Hydrangeas are one of the most popular garden plants around, and it’s not hard to see why. The huge blooms are so striking, and they come in so many gorgeous colours, plus they’re simple to look after as well.
July is the ideal time to put some work into your hydrangeas, with one task in particular being ‘perfect’ for doing this month. Taking hydrangea cuttings so you can propagate them is something that often trips a lot of people up, despite being relatively easy. According to Michael the Mediterranean Gardener, there’s one ‘crucial’ thing that people do wrong when taking these cuttings.
How to take hydrangea cuttings
Taking hydrangea cuttings is a great way to boost growth for the following year. However, one problem that gardeners often face is their cuttings dying off before they’ve had a chance to grow.
Thankfully, Michael showed off a quick-fire tutorial on how to take cuttings so that they ‘take’ properly, highlighting the most common slip-up that causes them to wilt quicker.
First, locate a straight stem on your hydrangea that doesn’t have a flower bud on it, around six inches in length. Snip it off just below the third leaf node.
Moving fast is really important for this next step, Michael warned, as the longer the cutting is exposed to air, the quicker it will wilt. Mix up a 50/50 mix of compost and horticultural grit, take a small pot and fill it up with the mixture.
Then, take the cutting and remove all of the leaves, except for the set at the top of the stem. Cut these two leaves in half, but not all the way off.
Biggest hydrangea cutting mistake
If you’ve made it this far only to find your hydrangeas are failing to grow, the biggest mistake at play is all to do with where you’re planting the cuttings.
Michael said: “Place the cuttings around the side of the pot, not the middle. Give it a good spray with water, then use a plastic sandwich bag or similar over the top. This keeps the humidity around the plants up, and will stop your cuttings from wilting.”