Growing Hydrangeas

How to Plant, Grow, and Prune Hydrangeas

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With immense flower heads, hydrangeas flaunt an old-fashioned charm in summertime that’s hard to resist. While these flowering shrubs are low-maintenance, proper care will keep them blooming. Our Hydrangea Guide provides summer plant care tips for all you need to know about growing hydrangeas—from watering to fertilizing to pruning to winter care.

About Hydrangeas

Unrivaled in the shrub world for beautiful flowers, these elegant plants are easy to cultivate, tolerate almost any soil, and produce abundant blooms. Colors beguile with clear blue, vibrant pink, frosty white, lavender, and rose blossoms—sometimes all blooming on the same plant!

Hydrangeas are excellent for a range of garden sites from group plantings to shrub borders to containers. Varieties abound (every year, it seems, breeders present us with more options!), and gardeners’ expectations of bloom size and color are boundless. To know how your hydrangea will grow, pay attention to the types, defined below. When you know what to expect, delights will be magnified.

Enjoy this ode to the beautiful of hydrangeas and learn how to grow hydrangeas in our guide below.

Planting

When to Plant Hydrangeas

Plant in spring after the last spring frost or in fall before the first fall frost. See local frost dates.
Plant before the heat of summer arrives.

Where to Plant Hydrangeas

Most hydrangeas will thrive in fertile, well-draining soils that receive plenty of moisture. Add compost to enrich poor soil.
Generally, hydrangeas prefer partial sun. Ideally, they will be given full sun in the morning, with some afternoon shade to protect from the hot midday sun. This is especially true for the Bigleaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla), which is prone to wilting. Some varieties are more tolerant of full sun.
Space hydrangeas anywhere from 3 to 10 feet apart, depending on type.

How to Plant Hydrangeas

Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and 2 to 3 times as wide.
Set the plant in the hole and fill it half full with soil. Water. After water is absorbed, fill the rest of the hole with soil.
Water thoroughly again.

Pink hydrangea flowers

How to Grow Hydrangeas from Cuttings

Hydrangeas can easily be grown from cuttings. They root readily and the process makes for a great lesson in propagation. Here’s how to do it:

On a well-established hydrangea, find a branch that is new growth and that has not flowered. New growth will appear lighter in color than old growth, and the stem will not be as rigid.
From the tip of the branch, move 4 to 5 inches down and make a horizontal cut. Make sure that there are at least 3 to 4 pairs of leaves on your cutting.
Remove the lowest pair of leaves from the cutting, trimming them flush to the stem. Roots grow more easily from these leaf nodes, so if you can afford to remove more than one pair of leaves, do so. Be sure to keep at least 2 pairs of leaves at the tip end of the cutting, though.
If the remaining leaves are quite large, cut them in half, removing the tip-half. This prevents the leaves from hitting the sides of the plastic bag you will place over the cutting later on (to keep the humidity up).
(Optional) Dust the leafless part of the stem with rooting hormone and an anti-fungal powder for plants (both available at a local hardware or garden store). This will encourage rooting and discourage rotting.
Prepare a small pot and fill it with moistened potting mix. Plant the cutting in the soil, sinking it down to the first pair of remaining leaves. Water lightly to get rid of any air gaps around the stem.
Cover the entire pot loosely with a plastic bag. Make sure the bag isn’t touching the leaves of the cutting, otherwise the leaves can rot. (Chopsticks or something similar can be used to prop up the bag and keep it off the leaves.)
Place the pot in a warm area that’s sheltered from direct sunlight and wind.
Check on your cutting every few days to make sure that it isn’t rotting and only water again once the top layer of soil is dry. With luck, the cutting should root in a few weeks! (Check by gently pulling on the cutting; if you feel resistance, roots have formed.)

Care

Hydrangea Care

Watering

For the first year or two after planting and during any drought, be sure hydrangeas get plenty of water.
Water at a rate of 1 inch per week throughout the growing season. It’s better to deeply water 3 times a week than sprinkle water in a shallow manner. This encourages root growth.
Bigleaf and smooth hydrangeas require more water, but all varieties benefit from consistent moisture.
Leaves will wilt if the soil is too dry, and flowering will be hampered by a lack of water.
Use a soaker hose to water deeply and keep moisture off the flowers and leaves.
It’s best to water in the morning to prepare hydrangeas for the the heat of the day and to avoid disease.
Add organic mulch underneath your hydrangeas to help keep the soil moist and cool, add nutrients over time, and improve soil texture.

