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How to Plant and Care for Hydrangea Bushes
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I suspect you have a “gift” hydrangea—one that was purchased in a grocery store (or someplace other than a nursery) and came in a foil-wrapped pot. If so, know that they are greenhouse-grown and fed a diet meant for them to be big and showy for purchase—often to the detriment of the plants’ long-term health. It is rare that they thrive when transplanted into the landscape. Consider replacing it with a nursery-grown hydrangea that is already a few years old.
I have a florist hydrangea that was given to me by a garden center right after Mother's Day about 12 years ago. I planted it and after moving it 3 times,it finally found it's home in a natural area that only gets about 3 hours of morning sun. It has lived in this spot for 9 years now and has lovely blue blooms every year.It's a rather compact bush growing only about 3 to 3 1/2 feet. This is a tough little bush!
We bought Endless Summer hydrangeas last year and planted them mid summer. We live in central Indiana. Two are planted on the south side of our house and so they get full sun. The other two are on the west side for the house, so they get full sun but a little less than the others. Only one on the west side of the house is doing ok, meaning it normally looks alright and there are about 3 or 4 blooms produced this year. The other on the west side is tiny, just one little leaf popped up and isn't doing anything. The two on the south side of the house have brown spots, have not bloomed, are really small and struggling. What can I do to improve these plants? I'm planning on adding mulch soon to retain moisture. I have started to water them a few times a week. Any assistance would be greatly accepted and appreciated. Thank you!
Hydrangeas much prefer shady conditions. If there is any way you can move them to a darker location come fall, that would likely make a big difference in their overall health and blooming potential.
Earlier in thread, you said they like morning sun, partial shade in afternoon. I have that perfect place I want to plant them. Later you said they prefer shade. Well?
how can you change color to purple
Acidic soils cause hydrangeas to bloom blue (soil pH below 5.5). You can apply aluminum sulfate or sulfur to lower soil pH (broadcast half a cup of wettable sulfur per 10 square feet and water in). To gradually change flower color from pink to blue, broadcast half a cup of wettable sulfur per 10 square feet and water it in.
It’s even better if you can drench the soil. For example, dissolve one tablespoon of aluminum sulfate in one gallon of water, and then drench the soil around the plant in the spring. (Avoid the leaves, and get at soil level).
We put in four very nice dwarf Hydrangea bushes in 2011 and they have done very well until this when three had mostly orange leaves. We've had a normal growing season in western North Carolina and all our other plants have done well. What happen and how do I correct this problem?
We planted four dwarf Hydrangea bushes in 2011 and they have done very well until this year when three of them now have mostly orange leaves. We've a good growing season in western North Carolina and all our other plants are very healthy. What has happed to these plants and what can I do about it.
I pruned my hydrangeas improperly last year and while the plant thrived and grew, I had no blossoms. This year I allowed the dead wood to remain all winter and in early spring I had new green leaves in the old wood stems. Then, suddenly the new green shoots died and dried up. I pruned the wood back to the base at that time, the plant is now thriving well but I have no blossoms again. I wonder why the new green died so suddenly. Help!