Over the past few months I have received many messages asking what I do to get my hydrangeas to look so good. If you go back a year I knew absolutely nothing about hydrangeas. I think much of my experience was good luck but I’ve learnt a lot from people on my Instagram account as well as some other blogs online. So I thought it would be a good idea to put all the info here for others to learn from.
I had an area down the side of the house that didn’t have much in the way of foliage, just a few pencil pines from when we moved in. Because this area of the garden is visible from the dining room, kitchen and formal lounge I decided it needed a splash of colour. I decided this area would be good for hydrangeas because they don’t like too much sun. And this area is in shade most of the day except for a small window after lunch when it gets some direct sun for 1-2 hrs.
Lucky for me my sister worked at a wholesale nursery at the time so she sourced them for me at a great price. Whenever I plant a new plant in the ground I dig a hole and fill it with some worm juice from the worm cafe and let that absorb into the ground. You could use Seasol if you don’t have a worm farm. I then pop the plant into the ground and sprinkle new soil to fill up the hole (not the original soil that was dug out). I then finish by watering it with another can of worm juice.
Originally these hydrangeas did not have flowers. Once the winter came they went to sticks as they do and I cut them right back so that only two little buds were visible. I then just left them alone. Come spring they exploded with new growth.
- Choose the right location. Mostly shady, with a splash of sun (preferably morning sun) however mine have tolerated the afternoon sun quite well as it isn’t for very long. If your hydrangeas are in a spot that is too sunny you might find the petals and leaves get burnt on the edges. Some people use shade cloths, towels or umbrellas if there’s going to be an unusually hot day. Strangely once you develop a love for hydrangeas they can become like your babies.
- Plant in the right soil. Hydrangeas will change colour depending on the PH level of the soil. Mine turned out completely different colours to what I expected, which isn’t a bad thing necessarily as they still looked stunning but it did throw off my whole purple and blue themed garden.
- Make sure you cut them back in the winter. Don’t be afraid to really hack them right back. The new growth will surprise you.
- Hydrangeas love water. I’ve heard it said that you can’t overwater them. I do mine early in the morning on hot weather days. I also like to mist mine and wet the whole plant, not just watering at the roots.
- I’ve also sprinkled coffee grounds around the base of mine to prevent slugs and snails from eating all the leaves.
- Hydrangeas can also benefit from rose fertiliser which so far I haven’t used but plan to going forward as I give these babies some more attention. There’s also a liquid version available here.
- If you’re wanting your hydrangeas to have more of a blue hue you can find a bluing compound Manutec 600g Hydrangea Blue Fertiliser sold at Bunnings here. This changes the pH of the soil making it acidic and increasing the amount of aluminium available for the hydrangea to absorb. But don’t overdo it. As this could cause aluminium toxicity. So just vary in small doses to begin with. White hydrangeas are not likely to change colour but you could use this product with pink hydrangeas and they may change.
The variety I have in my garden are called Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Mathilda Gutges’
For a full list of all the plants in my garden click here.
Waldorf Grange Build 