- Botanical Name
- Mop Top: Hydrangea macrophylla. Pee Gee: H. paniculata. ‘Alice’: H. quercifolia
- Family
- Hydrangeace
- Plant Type
- Deciduous perennial
- Size (H x W)
- ‘Pink-Blue Sunset’: 70-100cm x 30-70cm.
‘White Knight’, ‘Deep Purple’ ‘And Cream’, ‘Black Lace’: 70-120cm x 90-120cm.
‘You and Me’: 80-100cm x 80-150cm. The above are more compact if grown in containers.
‘Sunday Fraise’, ‘Candlelight’: 100-150cm x 100-150cm.
‘Diamond Rouge’: 100-150cm x 90-120cm.
‘Praecox’: 2-3m x 1-3m.
‘Alice’: 150-250cm x 150-250cm.
- Depth & Spacing
- Plant at the same level as in the pot with the roots spread evenly beneath the soil. See above for spacing.
- Soil
- Humus rich, moist, well drained soil is ideal.
- Aspect
- Hydrangeas thrive in cool, moist areas which are sheltered from the hot summer sun and drying northerly winds, so a morning sun, with afternoon shade, or a filtered light position is best. In cool areas, they can take more sun, but will need more water. Climate: Cool to Sub Tropical
- Frost
- Fully hardy
- Water
- Plants need around 4-6 weeks to establish, for the roots to penetrate the surrounding soil, so should be watered regularly over this time. Hydrangeas should be kept well watered whilst they are growing to ensure best blooms. Care should be taken in containers to keep them hydrated over summer. Drooping leaves mean your plant needs water.
- Fertiliser
- Add a complete fertiliser in autumn. Compost or aged manure will encourage growth, toss this around the roots and then add a mulch to encourage water retention over the warm months.
- Flowering Time
- Late spring to autumn.
- After Flower Care
- To promote strong growth in any kind of Hydrangea, during the plant’s first few years, it is a good idea to remove only the flowering heads, from just above a strong bud then, as the plants establish, prune down to the bottom two sets of buds on stems that have flowered. Hydrangeas flower on new growth making it possible to give them a hard prune later in the season. Leave a few mature stems to help hold up the new growth.
- Notes
- After heavy rain, the flower stems may droop as they are so large and heavy, you can add a wire support to help with this. When cutting Hydrangeas put them into water as soon as possible. Some recommend bashing the end of the cut branch with a hammer first to encourage more water up the stem, others suggest boiling water for 30 seconds. We have found both to work quite well.
For the Mop Top H. macrophylla types, you can manipulate the flower colour by adjusting the PH of the soil. Generally for coloured Hydrangeas, Acidic soils (6.0 or lower) will produce blue to lilac shades while Alkaline soils (7.0 and above) result in pinks. Yates make it easy with Hydrangea Pinking Liquid (Lime/Dolomite) and Hydrangea Blueing Liquid (Aluminium sulphate). Indoors keep away from heating and rejuvenate outdoors over winter dormancy.
