Big, bold & beautiful
Vibrant hydrangeas come in many colours and offer lots of options, writes Ginny Clark.
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT hydrangeas would be one of the most popular summer flowering plants of 2022?
The flowers last for months and for those that are time poor, they are a winner.
I remember as a child, picking off the big flower stems and having battles with the cousins. As I was the youngest, they would pick on me and I would end up with all the flowers through my hair. Thus, getting caught out.
At the time I had no idea what these big flowers were. I now appreciate them a whole lot more and love the vibrancy through the summer months.
Hydrangeas are brilliant for both the modern garden and pots and the range that we have available now is extensive. They are about to come into flower and, once they do, they rush out the door as people love to use them for a bold colour splash.
Hydrangeas can be used in many different ways. Plant as a backbone in the garden, blend into shrub borders, plant under trees or along the cool shady side of the house or use as colour in pots on the patio and around your shady front door areas.
The colours range from pure white blooms of Bridal Bouquet, right through to the Gentian Blue of Blue Diamond and raspberry blooms of Bloody Marvellous (aka Raspberry Crush). Annabelle is another popular white with a flower which is more like a soft brush.
Hydrangea flowers can change colour depending on the soil fertility. As an example, in the BOP, pink hydrangeas will often change to a mauve or blue. Flower colour can be easily changed by adding lime to keep things pink or aluminium sulphate for blue (Tui Blue Hydrangea enhancer). Changes should appear in a few weeks. The commercial flower growers plant hydrangeas in bags so they can control the ph of the soil and thus the colour of the flower.
Prune your Hydrangeas to keep to the size you want — see our website for a video guide on how to prune them. Keep them well-watered, especially through the summer. Plant with some quality “Magic” compost and general garden fertiliser. The whites definitely prefer shade. Plant en masse for the best displays and enjoy colour all summer long.