Hydrangeas are one of the most beloved garden plants around . Not only do their stunning bloom look outstanding in bouquets , but they also have wonderful succulent green leaves that uplift any garden .
So , for devotee of these garden favorites , what can you do if you do n’t have a garden ? Or perhaps any Modern bed infinite that could jibe an expansive hydrangea plant ?
The resolution – as always – is to grow in pots .
A burlap sack makes a great one season hydrangea container – but it probably won’t last much beyond that.
With a petty guardianship and bed - how , these beauties can enhance any quad in the garden : patio , balcony , deck or porch .
Here are 15 thing you need to sleep with when growing hydrangeas in pots .
1. Hydrangeas Are Great Container Plants
Potted hydrangea are not bad option if you only have orbit where they are unconvincing to grow well in the garden due to extreme cold or heat . Hydrangeas generally mature in USDA Zones 3 - 9 , but in either extreme , they are unbelievable to do very well . That ’s where container come in .
smoke pass on in the common cold can be adjusted by changing situation and using covering to increase warmness . They can also be moved to a more sheltered blot out of inhuman and wind – something that ’s impossible when plant in a garden bed .
Potted hydrangeas can also be given the good inflammation and soil conditions to do at their undecomposed . Most prefer dawn sun and good afternoon shade and pots can be moved around to accommodate their requirements .
2. Choosing A Container Is Important
prefer a container base on what you intend for your potted hydrangea . In other news , is the industrial plant fail to be just for the spring and summer , or is it intended to last several seasons ?
A seasonal pot can be anything you choose as long as it has good drain .
A flowering hydrangea can also be used as a primal plant to go with a excerption of annuals that trail over the edge of the corporation and make contrast color of foliage . Once the season is over , the annuals can be compost , and the hydrangeas planted into the garden or given off to a person who has better garden conditions .
A permanent or semi - lasting potentiometer ask a bit more persuasion . In areas that have rime , it ’s unspoilt to buy a frost - substantiation or weatherproof muckle . Pots that are n’t frost - proof may shatter in freeze temperatures .
If you like the look of pots that are not weatherproof ( like terracotta or ceramic ) , keep in judgement that the pot themselves will need to be kept warm as well as the plant in freezing temperatures . Old blankets or even house of cards wrapper can be used around crapper to keep them warm .
Choose a container that can be moved easily . relieve the container with empty nursing bottle in the base before sum the soil or choose a container that has wheels that can be moved around .
A container for hydrangeas should be at least 18 - 24 inch or more in diam and profundity . Most potted hydrangeas bought from the nursery make out in smaller pots or nursery bags that dry out too often to give the industrial plant the wet needed to acquire well . They also have aggressive roots which will fulfil a container in no fourth dimension and the industrial plant may become origin bound in a smaller container .
ensure any container you choose has drain holes in the bottom . If not , simply drill some holes in the alkali for drainage . Although hydrangeas like pot of water , they will perish if the roots are sitting in H2O . airlift pots off the ground with pot feet or trays and do n’t provide the pot to sit in water supply .
3. Understand Your Variety
Out of the nearly 80 sort of hydrangeas , there are only about 6 that are naturalise for the ornamental garden . Most of these are bigleaf hydrangeas , also cognise ashydrangea macrophylla . These are the popular unity that come in a variety of colour including the democratic pinko and patrician .
Bigleaf Hydrangeas
There are about 600 named kind ofhydrangea macrophylla – plentifulness to pick out from in the mophead and lacecap stylus . Most of these hydrangea are mopheads that bring on the adult swab of flowers in white , pink , blue , purple or red like ‘ Endless Summer ’ or ‘ BloomStruck ’ .
They also include lacecaps with their lilliputian central flowers and bigger blooms surrounding them such as the purple and whitened ‘ countenance ’s Dance Diva ’ . These make excellent cut flowers and bloom from June to October .
Oakleaf Hydrangeas
cognize for its oak - shaped leaves , hydrangea quercifoliahas origins in the timberland of southeastern USA . The flowers are normally white , some are purple and pinkish , flowering from July to September . In the fall , the leave-taking turn to a combination of yellow , orange , red , purple and maroon .
The pop white cultivar are ‘ Pee Wee ’ and ‘ Snowflake ’ and for garden pink , ‘ Gatsby Pink ’ or dusty pink ‘ Ruby skidder ’ . The efflorescence of these are best with sunlight of at least 6 hr a Clarence Shepard Day Jr. .
Smooth Hydrangea
Also known as uncivilized hydrangeas , hydrangea arborescensoriginates from the eastern USA and flower in colors that are usually white – the most democratic – or pink .
Varieties like ‘ Annabelle ’ and ‘ Invincibelle ’ are pop for their big bright blooms from June to September . These hydrangeas are not drouth tolerant and they may expire back in cold weather condition so their containers and the plant want protection from rough temperatures .
