In flower gardens, around fence borders and in front yards, you can find beautiful hydrangea bushes.These plants produce large clusters of small flowers in various shades of pink, blue, purple, white or a combination of colors that last well into autumn.Learn how to care for and plant dry hydrangeas so you can enjoy them all year long.
Step 1: There is a variety of hydrangea.
To figure out which variety is best for your garden, you'll need to find out what type of hydrangea you want to plant.You can start by looking at a planting zone map.There are a lot of different types of hydrangeas.If you are planting these flowers for the first time, you may want to check out the hardy varieties that produce long- lasting blooms.If you want bigleaf hydrangeas to do well in colder regions, you need to protect them from frost.You can find the "Endless Summer" mop-head variety at your local nursery.Large balls of pink or blue blossoms are produced by this type of hydrangea.The oakleaf hydrangea grows well in places with hot summers.It is hardy in zone 4b/6a.White blossoms are present in this type of hydrangea.Annabelle hydrangeas are more hardy than mophead and oakleaf and can still grow in zone 3.The white blossoms of this type of hydrangea turn green later in the season.Peegee hydrangeas can grow all the way up to zone 3a.They are able to grow in the south.There are white blossoms.
Step 2: Plant in the spring or fall.
One of these milder seasons will give the hydrangeas time to acclimatize to the soil conditions and take root before the weather gets more extreme.In the early spring or early fall, look for hydrangea plants.
Step 3: There is a good planting spot.
Plants can be grown in planting beds or in large pots.You'll need a spot that gets full sun in the morning and partial shade at the end of the day.If you have a shady yard, choose the bigleaf hydrangeas.
Step 4: Compost can enrich the soil.
There is rich, well-drained soil that is kept moist.If you're working with dry or depleted soil, you should use compost to prepare it for hydrangeas.Peat can help with drainage if your soil tends to hold water.
Step 5: There is a wide hole in the soil.
The hold you dig should be twice as wide as the root ball on the plant.To dig a big hole to accommodate the plant's roots, use a spade or shovel.If you're planting more than one, they should be separated by at least 5 feet.You should check the instructions that came with your variety.Some hydrangeas need to be planted at least 10 feet apart.
Step 6: The hydrangea can be planted.
It's important to make sure the roots of the hydrangea get watered at the time of planting, so start by setting the root ball in the hole you dug.Give the hole water by filling it with soil.The soil should be placed around the base of the hydrangea.The roots of the hydrangeas can fail if they are planted too deeply.If you don't plant your hydrangeas deep enough, they could fall over.
Step 7: The soil needs to be moist.
If the soil gets too dry, you should water them every day or two, especially during the hot summer months.Instead of spraying the water directly onto the flowers, water them near the base of the plants and above the roots.
Step 8: Prune when necessary.
New flowers don't need to be trimmed; if you do so, you may not get new blossoms the following spring.If you have older hydrangeas that need to be cut back, make sure you do it at the right time of year, according to the variety of hydrangea you planted.After the late summer blossoms have faded, bigleaf hydrangea varieties should be trimmed.In the late winter or early spring or fall are the best times to fertilize Pee Gee Hydrangea.This variety blooms on the wood in the current season.If your bush is too big, don't cut to the ground.After the spring bloom, the Annabelle Hydrangea can be cut down to the ground.In late winter or early spring, before the blooms emerge, Oakleaf and other hydrangeas should be trimmed.
Step 9: Over the winter, protect the hydrangeas.
To cover them, place mulch, straw, or pine needles at a depth of at least 18 inches.You can cover the entire plant if you have smaller bushes.After the last frost, remove the cover.Chicken wire can be used to help mulch stay around the crown of the plant.
Step 10: The color of the plants should be changed.
The pH of the soil in which the hydrangeas are planted has an effect on their color.Changing the soil's pH is possible if you have pink or blue hydrangeas.It can take weeks or months, so be patient.Wait until your plant has been in the garden for at least two years before attempting a color change.Adding sulfur or peat moss will lower the soil's pH.Changing flowers from blue to pink is more difficult than changing them from pink to blue.White flowers don't change color.The first few inches of soil around your plant's roots should be mixed with soil amendments.
Step 11: When the flowers are young, harvest them.
The flowers have a papery consistency if you wait until the color is rich.The flowers will be easier to dry.Cut the stems with scissors or a tool.
Step 12: To preserve them, dry them.
When dried, hydrangeas preserve beautifully.Their color stays bright for a long time, and they hold their shape for years before they break.One way to dry hydrangeas is to hang them upside down.There is a doorway in a dark room with stems pinned to it.Put them in a vase and let them hang until they are completely dry.They should be dry in water.The stems should be placed in a vase filled with water.The water will evaporate as the flowers dry.Use the gel.Place the blossoms in a container.The flowers will be dry after a week or two.