Hydrangeas - any tips?

[newgarden722]

I’ve got my heart set on a hydrangea for my garden. They should come up pink where I am rather than blue (judging by my neighbours’ gardens!) I’m based in an area with clay soil.

Does anyone have any tips on how and when to plant them, and what are your thoughts on hydrangeas generally? Are they especially high maintenance or easy to grow? I’d love to get one like the example in the photo attached.

Many thanks!

I’m certainly no expert but we inherited one 6 years ago in our hew garden. Clay soil here too so pink flowers.

We’ve successfully transplanted it from one end of the garden. Has done well every year except last year when aphids or something attacked it relentlessly. So this year I’ve been spraying it every fortnight with a general plant and flower spray and it’s already flowering well.

I planted a border last year and it's going fine. They like water and some varieties seem less robust than others.

Hydrangea are very low maintenance. Water well and dead head them at the end of February.(bit later if you are in the north)If they start getting big cut out any stems that have gone woody or crossing others. Feed them a general purpose food, a generic tomato food is good. If in pots and the leaves begin to pale than give them an iron supplement.
Ph balance of the soil will denote the colour clay will give pink, acid blue. The only ones that won’t be effected by the soil ph level are white and they will remain white even if you change the ph levels in the soil.

Ph balance of the soil will denote the colour clay will give pink, acid blue.

Actually it's available aluminium ions which cause blueing - requires both aluminium and acid conditions.

I've got hydrangeas doing very well on clay soil, I usually need to prune them in spring. Best not to do it too early as a sharp frost can blacken new leaf growth especially on the ends of stems

Yes they’re easy, can take shade but don’t let them dry out

How can I make mine blue again? they are in pots

Dont has got it spot on. I have several rescue plants in
Pots. Exactly what I’ve done. Don’t let then dry out.

How can I make mine blue again? they are in pots

Try aluminium sulfate, it provides both aluminium and acidity. I expect it will say how much on the pack.

Thank you!

Don’t underestimate how much water a hydrangea needs. Mine seem to be incredibly thirsty as young plants.

Thanks! Would it be okay to plant one now or should I wait until Autumn?

Find a shady spot and plant now. Keep watering it well as new hydrangea will need a lot of water to establish it self in this heat.

I dislike hydrangea... I used to hate them, actually.
We inherited 2 with this house. Both are in mixed sun/shade spots. White flowers with hints of blue.
No idea what our soils are like. Brown? Not clay or limey.
I cut ours back savagely every 2-3 yrs. They bloom hugely.
One of ours is only fertilised with small animal body parts (cat left over kills).
I'd rate mature ones as very very low maintenance.

Their dead head flowers are fantastic for the fire, if you have a wood burner, great kindling/paper replacement.

Mine just grow, I hardly touch them. This year they are looking particularly good, they have just bloomed all of a sudden.

I dislike hydrangea... I used to hate them, actually.

Ooh - how come?

ugly colour shower cap style flowers filling landscapes everywhere (boring).
And they smell a bit bad. Not as bad as geraniums, but still a whiff.

And they smell a bit bad.

Oh no - I wasn’t aware of that! I’ll have to give them a sniff when I’m next at the garden centre!

I only have Annabell and an obscure Paniculata that I cant remember the name of, but the paniculata has a lovely scent and Annabell has no smell at all. Neither are pink pom-poms though (which I also associate with my granny).

Yesterday a lovely lady gave me two hydrangeas that she's cultivated from cuttings. I went and planted them in full sun though so I wonder if I'm going to need to move them.

I like lace caps much more than mop heads - but we used to have a huge one outside our back door, and a front hedge of them when I was growing up, so the smell while not entirely pleasant is happily evocative.

(Geraniums are a mixed bag smell-wise, from lovely to unpleasant)