Fertilizing

If your soil is rich, you may not need to fertilize hydrangeas. Too much fertilizer encourages leafy growth at the expense of blooms. The best way to determine your fertility needs is by using a soil test.

Apply fertilizer based on your specific hydrangeas. Each variety has different needs and will benefit from different application timing.

Bigleaf hydrangeas can benefit from several light fertilizer applications in March, May and June.
Oakleaf and panicle hydrangeas do best with two applications in April and June.
Smooth hydrangea plants only need fertilization once, in late winter.

Winter protection

In the fall, cover plants to a depth of at least 18 inches with bark mulch, leaves, pine needles, or straw in the fall. If at all possible, cover the entire plant, tip included, by making cages out of snow fencing or chicken wire, and loosely filling the cages with leaves. (Do not use maple leaves, as they tend to mat when wet and can suffocate the plant.)

How to Change the Color of Hydrangea Flowers

It is possible to change the flowers’ colors, but not instantly. Color correction takes weeks—even months. Wait until the plant is at least 2 years old to give it time to recover from the shock of its original planting. Also note that it’s easier to change blue flowers to pink than pink to blue.

It’s not every hydrangea that changes color. The color of some Bigleaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla)—especially Mophead and Lacecap types—and H. serrata cultivars change color based on the soil pH.

Acidic soils with a pH of less than 5.5 produce blue flowers; soils with a pH greater than 5.5 produce pink flowers. White flowers are not affected by pH.

See How to Change the Color of Hydrangea Flowers for more information.

Hydrangea colors

How to Prune a Hydrangea

Many of our readers’ questions involve pruning hydrangeas. And no wonder—it’s confusing, and all depends on the variety of hydrangea. Luckily, as long as you know which type you’ve got, it’s easy to figure out what sort of pruning technique to employ.

Learn the essentials below, then read more about how to prune hydrangea varieties here.

Hydrangea Type	When to Prune	Where Flowers Appear
Bigleaf (H. macrophylla)	Summer, after flowering	On old growth
Oakleaf (H. quercifolia)	Summer, after flowering	On old growth
Panicle (H. paniculata)	Late winter, before spring growth	On new growth
Smooth (H. arborescens)	Late winter, before spring growth	On new growth
Mountain (H. serrata)	Summer, after flowering	On old growth
Climbing (H. anomala subsp. petiolaris)	Summer, after flowering	On old growth

Pruning Common Hydrangeas

The most common garden hydrangea shrub is the Bigleaf variety, Hydrangea macrophylla. (See more below.)

Bigleaf (H. macrophylla), Oakleaf (H. quercifolia), Mountain (H. serrata), and Climbing hydrangeas (H. anomala subsp. petiolaris) are pruned AFTER the flowers fade in the summer. These varieties bloom on the previous season’s stems (“old wood”).

Flower buds actually form in the late summer and flower afterwards the following season, so avoid pruning after August 1.
Only cut away dead wood in the fall or very early spring.
To prune, cut one or two of the oldest stems down to the base to encourage branching and fullness.
If the plant is old, neglected, or damaged, prune all the stems down to the base. You’ll lose the flowers for the upcoming season, but also rejuvenate the plant for future years.
It’s best not to deadhead (remove faded blooms) on the big Mopheads; leave them over the winter and cut them back in early spring (to the first healthy pair of buds). It’s fine to deadhead the Lacecaps; cut down to the second pair of leaves below the flower head.
When growing H. macrophylla (and H. serrata) varieties in Zones 4 and 5, do not prune unless absolutely necessary, and then do so immediately after blooming. Otherwise, remove only dead stem in the spring.

Other Hydrangeas

Panicle (H. paniculata) and Smooth (H. arborescens) hydrangeas are pruned BEFORE flower buds are formed. These varieties bloom on the current season’s stems (“new wood”).

