Skip to content

A Gardener's Diary: Helping hydrangeas to thrive

It's tricky to grow blue hydrangeas in the North Okanagan, but there are plenty of other gorgeous colours to add to your garden
49304vernonhydrangeasforweb
Gardening expert Jocelyne Sewell provides a few tips for growing hydrangeas and keeping them growing for years to come.

I was driving the other day and a large hydrangea bush caught my eye as I saw pink and blue flowers in the same plant. I know that you can change the colour of the flowers depending on the soil they are growing in (www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/index.html and www.almanac.com/plant/hydrangeas are good sites to find answers to your questions about the many varieties).

About four or five years ago, I brought back some cuttings from a friend’s beautiful hydrangea macrophylla in Mill Bay. One of the cuttings has survived and I have been increasing the size of the pot in which it is growing while I am still looking for the perfect site in the garden as it will not take the afternoon sun. This year it is in a five-gallon pot with 27 blooms, taking the morning sun. The only problem is the weight of the blooms. It looks more like a cascading hydrangea so maybe I have a new species. This type will grow well if it receives afternoon shade or dappled shade all day.

There are many varieties of hydrangeas. Hydrangea arborescens, lacecap hydrangeas, mophead hydrangeas (macrophylla) oakleaf hydrangeas and PeeGee and Family.

Pruning is done differently for some of them. The problem with pruning hydrangeas is that each kind has a specific time of the year that it needs to be pruned and if you miss it it will not bloom the following year. Removing spent or dead flowers and branches can be done any time. Just remove the dead flower or branch right below its base; don’t cut too far down into the growing healthy stem.

The following is taken from this website: www.weekendgardener.net/garden-plants/growing-pruning-hydrangeas-041004.htm

“Summer pruning after flowers fade: this is for hydrangeas that flower on the previous year’s growth; prune these hydrangeas right after they finish blooming. These include hydrangea macrophylla, climbing hydrangea, hydrangea serrata and oakleaf hydrangea. Only prune back to control size and shape and to thin out dead wood.

For the hydrangeas that flower on new growth, prune in late winter or early spring. These include hydrangea arborescens (Anabelle is a popular one) hydrangea aspera, and hydrangea paniculata. Annual pruning may be done back to the ground.”

I have a couple of clumps of the hydrangea arborescens and these are best grown in full sun. I used to cut only a part of the stem but now I cut them down to the ground and they bloom a lot better. If the stems are partly cut, you have weak growth and the stems bend down too easily under the weight of the flowers.

Hydrangeas do best in rich, well- drained soil but are not too fussy and will perform well even in poor soil.

I am cleaning my common purple iris bed and this is the best time for transplanting. Anyone interested in getting some can give me a call. They have to go to a good home soon or the compost pile.

For more information: 250-558-4556 or plantlady1@shaw.ca

Jocelyne Sewell is an organic gardening enthusiast in the North Okanagan and member of Okanagan Gardens & Roses Club. Her column appears every other Wednesday.