Caring for hydrangeas: tips to ensure they bloom all summer
Caring for hydrangeas is easy with the right tips. Learn how to water, maintain, and keep them blooming beautifully all summer long.
Caring for hydrangeas
Ideal growing locations for hydrangeas
Outdoors, hydrangeas thrive best in partial shade. They flourish in sheltered, warm areas but should be protected from direct sunlight.
The long-blooming variety ‘Endless Summer’ and new ‘Forever & Ever’ varieties, as well as all white hydrangeas, are particularly sensitive to sunlight and can scorch easily. Other colors can tolerate the sun but require frequent watering.
Soil acidity influences the color of hydrangea flowers. To achieve blue-tinted flowers, plant them in acidic soil, while pink flowers are more common in well-limed soil.
For indoor hydrangeas, a cool, bright location is ideal.
Proper watering techniques for hydrangeas
During the growing season, water hydrangeas generously and fertilize regularly. Do not allow them to dry out, as reviving a wilted plant is challenging.
Fertilization for hydrangea color control
You can influence flower color through fertilization. Use acidic or lime-rich nutrients depending on your desired flower color.
Winter care for hydrangeas
Preparing hydrangeas for winter
- Prune varieties that bloom on last year’s shoots immediately after flowering, just below the spent flowers.
- Hydrangeas generally do not survive outdoors in winter unless it’s particularly mild. Move them to a bright location with temperatures between 5–10 degrees Celsius.
- The ‘Endless Summer’ and ‘Forever & Ever’ varieties, which bloom on old and new shoots, do not require pruning. They can overwinter outdoors if protected with mulch and branches.
Ensuring post-winter bloom for hydrangeas
- An ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangea wintered under snow in a flower bed greens more slowly than one kept in a cool room.
- Under a thick snow layer, hydrangea shoots may freeze, but emerging green leaves in warmer weather indicate root survival.
- Repot the hydrangea into a large pot and place it on a warm veranda. Water the soil thoroughly.
- Do not prune last year’s seemingly dry shoots; leave them to support new growth. Trim them only when certain they will not green up.
Tip
Explore creative hydrangea arrangements for inspiration.