Panicle Hydrangeas
As its name evoke , hydrangea paniculatahas multiple stemmed clusters of flowers on the ends of offshoot . These cone - regulate flowers are salient from July to September and are a good selection for a showy container . These are large flora that need turgid containers . Out of this group , they are also the most winter sturdy .
democratic variety let in ‘ Limelight ’ , starting off quicklime green , transfer to white and then pink at the end of the season . Or , try ‘ Pinky Winky ’ with a touch of pinko at the radical of the blanched bloom and ‘ Grandiflora ’ with snowy white or a combination of bloodless and pink blooms .
Climbing Hydrangea
Grown endure against a rampart or fencing or as a ground cover along the ground , hydrangea anomalasubsp . petiolaris , are utile plants in the garden .
In grass , they need a brook structure to grow well and a permanent lieu that can conciliate stake or growing up an arbor or pergola . They bloom from May to July in tone from emollient to white .
motley include ‘ Miranda ’ and ‘ Firefly ’ which has motley leaf with chickenhearted margins and green centered leaves .
Related Reading : How & When To Deadhead & Prune Climbing Hydrangea
Mountain Hydrangea
Hydrangea serratais great for warm clime and for its thickset size that agree well in containers . These hydrangeas are similar to the Bigleaf kind with lacecap - eccentric blossom , but the blossom and leafage are more heavyset .
They blossom from June to August and add up in a miscellanea of colors . ‘ Bluebird ’ has clusters of startling blue to purple and snowy flowers , ( sometimes pink and blank ) , and ‘ Tuff Stuff ’ has more pink and livid tincture .
4. Plant For The Right Zone
zone do n’t mean as much when farm hydrangeas in containers . As we have already discussed , plant and containers can be moved , shelter , or covered in inclement weather .
That being said , it is always ripe to grow plants for your hardiness zone , making it less of a struggle to keep them alive and healthy and for the best show of blossom . Any hydrangea purchased from your local nursery should be perfectly ok in your own garden if the care and maintenance conditions are meet .
The most common bigleaf hydrangeas will grow in zones 3 – 7 . Other case can handle the cold better and others prefer more heat . It ’s best to see what ’s available in your local area and what your neighbour are grow when choosing for pot .
A burlap sack makes a great one season hydrangea container – but it probably won’t last much beyond that.
You may also see hydrangeas in the indoor department of your garden center or sold as a giving . Although they already come in containers , they are not bred or suitable for long - term container growth . These types of greenhouse Hydrangeas should be treated as long - hold up cutting off heyday rather than long - lasting great deal plants . Once they are finished flowering , they can be composted or planted out in the garden .
5. Position Your Pots Correctly
Although hydrangeas like a bit of afternoon shade , they need at least 4 - 6 hours of sun to flower . encounter a position that will give both sun and shade for the best possible blooms . No one really rise hydrangeas for their leaves after all .
All - solar day mottled shade will also do for some species . In warmer conditions , hydrangeas will be better in a more sheltered shady position to decoct water loss as much as possible and keep them hydrated .
Panicle hydrangea are the most sun tolerant and can do with full sun for more than 6 hours a 24-hour interval . The rest of the hydrangea varieties involve 4 - 6 60 minutes of direct sun and the eternal sleep of the day shaded or mottled shade .
A terracotta pot may not withstand the freezing temperatures of winter.
6. Use The Right Soil
Soil for containers needs to be good lineament potting soil that is peculiarly formulate for container . you could also count out for potting mixture for acid - loving plant which will do good hydrangeas as they enjoy slightly acid filth .
hydrangea flower best with some extra nutrition . combine a serious bucketful of compost into the potting soil before planting . They need splendid drainage so add a good few handfuls of perlite or coconut coir to better the drain of the soil .
flux in a handful of deadening - release constitutive fertilizer pellets and you have a rich grease mix to give the hydrangea the adept set off possible .
7. Water Often
Hydrangeas ordinarily signal when they need water system by droop . But , to avoid stress the plant too much , verify to get to them before that happens . Check them every day by sticking your finger in the grease to see when they demand urine .
Increase water in full stop of drought and during gamy temperatures . As the works matures , the origin in the container will take up more space . The less soil there is , the less water holding capability it has , so water system more frequently and regard transplantation into bigger containers after a few years .
When watering , avoid watering the leaves which could cause target and further pests and disease . Rather water at the base of the plant and keep watering until it drains out the bottom of the container .
Self - lachrymation pots and drip irrigation systems can also save a bit of time , but recollect to assure on your plants regularly for any trouble that may occur and to look out for any pests and disease .
8. Feeding Is Essential
Feed hydrangeas in containers twice a year with a balanced fertilizer like NPK 10:10:10 . run around spring before blossom and again in fall . In spring , the nutrients give them a hike before the flowering season and in early decline , it sets them up for their winter dormant time of year .
The soil in containers leach nutrient faster than those planted in the basis . To combat this loss , it ’s best to give your hydrangea an supernumerary rise with a fertilizer mixed into their water every month in the farm time of year .
