Hydrangeas with their magnificent flowers are a real feast for the eyes in the garden. The popular shrubs can also be grown in a pot on the balcony or terrace. Find out how to care for the colorful hydrangeas in this post!
Characteristics
- Latin name: hydrangea
- Order: Dogwood-like (Cornales)
- Family: Hydrangea family (Hydrangeaceae)
- Genus: hydrangeas
- Flowering period: June to August / September
- Flower color: white, red, blue, pink, purple
- Height: up to 2m
Location
Around 60 hydrangea species grow in the wild, mainly in Europe and Asia. There they are mainly found along watercourses and damp forest edges. But in the garden or on the terrace or The plant feels at home on the balcony - provided the location has the right conditions. Most hydrangeas prefer a spot in partial shade and enjoy the sun in the mornings and afternoons. However, some varieties also cope well with shade, such as peasant, forest and climbing hydrangeas. In general, the location should also have the following properties:
- sheltered from the wind
- sufficient distance to other shallow roots
- Balcony facing west or east
- Protect from direct midday sun
Soil / substrate
With regard to the substrate, the hydrangea definitely has its requirements, because it thrives best in fresh and deep soils. The soil should also be very nutritious, as the plant has a very high need for nutrients. However, if the existing substrate does not meet the optimal requirements, it can be improved with compost. The following substrates, among others, are suitable for hydrangeas:
- Mixture of peat and compost
- Hydrangea soil
- Rhododendron earth
- Azalea earth
- Expanded clay
Pots / tubs
Hydrangeas can also be cultivated in a pot on the balcony or terrace without any problems. It is important to ensure that the pot size corresponds to the size of the plant. Pots that are too large are not only unwieldy, they also take up unnecessary space
a. The vessels should also have drainage holes so that excess irrigation water can drain away. After all, hydrangeas like a damp subsoil, but cannot tolerate waterlogging.sowing
In this country, hydrangeas are usually sold in containers or as bare-rooted specimens. Germable seeds, on the other hand, are only rarely available. The extraction of seeds also turns out to be difficult, since many new breeds no longer produce seeds. It is therefore generally recommended to use cuttings to propagate them. If you still want to try your luck with sowing, it is best to proceed as follows:
- Fill small vessels with potting soil
- Spread seeds in it
- Put a very thin layer of soil on top
- Carefully moisten the soil
- Cover the vessel with plastic wrap
- Remove the foil from time to time to prevent rot
Note: The small vessels are best watered with a sprayer so that the seeds are not washed away.
Prick and harden
It can take a while for the seeds to germinate. As soon as the small plants have reached a height of around 10 centimeters, they are pricked out and put in their own pots. However, the plants should by no means be outside as they are still very sensitive. It is better to continue caring for them in a warm, sheltered place. The hydrangeas should also stay in the house during the first winter, although the location should be as cool as possible. A good place for the first winter is, for example, a stairwell or a basement room. Only from the second year onwards can the hydrangeas slowly get used to the outdoors:
- Keep the plant outside for a short time
- Avoid blazing midday sun
- protect from rain and wind
Planting
Before the hydrangeas are planted, they should first be given plenty of water. In the case of container plants, it is usually sufficient to immerse the root ball in a bucket of water and wait until no more air bubbles rise. For bare-rooted specimens, however, it is advisable to soak the plants in water for around two hours. This allows the roots to soak up water and are therefore ideally equipped for planting.
The planting itself is an easy one and is designed as follows:
- Dig out a sufficiently large planting hole
- Loosen the earth
- Place the plant so that the root ball is at ground level
- Fill the planting hole with soil
- Trample the substrate firmly
- pour abundantly
Note: The root system should always be checked before insertion. If some roots are spiraling on the wall of the pot, they should be removed. Otherwise the shrub would be hindered from growing.
