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

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Is it dead or alive? Please help

I purchased a flowering beautiful hydrangea Pink diamond is Sept 2016, (I live in NJ) I planted it and it was fine for about a month and a half. Then the deer came and ate almost all the leaves off of it, so we put netting around it. Now, April of 2017 it appears to be just dead branches. Will it still start to get buds and new growth or is it dead, How can I tell? Please advise me of your opinion. Thank you so much

The best way to tell if the

The best way to tell if the plant is dead is to simply scrape a little of the bark with your fingernail. If it's green underneath, it's alive. If it's brown, it's dead.

I found these articles very

I found these articles very informative. It helped me very much..thanks

Slips from an older hydrangea

My daddy started a couple slips from a hydrangea my sons got for me for Mothers Day over 30 years ago. This past summer the blooms were the most beautiful they have ever been. He lives at the property where the original plant is so I wanted to have plants from that original hydrangea that was sentimental to me. The two potted plants he grew for me were pretty healthy and were about 10" in height when he brought them to me. I live in zone 6 and even though it was mid September the weather was still hot so I kept the plants watered and in the partial sun. However it wasn't long the leaves started turning brown and falling off. After a few weeks I researched and did find that was a result of too little water to which I rectified. I hadn't chose a spot to plant them plus I felt they were to young to put them in the ground to survive a winter so decided to bring them in for the winter and keep them in my pantry where I would keep my florescent light on just so many hours through the day and my furnace unit is in that small room so it stays a comfortable temp. Now my issue is the poor little plants has gradually lost every leaf and they are down to a little stem. One plant has only a healthy bud of leaves that look like they are ready to break open anytime. The other has two of the same thing only they are at the soil line and have been there all along and have done nothing. Other than a half inch of a green and brown stem and the two soil line buds that pot is the only thing it has. Should I give them just a tiny feeding to see if it would boost them and help them along. My daddy used the correct potting soil for the hydrangeas. I don't want to lose the plants since they came from a hydrangea my sons got me years ago and mean a lot to me. I know my daddy would start more for me but he is elderly and in bad health. What do you recommend to save these plants? Help.

Hydrangea Indoors

Your hydrangeas sound like they are stressed. They may have suffered transplant shock when they were potted up. And now their growing conditions have changed again. Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. Let them adapt to the conditions, watering only as needed and keeping the light consistent. Don’t worry about fertilizing until spring.

how to get hydrangeas seeds

how to get hydrangeas seeds from a hydrangea

Collecting hydrangea seeds is

Collecting hydrangea seeds is a challenge, and growing from seed is also quite difficult. Cuttings are the preferred method of propagation. Take a cutting from new growth and dust the stem with root hormone. Remove most of the leaves and cut those that remain in half. Put the cutting in potting soil and place a plastic bag like a tent over the plant (to keep moisture in). Once the cutting starts to root, remove the bag.

Planting from seed

A friend's mother in law gave me a (too big) bag of dried clusters of seed pods, each containing a large number of seeds from various hydrangeas that thrive in the cold of New England. I weeded out thorn brush and other wild plants from a 5 by 2.5 ft patch on the boundary between cleared and wild parts of my property, dug out all the roots from the very organic acidic soil, opened six of the clusters of pods and uniformly spread that vast number of seeds (far too many for that area) pressed them in slightly, then threw 1/16 in of inorganic soil on top to discourage whatever might find and eat the seeds.
I never had a hydrangea before, on the slim chance that I did any of that right and a tenth of them sprout next spring, how do I tell them apart from weeds? I didn't find any pictures of what they look like at that stage. If anything close to a tenth sprout I need to transplant them further apart very early. How do I guess below ground size from above ground size in the first few months, to know when I can't wait longer to transplant without excessive intertwining of roots?

Help! Flooded Hydrangeas

Hurricane Matthew caused the river I live on to spill over the bank into my yard and covered my first row of hydrangeas for about 2-3 hours. The river water is brackish/salty. They really took a beating and look awful now. Will they come back next Spring? Should I prune them back??

Flooded Hydrangeas

They should bounce back next spring, yes. Plants often take months, sometimes even years, to recover from a major shock like that. Don’t prune them, that would be an added stressor at this point. In the spring, just remove any dead wood. Next fall, if they are strong and healthy again, you can do a regular annual pruning. Good luck!

Increadable hydrangeas

This year my hydrangeas acted crazy... There are about 10years old . Every year in November my husband cuts them back to 18 inches and they come back beautiful. Until this year... In there growing stage we had some really harsh rain and the bent down and many broke off. One of the bushes only got small flowers that never got to the usual large size. One bush under a large tree now barely grows and sparsely flower. Then it looks like something ate there leaves.. They turned green early in July which is very weird... I live in Chicago and this is my pride and joy. Next month after Halloween is when we cut them .. I tried to add photos but won't let me

Hydrangea

My hydrangea was accidentally weeded by a gardener. How can I salvage it? It's just about 3 inches from grown now. When it was cut, it was mid-September but temp was low 90 degrees F.