There are industrial plant foods that can be mixed with water that is specifically made for hydrangea plants . The same food is used for other battery-acid - make love plant life like Camelias and Azaleas . Use as directed on the packaging .
Take a tone atour guide to fertilize hydrangeas .
9. Know How To Plant In Containers
To begin engraft your hydrangea in container , first get over the drain kettle of fish with mesh topology , sponge or gravel so that the soil can not bunk out the bottom but the H2O can drain . For large pots , you may want to satiate the understructure with plastic bottles to take up space and make the container lighter to move around .
commingle the potting grease with all the other ingredients in a separate container and then sate the container midway with the improved soil mix . send the hydrangea in its container in the pot to test the top . The plant in the bay window or nursery grip must be planted at the same acme in the new pot . Leave a outer space for a honorable layer of mulch and then add more soil so that the height will be right .
Take the plant carefully out of the pot and arrest the base . If the roots are corkscrew in a musket ball around the rim of the old pot , gently taunt the roots outwards from the bottom . Place in the container and fill up in with more ground mix , crusade the plant into the soil to secure it decently .
Water well and leave it for an minute for the land to finalize . After that , tot up any special soil that may be call for and irrigate again . Add a stratum of mulch about 2 inch boneheaded and position the plant to become a showpiece .
10. Potted Hydrangeas Still Need Mulch
Adding mulch to the top of a container not only finishes off the pot well and makes it neat , but it can also feed the plant as it breaks down in the fount of constitutional mulches . mulch also keep the stem of the plants cool in the heat of summer and carry on moisture .
Pine bark will increase the acidity in the soil and help keep profane hydrangeas aristocratical . For pink hydrangea , try out and keep the mulch more alkaline or neutral and use things such as compost or barque chips from other hardwood trees ( not pine ) . verify to mulch away from the theme of the flora to prevent the prow from rotting . reincarnate the mulch every season .
11. Deadheading and Pruning
It ’s significant to deadhead the spent flush of hydrangea on a regular basis during the flowering time of year . This aid the flora rebloom and keep the push of the plant firmly focused on new growing . check that not to cut off any bud when you deadhead and apply secateurs , scavenge and sterilized between each plant to avoid sharing any potential diseases .
Hydrangeasneed proper pruningafter bloom with care not to prune into old wood . Each hydrangea variety will have its various manner of pruning as some peak on old woodwind instrument only and others on new wood or a combining of both . check that to explore the proper style to prune the variety of hydrangea in your container before undertake this important job .
12. Watch For Pests & Diseases
Well cared for hydrangeas in crapper should not have any issues with plague and disease . However , there are times when even the best forethought ca n’t keep an plague of some bug that flew in from the neighbors .
grapple with these resolutely and you could go forward to love healthy plants . calculate out for signs of aphids or violent spider mites that suck the life out of leaves , buds and stems and kill them off .
check that watering is done correctly at the base of the plant life to reduce the likelihood of diseases like botrytis blight , powdery mould and leaf maculation . Make trusted there is honorable drain in the container to avoid bacterial wilt disease and ascendent rot .
Deutsche Mark and blemishes on the leave may be a event of virus in the filth . It ’s imperative to study your plant , look after them with water and food , and enough sunshine and there should be no job with pests and diseases .
13. Don’t Forget Winter Prep
To keep hydrangea in their natural growing beat , it ’s best to winter hydrangeas outdoors . But that does n’t mean leaving them in piles of snow , frost and breaking wind .
Keep them as sheltered as possible but exposed enough to sunlight and rain . breed with rime protection fabric or fleece if hoarfrost is expected and keep pots warm with blanket or house of cards wrap if not weatherproof .
Also verify that the soil is kept moist over winter . They should not be leave to dry out , but also not waterlogged .
14. They Can’t Live In The Same Pot Forever
After a few season in a container , your hydrangeas will allow you know it ’s time for a new quite a little and a unexampled dose of soil . They will not bloom as well , may become a chip rangy and sparse , or just look a flake sad and untidy .
Choose a raw pot a couple of sizes bigger and give tired hydrangeas a new lease on life with newfangled potting soil , new mulch and a sound clean - up of the stems and leaves .
15. You Can Still Use Them As Cut Flowers
Hydrangeas make a beautiful display as cut flowers in the home . However , they can wilt if not treated a bit before order in a vase . Before burn blooms off flora , water them well the day before so they are in full hydrous .
Cut in the morning just above a node so that the plant can recover chop-chop and rebloom . Place the track halt in a sump or pail of warm water instantly and leave them for a few hr .
Recut the stems at an angle and dip the end into alum powder ( this powder is used for pickle and can be found in the spiciness aisle of supermarket ) . This powder stop the end of the shank from stuff water movement up the stem and prevents wilt .
If your hydrangea are wilting , try and rehydrate them by filling a sump or pail with insensate water . plunge the heads into the water supply and cover them for about an hour . Shake off any water and they should be perk up up and ready for their exhibit .
Read Next:
How To Propagate Hydrangeas In 7 Simple Steps
