Not many shrubs have such spectacular and diverse beauty like the favorite hydrangea. They are a wonder in any garden with their luxurious foliage and their gorgeous more often globe shaped or lacecap blossoms. Getting those gorgeous, showy flowers is no accident, people. It is a question of being acquainted with their needs. These are just a few important pointers to remember that will enable you to grow really great shrubs and have a garden that your neighbors’ envy.
Selecting the Right Location
The number one success factor to your plant is placement. Generally, these beauties do best in an area that gets morning sun and shade in the afternoon, particularly in the warmer climate. Excessive direct, scorching sun may cause burnt leaves and wilting flowers, whereas excessive dense shade may cause reduced blossom. Make sure the area is well-ventilated but also free from sharp winds which may tear their large foliage and delicate flowers.
Before you purchase plants or garden products from online The Plant Company, chat with the staff. Get professional help in plant care and remedies to the most frequent garden issues in New Zealand. They will also advise you on which variety of hydrangea would be best suited to the environment of your garden.
Soil Sweet Spots
Good soil is the basis of healthy plant growth. These plants like well-drained soil, rich in high organic matter.
- To make heavy clay soils more drainy and airy add composts and peat moss or other organic compounds.
- To make sandy soil retain water and nutrient add organic matter.
Watering Insights
Moisture is very important at all times, particularly when the climate is hot and dry, especially when the plant is young. The shrubs are hard-drinking! Deeply water 2-3 days per week and soak the soil so that it is wet to a depth of several inches. Shallow frequent watering will stimulate shallow root development, so avoid this. During extremely hot weather you may have to water on a daily basis. A covering of mulch over the roots of the plant will aid in conserving the soil moisture level, controlling the mud temperature, and inhibiting weeds.
Nutrient Nurturing
Fertilizers help encourage powerful growth and profuse blossoms. Use a moderately slow-release granular fertilizer in early spring, just as leaves come out in the springtime. Find a formula formulated especially to work with flowering shrubs, or a formula with a little more phosphorus in it to promote flowers. Alternatively, high nitrogen fertilizer, encourages leafy growth and compromises flowering, which is undesirable
Pruning to Perfection
It is important to be clear on the precipitating requirements of your kind of hydrangea.
- Bigleaf varieties (macrophylla) and Oakleaf varieties (quercifolia) are generally flowering on old wood (the previous year) and so need pruning immediately after they have flowered over the summer.
- The Smooth varieties (arborescens annabelle) and Panicle varieties (paniculata) flower on new wood and should be pruned towards the end of winter or in the middle of spring when the new flower growth is not coming out yet.
- The dead or broken off stems, injured stems and weak stems should be cut always.
- Overcrowded space in rows should be improved by thinning, so as to allow free flow of air.
These easy-to-follow hints will you put on the right track to a flamboyant furnishing of hydrangeas year after year with no problems. Their spectacular flowers will give infinite beauty, elegance and turn your garden to a peaceful and colorful paradise.