Hydrangeas: Hydrangeas, 1 by ButterflyGardnr

ButterflyGardnr wrote:
Nanstorm:
I have planted a number of the store-bought hydrangea macrophylla in my yard. Hydrangeas like moist, organic soils and shade--no direct, hot sun. I feed mine with azalea food ~3X per year (Mar., June, and Oct., when I'm already feeding the azaleas). This helps to acidify the soil and make the blooms blue (soil pH determines the color of the blooms--acidic/low pH results in blue flowers and alkaline/high pH results in pink flowers. I guesss purple flowers like I get means it's about neutral pH). H. macrophylla blooms on old wood, so you reduce the blooms if you prune it back. Here is a picture of my hydrangea garden on the north side of my house (those are H. quercifolia, oakleaf hydrangea, in the back there with some swamp ferns mixed in):

This message was edited Oct 4, 2003 11:02 PM