Hydrangeas are prized due to their colourful long-lasting blooms, but gardens can look a little bare while waiting for hydrangeas to mature and flower.
Bigleaf hydrangeas tend to bloom in late spring to early summer while other variants tend to bloom later in the summer, and gardeners can help them along by providing the best conditions for these flowers to thrive.
Jill Raver, a gardening expert from Planting Tree, has shared that growing hydrangeas “isn’t complicated” as these flowers tend to be very laidback, but there are a few things” gardeners need to know to get them to bloom.
She said: “For the most part, hydrangeas are easy to grow and maintain, once they get established.
“What is the secret to growing hydrangeas? Soil pH levels and the right amount of sun are important to help your hydrangea thrive. However, there are a few other things you need to consider.”
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Be careful not when fertilising
It can be tempting for gardeners to fertilise hydrangea to get them to bloom and get bigger flowers, but this is a common mistake that can damage the plant.
Jill explained: “A mistake many people make with their hydrangeas is to over-fertilize. This puts too much nitrogen in the ground and can cause your hydrangeas to stop blooming. Instead, feed these bushes in spring with a slow-release fertiliser for best results.”
Fast-releasing fertilisers will quickly grow hydrangeas in the short term but cannot sustain the plant long term, which can also result in the plant becoming stressed.
Instead, it is best to feed hydrangeas a more balanced and slow-releasing fertiliser with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium with ratios such as 10-10-10 or 12-12-12.
Water deeply but infrequently
As the weather begins to get sunnier and the temperature rises, hydrangeas will need to be watered more frequently but gardeners need to take care not to overdo it.
Jill said: “Keep the soil moist, but not saturated. This is especially important in summer and in the first year after planting. These flowering shrubs will do best with a deep watering once or twice weekly when it is hot and dry.”
When watering hydrangea, it is best to test the soil moisture rather than watering on a schedule.
All you need to do is stick a finger into the soil near the base of a plant, and if the soil feels dry to touch then it is time to water.
Jill added: “Generally speaking, in good soil with the right amount of sunshine, most hydrangeas are easy to care for. They don’t need watering every day and they’re not too fragile.”
Make sure to water hydrangeas deeply, as it will encourage the roots to grow deeper into the soil and result in a healthier and more resilient plant.
