Care, Varieties and Species
The backbone of many a garden, Hydrangea plants are a popular landscaping plant with a huge variety of species and cultivars, many with improved flowers and better heat tolerance.
With great foliage, brilliant flowers and the ability to grow as well as flower in shade, Hydrangea varieties are making a big comeback as landscaping plants.
Flower colours and forms differ with variety and Hydrangeas make good background plants as well as feature plants in the garden. Grow them for the foliage or grow them for the flowers, easy care Hydrangeas are a wonderful landscaping plant for both domestic and commercial plantings.
With flowers that put on an impressive floral display it is no wonder that Hydrangeas are also very popular in the cut flower industry.
How To Grow Hydrangea Plants – Basic Care
Hydrangeas in general prefer a part shaded position and a humus rich soil. Having said that, hydrangea are also fairly tough, they may suffer on a hot day, but hydrangea will bounce back quickly.
These are a summer flowering plant, large flowers and long flowering. Most like shade and are invaluable for summer colour in shade garden.
Will hydrangeas grow in pots ?
Smaller growing cultivars do well in pots given a good quality potting mix and moisture. They will need repotting every 3-4 years.
Fertilising Hydrangea plants.
Although many gardeners believe that Hydrangeas grow best when fertilised twice a year with specialist fertiliser, we find this not exactly tree.
For plants with so much foliage and such large flowers Hydrangeas actually require little fertiliser in good soil.
Once established we simply mulch around the plants every year, and we do use a lot of mulch, we keep its deep, to around 6 inches (15 cm).
This not only means we don’t need to water, it means that the worms and other beneficial microbes get to work and provide the hydrangeas with enough food to thrive.
Hydrangea fertiliser and Flower Colour.
In acid soil the Hydrangea flowers will be blue, pink flowers and in alkaline soil, white or neutral. Some hydrangea are white, and white flowers can not be changed by altering the ph of the soil. See white and blue varieties growing side by side (picture right)
So if you want to change the flower colour, and the acidity of the soil will do this with some (not all) hydrangeas then you need to apply something that will change the pH of the soil.
So for blue flowers, use a fertiliser or soil amendment that will acidify the soil. Most organic material will increase soil acidity, so our mulch does this. You can also use Aluminium sulphate.
SPECIES INCLUDE
H. quercifolia (Oakleaf hydrangea), H. macrophylla, Lace-cap hydrangeas and H. aspera. The ‘Endless Summer’ cultivars are long flowering from October right through until June or July.
Hydrangeas prefer a moist soil, so mulch well for best results. To prune your hydrangea simply remove old woody growth by 1/3 each year and cut back growth that has flowered to a pair of new buds.
You can find hydrangea for sale at garden centres and good retail nurseries usually during the flowering season, a wider range are available to buy online through nurseries that specialise in hydrangea species and named cultivars.
Hydrangea Species and Cultivars include :
Hydrangea, anomala, arborescens,aspera, heteromall, involuctra, luteovenosa, macrophylla, paniculata, petiolaris, serratifolia, strigosa, villosa. Admiration, Altona, Annabelle,Ami Pasquier, Agnes Pavelli, Benelux, Blue Prince, Brilliant, Draps Festival, Great Sensation, Hatfield Rose, Hamburg, Kyushu, Lanarth White, Le cygne, Todi Dwarf, Tokyo Delight, Leopold, Mme Legou, Matilda Gutges, Miss Belgium, Mont Jean, Paniculata Grandiflora, Parzival, Pia, President Doumier, Quercifolia, Red Emperor, Rose Supreme, Rubis, Snow Flake, Strafford, Tosca, Veitchii, Voster Fruholt.
You may also like
- Hydrangea macrophylla
- Hydrangea paniculata
- Hydrangea petiolaris
- Hydrangea quercifolia
- Hydrangea semanii
- Schizophragma hydrangoides
- Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Kirsten’
- Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Ayesha’
- Pruning Hydrangeas
- Hydrangea plants for sale
- Plants for Shade
- Cottage Garden Plants
Hydrangea plants are available for sale from sarticipating nurseries
Readily available for sale from nurseries and by mail order from online suppliers all Hydrangea thrive in rich soil fertilize liberally in the spring using a good all purpose plant food.
412 James Lane, Fern Hill VIC. 3458 - Phone 0419002651
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138 Olinda-Monbulk Rd, Olinda VIC 3788
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PO Box 7040 Leura NSW 2780
Rare woodland plants, Trilliums Epimediums, Arisaemas, plus much more.www.lynnsrareplants.com.au
862 Midland Highway Mount Rowan Vic 3352
We offer over 245 varieties of Fuchsia, tubestock, pots, baskets and standards. Mail order specialists. Open 7 days by appointment.
www.brenlissaonlinenursery.com.au
125 Palmer Rd Jindivick 3818
Open Thursday - Sunday 10am - 4pm
Specialising in growing and selling Rare and Unusual Trees, shrubs Perennials Bulbs and Climbers, a unique nursery with amazing stock.
www.muskersbroughtonhall.com.au
Wholesale Suppliers Include
email ask@plantmark.com.au
One of Australia's largest wholesale trade nurseries. Over 30,000 species available, tubestock to advanced trees, an almost unlimited choice of plants.
www.plantmark.com.au