7 Tips on How to Grow Hydrangeas in Your Yard:
1. Give them yummy soil.I have heard that you can get more colorful and vibrant hydrangeas if you give them nutrient rich soil. Mix some organic matter into your soil before planting to enrich it. The mixing will also help loosen up the soil, which makes it easier for the roots to spread out and get cozy.
2. Plant at the appropriate depth/width.
You should dig a hole that is slightly deeper/longer than the root ball of the plant. The width of the hole should be 2-3 times as wide as the root ball. Don’t skimp! Do you want to be crammed into a bed you don’t fit into? Nope. So don’t do it to your hydrangeas. Give them lots of room to spread out.
3. They love morning sun.
Who doesn’t? Plant your hydrangeas where they will get morning sun and afternoon shade. This seems to be the combo they prefer, however they should still do well in an area that has partial shade or even full sun.
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| source pic: almanac.com |
4. Don’t crowd them.
See the theme here? Hydrangeas love their space. While you might want a nice and full flower garden, you need to let it happen naturally. Your plants should be spaced at least 3 feet apart. Don’t crowd them together or they could harm each other. This is one of my favorite tips for how to grow hydrangeas.
5. Fertilizer isn’t necessary.
Whaaaaat? No fertilizer? Nope. When you give hydrangeas fertilizer, it actually encourages leaf growth at the expense of your blooms. That isn’t what you want. Instead, stir in plenty of organic matter into the soil to feed the plant and don’t worry about chemical feeds.
Hydrangeas do love to drink however, so be sure they are getting at least 1 inch of water per week applied directly at the base of the plant. A layer of mulch around the base can help the roots retain moisture between watering.
6. Prune as needed.
Pruning can help encourage growth and the best way to do this is to cut back the old and damaged stems down to the base. While with most plants you deadhead them when blooms are spent, you shouldn’t do that with hydrangeas. You actually want to keep spent blooms on and you can remove them in the fall when you do your fall clean up.
7. Try natural pest repellents.
Slugs and other bugs may like to dine on your hydrangeas. You can keep them away by placing slug traps around your plants (a shallow dish with beer which lures them in and helps them meet their demise) or even crushed eggshells around the plant may work.