Prune in the late winter when the plant is dormant. This means that if the buds are killed during the winter, the plant will produce new buds in the spring which will produce blooms.
In general, prune only dead branches, and do not prune to “shape” the bush.

Read more about how to prune hydrangea types.

Pests/Diseases

Protect against pests and disease by choosing resistant cultivars.

Powdery mildew, leaf spot, wilt, and bight can all appear on hydrangeas.
Pests are rare, but can appear when plants become stressed. Common pests include aphids and red spider mites.

Properly caring for hydrangeas is your best defense. (See above tips on watering and hydrangea care.)

Harvest/Storage

How to Cut and Store Dried Hydrangea Flowers

Use dried hydrangea flowers to create a wreath or other decorations around the house:

Cut the flower heads when the flowers have matured and developed a papery consistency.
Remove leaves from stems, and hang upside down in a warm, dry, dark, airy room.
When completely dry (usually a couple of weeks), store in a dry location out of direct sunlight.
To enhance flower color, spritz dry flowers with diluted fabric dye.

Bigleaf Hydrangea (mophead)

How to Use Hydrangeas in a Bouquet

Place the freshly cut hydrangea stems immediately into cold water to avoid wilting.
Recut the woody stems at a slant under water. Remove lower leaves on the stems.
Arrange the stems in a vase and place in a cool spot.
Check the water in the vase daily and mist the blooms with water.
Soak wilting blooms in cool water for 10 to 15 minutes to revive them.

Recommended Varieties

For a more detailed overview of the many types of hydrangeas, check out Hydrangea Varieties for Every Garden.

There are two main groups of hydrangeas:

Group 1: Plants that Bloom on New Growth (This Year’s Stems)

The following hydrangeas, which form their buds in early summer on new growth, will flower reliably each year, requiring no special care.

Panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata)
- ‘Grandiflora’ is a big, old-fashioned, floppy variety, ‘Tardiva’, ‘White Moth’, and ‘Pee Wee’ fit the scale of small gardens. ‘Limelight’ produces cool-green flowers and grows to a height of 6 to 8 feet.
Smooth hydrangeas (H. arborescens)
- Look for the cultivars H. arborescens ‘Grandiflora’ and ‘Annabelle’, which produce many large (up to 14 inches across), tight, symmetrical blooms in late summer.

Bigleaf hydrangea lacecap
Image: Lacecap hydrangea

Group 2: Plants that Bloom on Old Growth (Last Year’s Stems)

If you live in Zone 8 or warmer, choose plants from this group. Gardeners in cool climate zones will find many of them a challenge, because they set flower buds in the fall. Although hardy to Zones 4 and 5, the buds are prone to damage by an early frost in fall, a late frost in spring, or excessively cold temperatures when dormant in winter. This, along with untimely pruning, can result in inconsistent flowering or no flowering at all.

Oakleaf hydrangeas (H. quercifolia)
- You can expect exceptional fall color from ‘Snow Queen’, ‘Snow Flake’, and ‘Alice’.
Bigleaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla)
- We love ‘All Summer Beauty’ (Mophead), which has profuse, dark blue flowers—turning more pink in soils with near neutral pH. If its buds are winter-killed, the plant will form new ones in spring and still bloom.
- ‘Nikko Blue’ (Mophead) is vigorous, with large, rounded, blue flowers.
- ‘Blue Wave’ (Lacecap) produces rich blue to mauve or lilac-blue to pink flowers.
- ‘Color Fantasy’ (Mophead) has reddish or deep purple flowers and shiny, dark green leaves. It grows to about 3 feet tall.
Mountain hydrangeas (H. serrata)
- Examples are ‘Bluebird’ and ‘Diadem’. In acidic soil, ‘Preziosa’ produces blossoms of an extraordinary blend of pale shades of blue, mauve, violet, and green.
Climbing hydrangeas (H. anomala ssp. Petiolaris)
- ‘Firefly’ is a newly-patented variety exhibiting variegated foliage.

For more about hydrangea varieties, see Hydrangea Varieties for Every Garden.

