, with a dose of controlled-release fertiliser or manure pellets. This will give them plenty of nutrients to draw on while forming the flowers. Top up the mulch layer in late spring or early summer, and once the plants are in bloom, feed them with occasional doses of a soluble fertiliser, using a flower and fruit formulation.

hydrangea

Hydrangea macrophylla

Getty

Grow your own

Hydrangeas are easy to grow from cuttings taken during the spring or summer months. Take tip cuttings about 10 – 15cm long, making the cut just below a pair of leaves. Remove this bottom pair of leaves, then cut the remaining leaves in half, to reduce water loss. Plant the cuttings into pots filled with propagating mix and place in a shady but bright spot. Don’t let the soil dry out, keeping it just damp but not waterlogged.

hydrangeas

Hydrangea quercifolia

Getty

Different shades

Hydrangea macrophylla varieties are well known for their habit of changing flower colour, according to the pH of the soil they’re growing in. Soils which are acidic (below pH 7) produce blue blooms and alkaline soils (above pH 7) produce pink.

If you’re desperate to change the colour of your plant, there are bluing or pinking tonics available for the purpose. However, the best advice is to just enjoy the flower colour your soil produces, rather than trying to radically alter its pH level – which might also have a negative effect on the other plants growing nearby.

Alternatively, consider the option of growing your hydrangea in a tub. That way, you’ll have total control of the soil conditions. The flowers of white hydrangeas are not affected by the pH of the soil.

hydrangeas
Getty

Sun-loving hydrangeas

For sunny areas of the garden, choose forms of Hydrangea paniculata which are more sun-tolerant. ‘Candlelight’ bears creamy white flowers which turn pink as they age; ‘Diamond Rouge’ produces white flowers in summer, which gradually morph through pink to rich red.

Long flowering hydrangeas

One of the newest hydrangeas to appear on the market is ‘Magical Revolution’, which produces classic mophead-style flowers with a unique quality - they last for up to 150 days! Opening in spring, the blooms go through a colour transformation from pastel blue or pink, through pinky-red shades and onto deep burgundy by autumn. They’re also compact growing plants, so are perfect for pots and small gardens too.

The Endless Summer range of hydrangeas also offer a long flowering season in the garden, since the plants flower on both old and new wood. The plants can be pruned back all over, and will bloom again in about 8 – 9 weeks.

The Endless Summer range of hydrangeas also offer a long flowering season in the garden, since the plants flower on both old and new wood. The plants can be pruned back all over, and will bloom again in about 8 – 9 weeks.

hydrangeas
Getty

Double hydrangeas

For hydrangea blooms with a twist, seek out some of the double-flowered forms. The You & Me Series, from PMA, features a range of gorgeous double-flowered cultivars, including ‘Desire’, ‘Forever’ and ‘Romance’.

hydrangeas
Getty

How to care for them

Hydrangeas can present a bit of a conundrum for gardeners when it comes to care and pruning because there's no single method that's right for all hydrangeas. For example, 'Limelight' hydrangea care may differ from 'Endless Summer' hydrangea care.

Planting hydrangeas

Hydrangeas can be planted at almost any time of year, except when the ground is frozen in winter. Plant your hydrangeas at the depth they're at in their pot. Be sure to look at the guidelines on the plant tag to be sure that you space the plants properly.

Some hydrangea varieties, like oakleaf hydrangea, get quite large, while others are bred to be dwarves. When it comes to hydrangea soil, be sure that you're planting your shrub in a pourous, moist soil.

hydrangeas

Hydrangea paniculata

Getty

Pruning

Many gardeners are hesitant to prune hydrangeas because they think it is counterproductive to get rid of the blooms, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Pruning your hydrangea blooms will only help your shrub's growth for next year.

When pruning a hydrangea, it's best to take off no more than one-third of the plant at any one time. Your objective also determines how you prune it. If you are just doing some shaping of plants that are too tall, you want to take the top growth down a little. If you need to do a severe pruning or rejuvenate the plant, you may want to take the branches all the way down to near the ground.

Pee Gee hydranea

Pee Gee hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata, which includes varieties such as 'Limelight') as well as smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens, also called seven bark and best known for the variety 'Annabelle') bloom on new wood. Timing for the pruning of these types of hydrangea is not as critical—you can prune in winter or early spring and they will grow and flower in the same season.

hydrangeas
Getty

Big Leaf hydrandea

Big leaf, or mophead, hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) and oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) both bloom on the previous season's growth. If you prune these at the wrong time of the year, they either won't flower or will flower sporadically. They should be pruned soon after flowering in summer, and never too severely—less than one-third of the plant at any one time.

Some newer varieties of big leaf hydrangea, including the popular 'Endless Summer', have been bred to bloom on new wood as well as old wood. This makes them better for cold climates because even if the old stems suffer cold damage, new growth will still bloom. This also provides more flexibility in pruning, since you can prune it at any time of the year and it should still bloom. Even so, pruning right after bloom will maximise flowering.

hydgrangeas

Watering

Along with pruning, properly watering your hydrangea is crucial—the prefix of the plant's name, hydra, even indicates so! Even a day or two without water can affect your hydrangeas, so be sure to water them often. If you notice that your hydrangea shrub is wilting, give it a good dose of water and it should perk back up.

hydrangeas
Getty

You may also like

Simple trick to make your hydrangeas change colour

How to propagate hydrangeas

How to get more hydrangea flowers

Three tricks for hydrangeas

  • Garden
  • Backyard Ideas
  • Front Garden Ideas

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Recommended to you

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

Three tricks for hydrangeas

Three tricks for hydrangeas

How to propagate hydrangeas

How to propagate hydrangeas

Simple trick to make your hydrangeas change colour

Simple trick to make your hydrangeas change colour

How to care for a Bird of Paradise Plant

How to care for a Bird of Paradise Plant

{headline}

{headline}

Everything you need to know about Japanese maples

Everything you need to know about Japanese maples

Before & after: An incredible patio transformation

Before & after: An incredible patio transformation

The top 10 indoor plant influencers in the world

The top 10 indoor plant influencers in the world

{headline}

{headline}

How do you fix yellow leaves on a lemon tree

How do you fix yellow leaves on a lemon tree

Space-saving vertical garden ideas for any budget

Space-saving vertical garden ideas for any budget

10 of the best low light indoor plants

10 of the best low light indoor plants

How to get rid of rats in your garden without poison or traps

How to get rid of rats in your garden without poison or traps

How to grow passionfruit

How to grow passionfruit

The ultimate guide to Australian native flowers

The ultimate guide to Australian native flowers

3 ways to make a compost bin for your backyard

3 ways to make a compost bin for your backyard

Bhg
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Bhg Magazine Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • All Recipes
  • BHG Shop
  • Girlfriend
  • Home Beautiful
  • New Idea
  • New Idea Food
  • Practical Parenting

Our Network

  • marie claire
  • Instyle
  • Beauty Crew
  • Who
  • Women's Weekly Food
  • Bounty Parents
  • That’s Life
  • Perth Now
  • The West Australian
  • 7Plus
  • Airtasker
  • 7NEWS
  • SocietyOne
  • Health Engine
  • Starts at 60
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Better Homes and Gardens

Magazine Subscription Offer

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Shop This Offer
Get your mag delivered!