Pruning Tips Panicle (Hydrangea ... - Winter …

1 General hydrangea CareIf you plant hydrangeas in the summer, they need alot more water in the beginning to establish the rootsystem. Use a root stimulator to water in when youfirst plant your varieties thrive in full sun to part shade, as longas they are planted in moist, rich deeply once a week, and maybe more, if theweather is particularly hot or dry. Hydrangeas have areputation for being water hungry. Some types maywilt more than others during the heat of a summerafternoon. This is because their large leaves aregiving off water faster than the roots of the plant canreplace it. As soon as the sun goes down, they perkback up. Check the soil moisture level to a depth of 4-5 . If it s moist, put off watering until it s dry. A 2 layerof a good, high-quality shredded bark mulch will helpkeep the soil moist and the plant roots fertilization needs vary greatly, dependingon your intended bloom color.

2 Apply a slow-release,balanced fertilizer (like Start-n-Grow 18-6-12) early inthe spring. Fertilizer for trees and shrubs (like Tree &Shrub Food 19-8-10) would also work well. We like toapply it in the early fall to promote root growth. If youprefer an organic choice, try Espoma Plant Tone(5-3-3).Planting HydrangeasPlanting your hydrangeas in early spring or in the fallis ideal. When you are planting a hydrangearemember that the blooms and stems must beprotected from strong winds and the hot afternoonsun. Avoid planting in open areas where strong windscould break stems. Planting on the eastern side of abuilding ensures that, in the afternoon when the sun isat its hottest, your plants are in the sure your plant has good drainage. If the soil istoo wet the roots might rot, and the plant will a lot of organic matter, and an all-purposeslow-release fertilizer into the soil to give yourhydrangea a strong TipsEstablished bigleaf, Panicle and smooth hydrangeaplants can often benefit from regular about 1/3 of the oldest stems each year willresult in a fuller, healthier plant.

3 This type of Pruning iseasiest to do in Winter , since the absence of leavesmakes it easier to see and reach inside the read the specific Pruning instructions underthe type of hydrangea you may also want to prune to control height orremove old flower heads. The best time for this typeof Pruning differs between species. Hydrangeas TypesBigleaf ( hydrangea macrophylla):A Japanese native that produces large white, pink orblue flowers in early summer. The flower head(inflorescences) is composed of a combination oflarge, showy and small, inconspicuous flowers. Inmophead cultivars many showy flowers are arrangedon the outside of the rounded inflorescence. On theinterior of the inflorescence a few small flowers arepresent, these are the flowers that produce varieties we carry are 'Bloomstruck' and 'Twistand Shout'.

4 Both varieties we carry flower on old wood and newwood. Stems of bigleaf hydrangea that have beendamaged overwinter should be pruned out as soon asit is determined those stems are dead. Prune thisplant shortly after flowering is complete to controlheight (if necessary). Watch for new growth at thebase of the plant. If your plant has basal shoots thatare 6 to 8 inches in length, but the upper parts of thestems are still bare, then the bare stems need to beremoved. For bigleaf hydrangea plants that aresubject to frequent weather-related dieback, otherthan removing the dead stems, you probably won tever need to do any Pruning Mother Nature will dothe work for you! Panicle ( hydrangea paniculata):This is the most cold hardy member of the to Asia, it grows 10-15 feet tall.

5 Many recentintroductions include varieties that are only 3-4 feettall as well as a number of varieties that grow 7-8' creamy-white flowers, which are borne in 6 to18 panicles, are produced in mid-summer. As flowersmature, they may turn pink. A number of varieties ofpanicle hydrangeas are sometimes pruned into a treeform and grown as a specimen plant. Paniclehydrangea is also suitable for use in a mixed borderor as a deciduous hydrangeas flower on current year s growthand can be pruned anytime from mid fall until earlyspring. The benefit here is that you can see thestructure of the plant without the leaves in your Pruning in the spring, try to prune before leavesappear. Avoid Pruning in early summer as you mayremove some of the flower ( hydrangea aborescens):This native is found in eastern from NewYork to Florida and west to Iowa and Louisiana.

6 Incultivation, plants usually reach about 5 feet in height,with a similar spread. Flowering occurs in early tomid-summer. The most common cultivar, 'Annabelle',produces rounded flower heads that may reach up toa foot in diameter. At the peak of flowering, smoothhydrangea flowers are a pure white. As they age, theydevelop a pale green color. New introductions inrecent years include pink flowered types ('InvincibelleSpirit', 'Incrediball Blush') as well as a red floweredvariety ('Invincibelle Ruby'). Smooth hydrangeas flower on new wood and canactually be cut back at the end of the season to about6-8 tall. Varieties such as 'Incrediball', 'IncrediballBlush','Invincibelle Spirit II' and 'Invincibelle Ruby'with their stout stems, can be left standing through thewinter as the flower heads add Winter interest to thegarden.

7 Cut the old stems back to about 6 tall inspring before new growth starts. Plants such as'Annabelle' have been known to produce a secondflush of flowers if pruned lightly after the first floweringin summer. Color and pHBigleaf hydrangeas are the only hydrangeas on whichthe gardener can manipulate the flower color. Flowercolor on bigleaf hydrangea is dependent on cultivarand aluminum availability. Aluminum is necessary toproduce the blue pigment. Most garden soils haveadequate aluminum, but the aluminum will not beavailable to the plant if the soil pH is high. For mostbigleaf cultivars, blue flowers will be produced inacidic soil (pH and lower), whereas neutral toalkaline soil (pH and higher) will usually producepink flowers.

8 Between pH and pH , the flowerswill be purple or a mixture of blue and pink flowers willbe found on the same plant. It is easier to turn a pinkflower to blue than it is to turn a blue flower pinkTo change the color of a bigleaf hydrangea , it isnecessary to change the soil pH. To raise the pH, addlime. One way of lowering the pH of the soil is to addaluminum sulfate. Adding an acidic organic matter(peat, pine bark) can also help lower soil pH. Exactamounts of lime or aluminum sulfate necessary to getthe desired flower color will vary depending on currentsoil pH and the soil type. New introductions of smooth hydrangeas allow forpink and red shades of hydrangea flowers in thegarden without all the fuss of adjusting soil hydrangea FlowersAs the flowers age on the plant, they often turnattractive colors.

9 Bigleaf may develop muted tones ofblue, purple, rose, violet and green. Paniclehydrangeas develop pink and rose colors, whilesmooth hydrangea flowers turn pale of the easiest ways to preserve these flowers isto allow them to almost completely dry out. Do notcollect them until the flowers have almost a paperyfeel. On a dry day with low humidity, cut the stems thelength you need for making floral arrangements. Stripoff all the leaves and then find a dry place indoorswhere the flowers can finish drying. Flowers can behung upside down, or they can be placed in a vasewith or without water. Be sure to keep individualflowers separated as they dry so that they retain Olmstead RdWinter, WI