Spring Meadow Nursery
Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs Expert
When planting a new hydrangea, they’ll do best in a location with well-draining soil, morning sun and afternoon shade. Dig a hole twice as large as the container your plant came in, loosen the rootball with your fingers and pop it in, backfilling with existing soil. Amending the soil when you plant is not necessarily helpful. In fact, it can create a thing we call “the bathtub effect,” where the hole you dug is filled with amendments such as compost and peat that are lighter than your existing soil, causing water to pool around the roots, like a bathtub. Hydrangeas don’t like to sit in soggy wet soil. To prevent this, simply mix the existing planting material and nutrients that are in the container with your native soil.
Water thoroughly, and apply a layer of organic mulch to the entire apron of the plant to help keep moisture in, and roots cool.
To maintain your hydrangeas, you’ll want to give them two-to-three inches of water using a drip line or low sprinkler under the plants two-to-three times a week. This encourages deeper, stronger root growth. Resist the urge to water a little bit every day, even if your blooms droop in the midday sun. They will recover when it cools off in the evening. Hydrangeas have a shallow root system, and the roots will go where the water is, whether near the surface of the soil or deeper within it.
You may need to add a day of watering during especially hot or dry spells.
You can fertilize your hydrangeas once or twice in the spring with a balanced fertilizer formulated for roses or flowering shrubs. Follow the instructions on your package. Fertilizing too much can give you a lot of nice new green leaves, but not many flowers. Never fertilize after July. This pushes new growth that may not have time to harden off before winter.
Pruning is another long topic. Each species of hydrangea has different pruning needs. Overall, I’d say to prune selectively, removing dead or weak wood and spent flowers in early spring. If in doubt, don’t prune at all. Hydrangeas do not necessarily have to be pruned to flourish.
