Can a potted hydrangea I was given last March be planted in the garden?
Stefan says: Almost certainly, your hydrangea is one of the round-headed, so-called moptop varieties, which are grown extensively for use as houseplants. Commonly, you’ll find two or three individual cuttings have been planted in the same pot to create a decent-sized plant. None of these mop-top kinds are tender and they should thrive in your garden. I’ve planted ‘indoor’ hydrangeas outside and they’ve succeeded.
However, assuming the plant has been indoors since you received it, you’ll need to harden it off first. Once we’re well into spring, April say, put it outside, still in its pot, water and feed it through the summer and then plant it in your chosen position in the early autumn.
Don’t prune it for the first year, and bear in mind that, depending on your garden soil,
the flowers may not be the same colour as they were in the pot.
Perfect for filling gaps in beds and borders with masses of beautiful blousy flowers, rock roses (helianthemum) are hardy, drought-tolerant and easy to grow. With just a little pruning after flowering in late spring/summer, they’ll reward you with another flush of flowers in late summer. They’ll bring bees, butterflies and other beneficial wildlife to your garden. Ideal as a ground cover plant or for growing in rockeries, gravel areas or hot and dry borders. Delivery from early March. Supplied as 6 jumbo plugs.
Product Number: 480357. Only £9.99.