Here’s How to Care for Hydrangeas

Last fall, as we neared the end of a very long backyard makeover, we planted thirty hydrangea plants. We planted two varieties, Limelight Prime and Little Quickfire, both considered panicle hydrangeas (more on that later). Well, you best believe I spent the whole winter researching how to keep those pretty babies alive come spring. I’ve teamed up with Home Hardware to share the tips I learned on caring for Hydrangeas.

Here’s what you need:

• Auto Reel Garden Hose

• Watering Hose Wand

• Miracle-Gro Shake N Feed Plant Fertilizer

• Garden Pruners

• Cedar Mulch

Here are the top four factors to consider when caring for hydrangeas:

1. LIGHT - Different varieties of hydrangeas like different amounts of light, so be sure to do your research and determine how many hours of light your garden gets. As I mentioned, I picked panicle varieties that thrive in full sun (4-6 hours) as our pool area gets all afternoon sun.

2. SOIL - Hydrangeas like well-drained soil but aren’t super picky. Some varieties of hydrangea will also change colour based on the pH (acidity/alkalinity) of the soil.

3. WATER - Did you know that “HYDRA-” is the Greek root for water? Hydrangeas love water! During extreme heat and/or drought conditions, hydrangeas need to be watered daily or every other day. When it isn’t as hot, they will still need to be watered a couple of times a week. Using a layer of cedar mulch around the hydrangeas helps the soil retain moisture.

4. FERTILIZER - Using a general all-purpose fertilizer like Miracle-Gro Shake N Feed Flowering Tree and Shrub Fertilizer, helps promote beautiful blooms. Apply it around the base of the plant in the early spring and again in the early fall, but don’t over-do it.

There are so many different varieties of hydrangeas, but they usually fit into one of the three species listed below. Knowing the species is important as it will dictate how you prune and care for your plants.

• Hydrangea Paniculata (also called panicle hydrangeas)varieties bloom on new wood and typically have cone shaped flowers. Some common varieties of panicle hydrangeas include Limelight, Bobo, Fire Light, and Quick Fire.

• Hydrangea Arborescens (also called smooth hydrangeas) varieties have large snowball-like blooms. These varieties also bloom on new wood. Some common varieties of smooth hydrangea include Annabelle, Incrediball, and Invicibelle.

• Hydrangea Macrophylla (also called big leaf hydrangeas)varieties often bloom once in the spring and again in the summer. These varieties bloom on old wood, which is important to know when pruning. The pH (acidity/alkalinity) of the soil affects the colour of the blooms on this type of hydrangea - they are often shades of pink, purple, or blue.

Since I have panicle hydrangeas, I left all the dried blooms over the winter on the plant. As an added bonus, this provided some nice winter interest in my garden. In the spring, once I could see the tiniest of buds forming on the stems, I went in with my favourite clippers. I pruned the bush down to about two-thirds of its current size and cut right above a healthy looking pair of buds. You also want to remove any small, spindly branches (I looked for any branches smaller than a pencil). This helps promote thicker branches and a stronger plant.

After pruning, I fertilized and added a layer of mulch because hydrangeas love water and mulch will help to keep the moisture in your soil. Which brings me to watering, probably the most important part of caring for hydrangeas!

We knew our plant babies would require almost daily watering through the heat of summer and our current set up of pulling a hose around from the front of our house every day was just NOT convenient. We installed this incredible Gardena Automatic Hose Reel on our shed and it has been a game changer. It has a 25m hose which reaches all of our plants, as well as fittings to easily click on different attachments, like my favourite watering wand which helps me water at the base of the plant without bending over.

My hydrangeas have almost doubled in size since pruning and fertilizing in April and I am thrilled how the pool area is looking. I’m hoping in the next 4 weeks we will start to get big, beautiful blooms lining the fence. Follow along @jyll_mackie to see this view transform!