How do I know what type of hydrangea I have?

If the flower buds open a green color, then turn white, and as they age turn green or greenish brown, you have an arborescens type. If the flowers open white and stay white until they get old, then you probably have a macrophylla type. White flowering macrophylla types are less common, but they do exist.

What is the most common type of hydrangea?

The most common type of hydrangea is a Bigleaf, or French hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla). These are categorized in mophead (big puffy balls), lacecap (similar to mophead but with tiny buds in the center) and mountain (similar to lacecap, but extremely cold hardy with smaller blooms).

What does a bigleaf hydrangea look like?

Bigleaf hydrangeas leaves can grow to about 4”-6” long and 3”-5” wide. The leaves are thick, shiny and heart-shaped with short stems. Bigleaf hydrangeas prefer shade but not too much shade, as it can result in reduced flowering. Their bloom times occur during June and July and they prefer moist and well-drained soil.

Is my hydrangea old wood or new wood?

Some hydrangea species bloom on last-year's growth, which is often called “old wood.” This old wood contains the flower buds that will open with the coming summer. Pruning in winter or spring would remove the flower buds, leaving us with a bloomless plant this year.

What happens if I don't prune my hydrangea?

What happens if you don't prune hydrangeas? If you don't prune hydrangeas then they can eventually resemble a tangled mass of woody stems, and the flowers will become smaller and less showy. Regular pruning of hydrangeas helps to maintain their shape and also encourages new growth and a better display of blooms.

Identifying Your Hydrangea

Should a hydrangea be cut back in the fall?

When to prune? Prune these hydrangeas only after bloom in the summer and not in the fall. Old wood hydrangeas start developing their bloom buds for next year in August and September. If you don't prune your hydrangeas real soon, then it is better to wait until next year.

When should I cut my hydrangeas back?

Cut back these shrubs in late winter before new growth begins. Because they need to grow and set buds the same year that they bloom, shrubs that flower on new wood generally start blossoming later than old-growth bloomers, beginning in midsummer and continuing until the first frost.

Which hydrangeas do you cut back in fall?

Summer blooming hydrangeas, or those that bloom on new wood, are pruned in the fall, after they stop blooming. Hydrangeas are colorful and vibrant in the early season, but are hard to preserve after being cut. They are easier to care for after they start drying on the bush.

What does a mophead hydrangea look like?

Mopheads. Mophead hydrangeas offer big, dome-shape clusters of flowers in blue, pink, or white. Most mopheads bloom in late spring or early summer. Their flower heads often dry right on the plant and continue looking good into winter.

Do you prune bigleaf hydrangeas?

Prune bigleaf hydrangea when the flowers begin to fade. Prune out flower heads and head back other shoots, as necessary, to encourage branching and fullness. Flower buds will begin forming in late summer for the following season, so avoid pruning after August 1.

Which hydrangea has the largest bloom?

Avantgarde is a unique long-flowering Hydrangea with truely enormous blooms, making it the Worlds largest flowering Hydrangea. Characterising Avantgarde are its large dark leaves and huge umbel of flowers with a minimum diameter of 30cm.

What is the prettiest hydrangea?

Should I cut down my hydrangea for winter?

Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood require pruning in late winter or early spring. Prune to shape, cutting back to about two feet. The pruning promotes new, sturdy growth, which provides the blooms next season.

Should I cut off Brown hydrangea blooms?

Are the blooms on your hydrangea shrubs fading or turning brown? No need to worry – this is simply a sign that it's time to remove the flowers, a process called deadheading. When you deadhead hydrangeas, you aren't harming the plants at all.

How do you winterize hydrangeas?

A good way to start winterizing hydrangeas is to lay down a thick layer of mulch over their root area. Straw works well for this. For even greater protection, cover the shrub with a wire cage, or build a cage around it with strong stakes and chicken wire. Wrap burlap or insulation cloth around the cage.

Should I cut off Brown hydrangea blooms in spring?

While some plants bloom on new growth, others primarily set flower buds on old wood. Regardless, it is best to wait to prune all hydrangeas until spring. In the fall, hydrangeas (and all trees and shrubs) are in the process of going dormant.

Do hydrangeas need full sun?

Hydrangeas like morning sun, but do not do well if they're in direct, hot afternoon sun. Partial shade in the later parts of the day is ideal for these beauties.

Why do my hydrangeas not bloom?

The primary reasons hydrangeas don't bloom are incorrect pruning, bud damage due to winter and/or early spring weather, location and too much fertilizer. Hydrangea varieties can be of the type that blooms on old wood, new wood or both.

What is the easiest hydrangea to grow?

Oakleaf varieties are the easiest type of hydrangeas for beginners to grow. Why are oakleaf hydrangeas so easy? They aren't picky! Oakleaf hydrangeas can tolerate colder weather, handle more sun, withstand drought, are more disease/pest resistant and grow in sandy soil better than other hydrangeas.

Which hydrangeas take the most sun?

Most hydrangeas prefer only morning sun. Yet one type of hydrangea can soak up the sun all day: the panicle hydrangea. While they can stand the sun, these do just fine in partial shade, too. Plus, panicle hydrangeas are the hardiest hydrangeas.

How do I keep my hydrangeas purple?

With a pH between 6 and 7, the blooms turn purple or bluish-pink. To lower your pH, add garden sulfur or aluminum sulfate to your soil. To raise the pH, use ground lime. Follow the directions on the product you use, and retest your soil to make sure the pH is in the range you want.

How do I know if my hydrangea is panicle?

Whereas many bigleaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) can have pink or blue flowers depending on the soil, the color of panicle hydrangeas' flowers do not change based on the soil chemistry. Rather, it is a change in temperature that triggers their flowers to turn from white to pink or red in the fall.

What hydrangeas bloom all year?

The aptly named Endless Summer hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmer' Endless Summer), also known as bigleaf hydrangea, grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 to 9, is one of the rarer varieties that produce blooms on both old and new wood.