support
A support is not a must for hydrangeas, but it is recommended for some varieties. These include above all hydrangeas that form large inflorescences, such as snowball hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) and farmer's hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla). Various utensils can be used as a support, all of which have their advantages and disadvantages. For example, many individual branches can be supported with bamboo sticks, but they can look unattractive. That is why many hobby gardeners use the following supports:
- Perennial rings: circular | good for smaller plants
- Perennial holder: semicircular | good for larger plants
Fertilize
Hydrangeas are among the heavy eaters and have a correspondingly high nutritional requirement. Unfortunately, it is not enough with a nutritious soil, which is why the plants need additional fertilization. Both a special hydrangea and a conventional rhododendron fertilizer are suitable for this. These fertilizers not only provide the plant with the essential nutrients, but also ensure that the soil remains acidic. As an alternative to this, however, there are also cattle manure pellets, which are incorporated into the upper soil layer in spring or autumn. In general, however, the fertilization of hydrangeas is manageable:
- Fertilize until the end of July
- Shoots mature until late summer / autumn
- thereby develop good frost resistance
Note: Phosphate-rich fertilizers, such as blue corn, are not suitable for hydrangeas. Because they inhibit the absorption of aluminum salts and thus prevent the flowers from turning blue.
to water
The hydrangea lives up to its botanical name "Hydrangea" (water slipper), because it is very thirsty and therefore has to be watered often and regularly. The plant prefers a constantly moist surface, which, however, must neither be too wet nor too dry. It may therefore be necessary to water hydrangeas several times a day, especially on hot summer days. For specimens cultivated in pots, there are water reservoirs that release the water slowly and continuously. The following points should also be observed when watering:
- best to water with rainwater
- Softened drinking water is also suitable
- Tap water, on the other hand, is too hard
- Avoid waterlogging at all costs!
Note: If hydrangeas let their leaves droop at lunchtime in summer, they should definitely be watered more!
Cut
With regard to pruning, no general statement can be made for hydrangeas, as this depends on the particular person
Kind is dependent. Peasant, velvet and plate hydrangeas plant their buds in the previous year and should never be cut back in spring, as this will prevent flowering. These species are usually only thinned out and freed from frozen and dry branches. The best way to do this is to cut the inflorescences above the bud. Ball and panicle hydrangeas, on the other hand, bloom on the new wood and can be cut back as follows:- Prune back in late autumn or winter
- on one pair of eyes per branch
Note: If you are not sure whether to cut or not, it is best to check the plant after the winter. If it is budding, it should not be pruned.
Overwinter
Hydrangeas can cope with local winters quite well, but frost and prolonged sub-zero temperatures can certainly be a problem for them. It is therefore advisable to protect the plants appropriately from frost. In general, it is advisable to apply a layer of foliage in the root area, which is then covered with fir branches. If the temperatures drop below 5 degrees Celsius and / or the hydrangeas have just been planted, they should be given additional protection. In this case, covering with a fleece hood is recommended. In addition, the following must be observed when wintering:
- Potted plants can overwinter indoors
- at around 5 - 8 degrees Celsius
- Cut out frozen branches in spring
Note: Farmer hydrangeas are particularly susceptible to severe bald frosts, as they form their buds in the previous year. If not adequately protected, the buds will freeze and flowering will fail in spring.
Multiplication
The best way to propagate hydrangeas is to use green cuttings, which are taken from the mother plant in early summer. For this purpose, young shoots without buds are cut off in July and then divided into individual pieces. These should each have a pair of leaves at the top and bottom. With these pieces, hydrangeas can usually be reliably propagated as follows:
- Fill the vessel with potting soil
- Put the lower end in the rooting powder
- promotes the formation of the plant
- Put the cuttings in potting soil
- carefully pour on
- Cover the vessel with plastic wrap
Pests and diseases
The pretty hydrangeas are not only a feast for the eyes for hobby gardeners, because they also attract numerous pests. The plants are often attacked by aphids and scale insects as well as black weevils, red spider mites and blind bugs. Hydrangeas can also cause diseases, whereby they are particularly susceptible to gray mold, hydrangea virus, leaf spots and powdery mildew.
Care errors
When hobby gardeners happily wait for the hydrangea to bloom, but it does not happen, the disappointment is often great. It is not uncommon for the plants not to produce flowers. However, this can usually be traced back to care errors and thus avoided accordingly. If the flower does not bloom, the following could be responsible:
- too much pruning
- too much sun
- unbalanced fertilizer
- Wrong hibernation / insufficient frost protection