Hydrangea Plants

More About Hydrangea Plants

Choosing the Right Hydrangea for Your Garden

The best Hydrangea depends on what you want it to do in your garden and how much space you have to play with. Traditional mophead and lacecap Hydrangeas form rounded shrubs that work beautifully through mixed borders or grown on their own as a feature plant. Their large Hydrangea flower heads provide plenty of impact without being demanding to care for.

Hydrangea paniculata varieties have more upright growth and distinctive cone-shaped flower clusters. They often do especially well in sunnier spots and include favourites such as Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’, loved for its large flower heads that gradually change colour as the season progresses.

If you want to cover a wall or fence, a climbing Hydrangea is an excellent choice. These self-clinging plants can grow happily in partial shade and are particularly useful for brightening a shady wall, awkward fence or part of the garden where many other climbers may struggle.

There are even tree-form Hydrangeas available. These Hydrangea trees are trained with a clear stem and flowering head above, giving all the colour of a Hydrangea shrub while lifting the flowers higher and creating a striking feature on patios, borders and entrances.

Where to Plant Hydrangeas

Most Hydrangeas prefer fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil - soil that stays comfortably moist without becoming waterlogged. A position in partial shade is ideal for many varieties, particularly somewhere protected from the strongest midday sun, although Hydrangea paniculata generally tolerates sunnier conditions well as long as the soil does not dry out.

Hydrangeas can also grow successfully in containers. Choose a generous pot with drainage holes, use good-quality compost and keep plants well watered during warm weather. Container-grown plants dry out more quickly than those planted in the ground, particularly once they develop plenty of foliage and flowers. A large, leafy Hydrangea can become surprisingly thirsty in summer!

One of the fascinating things about Hydrangeas is that soil conditions can sometimes influence their flower colour. Certain varieties produce blue Hydrangea flowers more readily in acidic soil, while more alkaline soil can encourage pinker tones. White Hydrangeas generally remain white regardless of soil pH.

How to Plant and Care for Hydrangea Plants

Hydrangeas are straightforward to plant. Set them into well-prepared soil at roughly the same depth they were growing in their pots. Water thoroughly after planting and continue watering regularly while the plant gets established, particularly during hot or dry spells.

Once established, Hydrangeas generally ask for very little. A layer of mulch around the base in spring helps the soil hold onto moisture for longer, keeps weeds down and improves the soil. An annual feed can also encourage strong growth and plenty of flowers.

Pruning can sound complicated, but it mostly comes down to knowing which type of Hydrangea you have. Mophead and lacecap varieties generally need only light pruning in spring. Remove dead growth, then cut the old flower heads back to a healthy pair of buds. Hydrangea paniculata flowers on new growth, meaning the flowers are produced on stems that grow that year, so it can be pruned more firmly in late winter or early spring to encourage strong stems and larger blooms.

From a single Hydrangea bringing summer colour to a patio, to a climber covering a shady wall or a border filled with flowers, these shrubs are wonderfully easy to make room for in the garden.