Save Hydrangea

At this point, it is a matter of letting it grow back. If you live in a cold climate, mulch it for the winter. Next spring, start fertilizing. Give it a growing season to bounce back and send up new growth. The following year, get onto an annual pruning schedule. Good luck!

Is it possible to cut the leaves off of the plants to form other

The plants are expensive. I have heard by cutting some leaves off I can get more plants. How do I do this? And first of all is this true and when do I do this. What is the procedure?

Hydrengea

my hydrangea will not bloom.

Hydrangea Not Blooming

Hi Janice,

The most common reason hydrangeas are not blooming is due to improper pruning. Go here for pruning guidance: http://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening/gardening/how-prune-hydrangea-varieties

Hydrangea

These are bushes that I asked about.The ones with the large cone shape

Hydrangea

I bought 2 hydrangea plants 2 weeks ago from the nursery. They are very well established,about 3-4 ft tall each. We brought them home and planted them both,exactly how you described above. We watered well.The one was doing great ,but the other ,the leaves swrivelled right away.We still watered, Within a week,the second one has done the same thing. Now both are brown leaves,brown stems.They look dead. They cost me a fortune,and I love these plants. What should I do? Are they dead? and why? They are facing east,get lots of sun in the first half of the day. Lots of water, Should I cut them down and see if they start back? or dig them out and take back to the nursery?
They say I have a 1 yr guarantee. Should I let them go through the winter?

Pruning young Hydrangea PG

Hi, I have a young 2 1/2 year old Hydrangea Paniculata Grandiflora grown from cutting, it is about 2' tall and wide. The growth is quite bushy but individual branches are thin and spindly.
Would you recommend to do some pruning of this plant next Spring?

Pruning Hydrangea Paniculata

Hi Marina,

This species of hydrangea is known to have weak stems and branches. Because it blooms on the current year’s wood, it would behoove you to do some light pruning in the early spring–that will help to encourage bloom. Think about structure as you prune–you want to create a solid framework to support new growth and flowers.

is it still alive?

I got a hydrangea (white) that I was to plan this summer and forgot about planting it. It has been on my deck in a container and I did water it occasionally. I noticed that it has dried up, but I knicked the actual stem part and its still green under it, still alive I hope? Is this trash bound or should I plant it today? I am in Minnesota, Mpls area.

Dead looking plant with some green

Keep it a friend of mine threw away potted dead hydrangea plants or so we thought and my Mom said plant them they will come back. I thought she was crazy. I planted them in the fall out side and in the spring they were beautiful.

Leggy Hydrangea

Bought a common hydrangea as a very small root. Grown about 2/3 foot tall. Single stem and no bloom. Should I cut it back and if so by how much?

white hydrangea

I find your website very interesting and helpful.
I bought a white hydrangea, it was growing well and started to bloom then the whole plant dried up and die. I don't what why. I was watering it regularly and feeding it too. What do you suggest.

Hydrangea Sudden Death

Hi Medha,

I suspect your hydrangea was exposed to some kind of soil-borne disease, such as Phytophthora root rot. It is important to test your soil before replanting, as many plants succumb to that disease. If it is in the soil, the soil should be replaced before you plant anything.

hydrangea vs maple leaf

I read on your Web site that you don't recommend Maple leaf for mulch or Winter protection. Could you tell me the reason why not because I do this every year. I put around 3 inches of shredded Maple leaves around my hydrangea each year. Thanks in advance for your reply.

Maple Leaves as Mulch

Hi Michel - I just wondered if you ever received an answer to your question. I have the same one. I have a red maple that, of course, looses it's leaves right along with my oaks, so I would like to know the answer too. I am getting ready, next weekend, to plant 4 hydrangeas. I hope you get this message before then, if not, I'll be checking elsewhere for the answer.
Thanks, Diane

Maple leaves

The reason we say to avoid maple leaves is because they tend to be very large, flat, and mat together (especially the Norway and Sugar maple leaves). This doesn’t allow enough air circulation. It’s best to use oak or other leaves. If you do have a lot of maple leaves, just be sure to mix with a lot of other types of leaves and pine needles.

Blooming

One of my hydrangeas, planted 2 years ago is green and healthy, but doesn't bloom, even though I've fertilized. It gets some morning sun. Does it need more sun? It's the big, blue bloom type.
M. Richardson

blooms

I planted a hydrangea 4 years ago. The first year yielded 7-8 bloom.s The next year only 2 blooms. The last 2 summers there have been no blooms but the bush has very healthy, vibrant green foliage and has grown much larger. I would appreciate any suggestions on getting this bush to bloom