The beautiful hydrangea is one flowering bush that generates many problems, some gardeners have great success growing hydrangeas, others struggle just to keep their hydrangea alive. I’ve been in the latter group for years, actually planting a few hydrangeas along the way with trial and error gardening methods. My neighbor gave me a small hydrangea bush with a growing plan and now the hydrangea bushes are thriving.
The hydrangea on the hydrangea indicates that the flowering bush needs a lot of water. Water through the large, broad leaves of the hydrangea, and the bramble dries easily in the heat of summer. Water thoroughly in the summer at least twice a week, more often if the leaves on your hydrangea drop.
Feed your hydrangea three times a year, in March. May and July, with a light portion of balanced fertilizer application. 10-10-10 granulated fertilizer feeds hydrangea well and you can apply this type of fertilizer right on top of the mulch around the hydrangea. Frequent watering will loosen the granulated fertilizer and gradually sink into the ground to provide a stable diet for your hydrangea.
Hydrangea bush will grow best in partial shade where it will be protected from the intense heat of the midday summer sun. A place that will receive the sun in the morning and a total of 6 hours of sun per day is the best place.
Pruning hydrangea should be done soon after the flowers have faded, and most hydrangea varieties should be pruned before mid-August, or you risk cutting off the next year’s buds. Pruning an old hydrangea flower is not the same as pruning the entire shrub. Hydrangeas bloom in the old forest, the stems of the bushes were formed last year, so hydrangea blooms will not appear next year on the same stems that they did this year. A dead bloom on the head will not reduce your hydrangea’s ability to bloom next year. Generally, hydrangea bush pruning should be done to remove dead or diseased stems or unwanted growth when it blooms. Use sharp pruning shears and make a clean cut.
Propagation of bush hydrangea is quite simple, it is called ‘layering’. Dig a hole near the base of your hydrangea, 3 inches high, 1 inch wide and 5-6 inches long. Pick a long limb around the bottom of the hydrangea and lower the limb into the trench. On the side of the limb resting inside the trench, carefully remove all the bark around the limb with a chisel. Place the limb in the trench and spread the soil to cover it. You will need between 6-12 inches of the end of the limb sticking out of the scrub, and you will need to place a small part of the limb buried in the ground with a rock.
The part of the limb where you remove 1 inch of bark will form a new root system in the trench. Leave the hydrangea limb until the following growing seasons. When the limb begins to show new leaf growth, separate the limb from the hydrangea bush with pruning shears and gently dig up the newly propagated hydrangea bush, transferring only the intact soil around the new root system.