Wit & Wisdom

The word “hydrangea” is derived from Greek hydor meaning “water” and angeion meaning “vessel,” referring to the plant’s seed pods, which look like small water jugs.
In the language of flowers, hydrangeas symbolize gratitude for being understood, or frigidity and heartlessness. See more flower meanings.

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Reader Comments

If you live in Canada you are

If you live in Canada you are in a zone 5 or lower and if you left them in pots, they will not have survived the winter. If you planted them in the ground and cared for them properly before winter, they should come back. In Canada (other than Vancouver) you cannot leave plants in pots outdoors during the winter months.

Hydrangia

I bought a BEAUTIFUL BLUE HYDRANGIA and I planted it in the flower bed in my yard. The next morning it was wilted, looked very bad. I watered it and it didn't change. After the 3rd day it was no better so I cut off all the blooms thinking it would do better and wouldn't struggle as much. But still no change. What should I do. I live in Pearland, Texas zone 9

Hydrangeas

I live in a tropical country, just about 5 degrees north of the equator, so naturally we get a lot of sun year round, and even during our 'winter' which is really the dry season.
I'd like to know if I can start hydrangeas from seed since seedlings are unavailable here. Also, what special care tips do i need to be aware of?
Looking forward to your response.
Thanks.

Can I plant these hydrangaes?

Hello, I bought some 6in potted hydrangaes from Aldi grocery store. They are the kind you give as a gift and leave in the pot per the tag in the pot. Can I plant these in my yard instead? I live in middle Tennessee. The tag didn't give much information besides the lighting and watering suggestions. Thanks!

Aldo hydrangea

I just bought 8 of these today from Aldi as well. They are called "Merritt supreme" and are a variant of H. macrophylla. You can plant them in Tennessee. I'm in zone 5 and planning to plant mine as well. Enjoy!

These hydrangeas have usually

These hydrangeas have usually been grown for a one-time display. The plant has been timed specifically to produce many big blooms quickly. The plants have been grown in a greenhouse and may not be winter hardy. You can try to plant them outside but they may not make it.

Aldi hydrangeas

I bought 5 of these from Aldi in 2014. I planted them on the northwestern side of the house where they get late afternoon sun. They came back in 2015 but took awhile to get established but they did grow and had some blooms. It is now 2016 and they seem to be doing quite well. At least all are poking through the ground with new growth. I live in central MN and didn't do anything special to winter them over.

I have buds on the wood of my

I have buds on the wood of my endless summer hydrangea. What should I do? I live in middle Tennessee.

Non-blooming hydrangea

I live in Zone 6b and have a Nikko blue hydrangea that bloomed beautifully for at least a decade. The past couple of years it has become totally confused. It leafs out well in the spring and looks very healthy. But no flowers at all in the spring or summer. Then in October I get a couple of measly blooms. I've continue to fertilize regularly. What's up?

Nikko Blue blooms on old wood

Nikko Blue blooms on old wood and the new flower buds for the next year develop starting in July-August. Maybe you have had some late frosts the last few years that have killed the new buds. Pruning sometimes helps the bush to bloom. Best time to prune is right after they bloom in early summer before it develops the new buds for the following year. The hydrangea needs good soil that drains well. Add some compost to the soil around the bush. Also make sure that your fertilizer is low in nitrogen. A 10-10-10 would be OK to use.

Nikki blue hydrangeas

I have the exact problem. My hydrangeas are about 10 years old, bloomed beautifully for years and the past couple of years very few blooms. I live in zone 5 in southern Illinois. I would love some answers to the blooming question. Perhaps they have a short life expectancy? I really miss the large blooms.

Blooms

I was giving a mophead 3yrs ago it was only about a ft tall. I planted it poor thing has survived major flash flooding within a month of being planted and a few small floods but he still keeps rolling along. I haven't pruned it because I'm afraid I'll do it wrong. It has bloomed the last 2 years with a creamy/green color flowers BUT it's only had at the most 5 heads on it. I live in zone 7 in Northwest Georgia. What can I do to have this little survivor have more blooms? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You can prune the hydrangea

You can prune the hydrangea in the summer after it has bloomed and before it forms new buds for next year. Prune in July or early August to be on the safe side. Always remove dead stems and cut off any spent flowers. Sprinkle a low-nitrogen 5-7-2 granular fertilizer around the base of the hydrangea in the spring and fall.

