Beginner Gardening: Hydrangea questions, 3 by hcmcdole

hcmcdole wrote:
A lot of growers say you don\'t need to fertilizer hydrangeas in the ground. I do on occasion.

A big leaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla) may not bloom if 1) you cut it too short and remove the flower buds from last year - they bloom on \"old\" wood or 2) a late freeze got them (doesn\'t sound like you would have this problem being in zone 9). These need shade during the heat of the day to do their best.

A paniculata though needs a lot of sun to do its best flowering. Hopefully if yours is a panicle type you have it in a spot that gets quite a bit of sun during the day.

There are some other types as well - quercifolia, serrata, arborescens, and maybe one or two more.

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Here are some from last year

Big leaf, paniculata (not mine but a house we went by on a hike - probably Limelight), oakleaf (Ellen Huff which is towering over a big leaf - \'Blushing Bride\')