Download Hydrangeas - no stranger to `rangeas

Hydrangeas - no stranger to 'rangeas - Garden NZ
Thursday, 01 November 2012 08:00
During the all-too-rare fine periods this spring, gardeners are sure to have encountered hydrangeas in bloom.
Flowering from early spring right through to late autumn, hydrangeas are loved for their classic pink and blue hues, the most common being the
Hydrangea macrophylla or mophead. What’s more, they are extremely easy to grow.
Originally from the eastern and southern parts of Asia, there are approximately 75 different varieties of the genus hydrangea.
And it is the versatility of these colourful shrubs that makes it a perennial favourite amongst gardeners and landscapers. Like splashes of
watercolour from an artist’s palette, the flowers come in a variety of shades ranging from pretty pastels to deep violets and chirpy canary
yellows.
A floral chameleon, the hydrangea’s colours change according to seasons, the acidity of the soil and the amount of sunshine it receives – what
a great way to experiment with nature!
When, where and how to plant:
Plant these summery bursts of colour in early summer to keep them away from the fingers of Jack Frost but choose a place
with some shade (not too much or it will bloom thinly) so the flowers will last longer.
Grow in loose, well-drained, fertile soil. Add roughage around the plant such as pine bark mulch (use bark, not wood) to help retain moisture.
New hydrangeas need constant attention, so keep them well-watered in their first year and use a hose.
Keep soil moist, not wet. If it’s wet, the plants may become overwatered making them susceptible to root rot. Make sure the soil is dry before
watering. The oakleaf variety is particularly prone to overwatering.
Plant the hydrangea only as deeply as it was in the original pot. When digging a hydrangea to transplant, make sure the hydrangeas are
dormant (when most of the leaves have fallen off) and dig up as much of the rootball as possible.
Water deeply just once after transplanting until warmer weather arrives.
Care:
Nourish the flowers with general garden fertiliser in late autumn.
To intensify flower colour, adjust soil acidity. Blue hydrangeas favour acidic conditions, so add aluminium sulphate, ammonium sulphate or an
acid fertiliser. Pink and reds gravitate towards alkaline soils, so add dolomite lime or a fertiliser with high phosphorus content.
Prune the plant to half size in late autumn, and cut to just above a pair of nodes.
Don’t be too quick to dead head the flowers, their changing colours, even as they age, can be very pretty including in a vase.
Click here for more infomation.
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