From mid-summer to early autumn you will see beautiful hydrangea bushes everywhere in gardens, near gates and in pots. These perennials produce large buds in various shades of pink, blue, purple, white, or a color scheme that lasts throughout the fall. Read on to learn how to plant, care and dry hydrangeas so you can enjoy them all year round.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Part 1: Planting Hydrangeas
Step 1. Choose a variety
To understand which type to plant, you will need to figure out which one is best for your area. Start by consulting a map of the hardness of the soil to understand in which area you live. There are hundreds of varieties to choose from. If this is your first time planting these beautiful flowers, choose from the following varieties which are the most common and hardy, as well as produce long lasting flowers.
- Macrophylla and common hydrangea, or "large leaf": grows well in warm climates. It is not suitable for colder climates unless measures are taken to protect it from the cold. Look for the "Endless Summer" macrophylla variety - it is a type of hydrangea that blooms several times during the summer. This type produces large pink or blue inflorescences which intensify the color over the course of the season.
- The oak hydrangea grows well where summers are very hot without too much humidity. They are not good for cold areas. This type of hydrangea has white inflorescences.
- Annabelle hydrangeas are more resistant to cold than macrophylla and oak leaves. They have white flowers that turn greenish at the end of the season.
- Peegees hardly grow in areas further north than where Annabellas grow. They also grow well in the southern areas. They have white inflorescences.
Step 2. Plan spring or fall planting
Planting in one of the in-between seasons will give the hydrangea time to acclimate to the soil conditions and root before the temperatures get extreme. Look for plants in early spring or early fall.
Step 3. Find a good spot
Hydrangeas are easy to grow both in the garden and in large pots. Whichever breakfast you choose, you will need a spot where it gets the sun in the morning and has partial shade in the afternoon. Large-leaved hydrangeas will also grow in partial shade, so choose this variety if you have a garden in shade.
Step 4. Enrich the soil with compost
Hydrangeas need rich, well-drained, moist soil. If yours is dry or exploited, help him with compost. If your soil tends to hold water, you can add sphagnum to help drainage.
Step 5. Dig a hole in the ground
It should be as deep as the root ball and at least twice as wide. Use a shovel or pitchfork to dig it up. If you are planting more than one hydrangea you should keep them 10-15cm apart, as the plants can get very wide.
Check the instructions for the variety you choose. Some hydrangeas can be planted close together, while others can be planted 20 cm apart
Step 6. Plant the hydrangea
It's important to make sure the roots are watered when planting, so fix the hole in the stick. Fill the space with a few inches of water and let it absorb well, then add soil and water again. Compact around the base of the hydrangea.
Planting hydrangeas too deep could cause the roots not to take root. If, on the other hand, you keep them on the surface too much, the hydrangeas could collapse in rains or strong winds
Method 2 of 3: Part 2: Cure
Step 1. Keep the soil moist
Hydrangeas will start to wilt if it's too hot, so be sure to water every 2-3 days, especially during the summer months. Water the hydrangeas near the base of the plants and above the roots, rather than directly on the flowers, to prevent the sun from burning them.
Step 2. Prune only when necessary
New hydrangeas should not be pruned; if you do, they may not produce new throws the following spring. If you have had hydrangeas for some time or yours is quite large and needs to be cut to fit, be sure to prune at the right time, depending on the variety you planted.
- Large-leaved varieties should be pruned after flowering has wilted in late spring.
- The oak and other varieties should be pruned when the plant is at rest, in late winter, before the new buds are born.
Step 3. Protect the hydrangea for the winter
Cover them with mulch, straw or pine needles creating at least 40 cm of coverage. If you have small hydrangeas you can cover the whole plant for the winter. Remove the cover in early spring after the last frost.
Step 4. Change the color
The color of hydrangeas depends on the pH of the soil in which they are planted. If you have them pink or blue, you can change the color by varying the pH of the soil. It can take weeks or months, so be patient!
- To turn the flowers pink to blue, lower the pH by adding sulfur or sphagnum moss.
- To change the flowers from blue to pink (which is more difficult than changing them from pink to blue), add limestone to the potting soil to raise the pH.
- The white ones do not change color.
Method 3 of 3: Part 3: Cutting and Drying the Hydrangeas
Step 1. Harvest the hydrangeas when the flowers are ripe
Wait until the color is nice and full-bodied and the flowers have a papery texture; in this way it will be easier to dry them. Use a pair of scissors or shears to cut the stems.
Step 2. Dry the hydrangeas for storage
Hydrangeas keep very well when dry. The color stays bright for a long time and they hold their shape for years before disintegrating. To dry them, use one of the following methods:
- Hang them upside down. Attach them by the stems upside down, in a dark, dry place. Leave them hanging until they are completely dry, then remove them and put them in a vase.
- Dry them in water. Place the stems in a vase with a few inches of water. The water will slowly evaporate drying the flowers.
- Use silicon gel. Place the flowers in a container and cover them with gel. After a couple of weeks the flowers will be dry and their color perfectly preserved.
Advice
- If you live in the north, hydrangea plants will get a lot of sun during the day. They can withstand many hours of direct sun if the climates are cooler.
- When transplanting a hydrangea from one area to another, it is better to wait until autumn when they will go to rest. When digging, try to remove all of the root ball.
- Better to plant hydrangeas in early summer or fall and place them in an area with lots of sun but also some shade.
- As soon as the buds begin to fall, prune to favor the new ones.
Warnings
- Hydrangeas don't thrive and bloom if you plant them in the shade or don't get enough sun.
- When you plant them, wait to keep them from freezing again and avoid doing this on hot summer days.
- Do not overwater. Too much moisture can lead to fewer flowers or root rot.
- Don't let the soil around your newly planted hydrangea rot. Check your plants regularly if it's hot and dry and water accordingly.
