December 11, 2017

Quick Guide

Hydrangeas are one of our favourites. It’s a shrub like no other. Their beautiful flowers bring life to a summer garden.

With lush flower heads their old-fashioned charm is hard to resist. At Diaco’s we keep things simple. Here is our quick guide to caring for Hydrangeas.

Top Tips

Be sure to use high quality organic slow release fertilizer
Blue hydrangeas need more acidic soil to keep their vibrant blue colour
Pink hydrangeas prefer a more alkaline soil
Flowering finishes in late summer

They love sun in the morning and afternoon shade. Bigleaf varieties can even grow and bloom in partial shade. Apart from climate, your soil type is the most important.

Know Your Soil

To get the best results we recommend preparing your soil. Hydrangeas thrive in rich, porous, moist soils. Add compost to enrich soil. For that extra kick use slow release organic fertiliser. Here are some handy tips for different soil types –

Loam Soil: this type of soil is a gardener’s dream, and hydrangeas love it. Add some slow release fertiliser and you are ready to grow.
Heavy Clay Soil: – drainage is key, so add gypsum to break up the clay. Adding organic matter will create air pockets. It will also add needed nutrients and boost water drainage.
Sandy Soil: – here you will need to increase the soil’s ability to absorb moisture, adding peat moss or mushroom compost will do the trick.

Pro-Tip, good soil will have at least 5-10 per cent organic matter, compost material or humus.

Watering – Moist and Well Drained

Hydrangeas thrive in well-drained moist soil. It’s important that soil is not wet. If you overwater hydrangeas they will produce less flowers. Your soil type will impact watering frequency and quantity. If you are unsure about the soil you have, feel free to get in touch with one of our garden experts in-store.

Mulched plants can go longer periods of time between watering than non-mulched plants. Adding some mulch is a great way of conserving water and keeping the ground cool.

Changing Colours

You have the power to change the colour of your hydrangeas. This is especially true for mophead and lacecap varieties. Adjusting soil pH can transform flowers from blue to pink. The general rule is that more acidic soils with: