The Charleston Real Estate Search.com

The Secret to Colorful Hydrangeas

So many of you emailed me about the white Hydrangea that today I am sharing the information with all of you.  I must confess, I didn’t know this.  I had to ask.  But isn’t that the benefit of Garden Club?  You really don’t need to know.  You just need to know who will know and how to ask. 

 Surround yourself with happy, knowledgeable people and you will live well.

Today’s Expert: Sue Lawley of The Garden Club of Charleston  

This will usually work on most plants — sometime the “special” varieties developed won’t change, but try it and see.  I wouldn’t recommend using on French hydrangeas (lace caps).  They tend to be blue in acid soils and pink in alkaline soils.  A more neutral soil produces a purple bloom for these specimens. 

For blue hydrangeas, dissolve 1 tablespoon of aluminum sulfate in a gallon of water and drench the soil around the base of plants in March, April and May. (Aluminum Sulfate is available at most garden centers.)

For pink hydrangeas, dissolve 1 tablespoon of hydrated lime in a gallon of water, and soak the roots in April and May.  Avoid getting the lime mix on foliage.  It will cause the leaves to have spots on them. (Hydrated lime is also available at most garden centers.)

If you want white hydrangeas, plant selections such as ’Annabelle’ smooth hydrangea (H. arborescens ‘Annabelle’), ‘Snowflake’ oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia ‘Snowflake’), ‘Tardiva’ (H. paniculata ‘Tardiva’), or ‘Le Cygne’ French hydrangea (H. macrophylla ‘LeCygne’).

Fertilization:  top dress plants with a granular 10-10-10 fertilizer in early spring.  Hydrangea will let you know when they are dry.  If they wilt in the afternoon, they are usually okay, but if they’re flagging early in the morning, they need a drink. 

Propagation from cuttings:  Cut a 12-15 inch piece off a non blooming branch (July or August).  Cut the clipped stem in two or more pieces, making sure that each section has at least two nodes that can be placed in the potting soil.  Strip the foliage, except for the top few leaves of each cutting.  Pour rooting compound into a small container and dip the bottom end of the cutting into the compound.  Make a straight hole in potting soil.  Slide the cutting into the hole and gently pull soil up around it (make sure that the two leaf nodes are buried).  Water thoroughly, drenching the soil.  Use a plant tag and print the name and date on it.  Set plant out in a shady location and keep soil moist.  Leave the cutting in the pot for a year or two to establish a fibrous root system.  Some of the vigorous selections will be ready in a year.  Cuttings may be left outside unless temperatures drop into the low teens.  If this happens, find a protected place to put them until temperatures come up (a sunroom, garage, greenhouse, etc.).  I usually don’t bother bringing my cuttings in because the area where I have my “nursery” plants is protected by evergreens and a fence.