Hydrangea endless summer

I have 2-3 hours of full morning sun followed by 3-4 hours of dappled sun but then the rest of the day is full sun, will this be a problem for subject plant? Also, how soon can I plant & can I except a good full summer bloom the first year.

Thank you

Plant as soon as you don’t

Plant as soon as the night temperatures are above freezing and the soil has warmed up a bit. See our planting advice above. The sun in your yard is enough for the plants to thrive. You may have some blooms this summer depending on the size of the plants. Good luck!

Hydrangea

I thought I was protecting my older hydrangeas by surrounding them with a cage and putting leaves around them. I didn't know that maple leaves should not be used. All my trees are maples! Will this damage my hydrangeas for this year?

Growing plants in Trinidad West Indies

I am living in Trinidad and want to grow roses, hydrangea, lilac, heather, butterfly bush and wisteria. Is it possible to grow these in this climate and where can I purchase them?
Thank you

We were just given a blue

We were just given a blue hydrangea plant today (Feb 20) and right now it is just a bunch of 1 1/2' sticks in a large (5 gal?) container. I see that I should wait until early Spring to plant it - but how should I take care of it until then? I assume it's currently dormant - but should I be doing anything until planting time?
Thanks so much!!

Put the container in an

Put the container in an unheated garage or shed and water every 2 weeks. You can move the container outdoors when the night temps are above freezing.

Thanks so much!!!

Planted baby hydrangea plants, nothing coming up yet?

I bought a box of baby hydrangea plants from Sam's Club last year, and planted them through my yard. I live in GA, so it's pretty much all red clay, but I used Miracle Grow planting soil to plant them in the yard. There were small leaves on the little plants when I placed them in the soil, but they quickly died off. I didn't see anything come back all year last year, and I'm wondering if I need to go buy more plants, or is there a chance they could come up this year still?

Please see our planting and

Please see our planting and care advice at the top of this page. It’s best to plant in a soil/compost mixture and then fertilize once a year in late winter or spring. You can wait and see if your plants will have new growth this spring. Chances are that they are dead. If you get more hydrangeas this spring purchase plants that are bigger and more established. These will have a better chance to survive in your garden.

Non-flowering Dwarf Hydrangeas

I'm in upstate NY and have had my dwarf hydrangea for about 10 years. It has only flowered the first year. I prune it in the Spring and only cut back the totally dead stalks. I can see small dried up buds on them sometimes. Could you help and maybe tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Do not prune the hydrangea

Do not prune the hydrangea this spring. If your hydrangea is a variety that produces flowers on old wood you should leave the dead looking stems on the plant. Also make sure that the hydrangea gets enough sun. If you live in a climate that gets frosts the new buds can be killed by a late frost. Fertilize with a phosphorus-rich fertilizer or add bone meal to the soil.

Are hydrangeas stems, leaves

Are hydrangeas stems, leaves or flowers toxic or poison to cattle?
I'm keeping baby calves in my back yard and want them to be safe.
Thanks for your help. Debbie

Hydrangeas can be mildly

Hydrangeas can be mildly toxic to horses and cows. It would be best to keep them away from the plants.

mophead hydrangeas in texas

I have recently moved to Texas (zone 8) and the house we bought has to mophead hydrangeas about 5 ft tall. They have mostly lost there leaves now, should I trim them down or what should have I done to these beautiful plants? I came from up north, and I have never had a lot of outdoor plants. Need help, please.

It’s best to deadhead (remove

It’s best to deadhead (remove faded blooms) and prune mopheads in early spring. Prune stems back to first healthy pair of buds and remove any dead branches.

Maple Leaves as Cover

In the "care" segment of this page I saw where it said not to use maple leaves as cover. Why is that? I have a bed cleared right now, with the intention to plant hydrangeas there in the spring. There are maple leaves on it now, as a compost. Is that going to hurt the hydrangeas?

Some gardeners don’t like to

Some gardeners don’t like to use maple leaves around established hydrangea bushes as they tend to mat and may suffocate the bush. If you chop the leaves and mix them with soil they should be fine in the bed that you have cleared.