All this talk about color and lime and aluminum... You'd never guess this is a Lady In Red variety... No, I don't want to mess with the ph as this is too close to my huge azalea bed. Still a pretty blue.
My blue Lady In Red
Beautiful blue Hydrangea! Is it possible that you don't have 'Lady in Red' and you have a different variety? Sometimes labels get switched....even in the best nurseries! I think it was a 'happy accident'.
No - these (I have 5) all came in the famous red container with the Lady In Red logotype printed on it. The stems and leaf veins are also showing red, even with the blue flower.
The other 4 are in different locations and are not showing blue, at least yet. In fact, it looks like little pink buds are showing, so maybe...
I feel sure this is a ph example but the blooms are really pretty.
Sterhill, I criticized " Lady In Red" after the first year I put the plant in my garden where many other hydrangeas were planted. It seemed to need pampering, so I cut them all back to the ground. This year they have really taken off. I really like the red stems. I hope to someday have red blooms. Who knows? I'll just hang in there and see. Thanks for the pics. I learn so much from gardeners like you. The color of the stems will tell you if it's Lady in Red, as you have pointed out.
We all learn from each other, for sure!
Happy to know you can cut them to the ground and they come back. Mine are a bit spindly but seem to be filling out. They don't like any afternoon sun. I just moved two that had collasped flat on the ground, like old newspaper! In a shadier area they perked up right away.
I'm interested in hearing more about 'Lady In Red' which I just purchased in a 5-gallon pot at Walmart for $10. I have yet to plant it. I feel like I rescued it, because they had them out on the hot parking lot and we've had 90° temperatures and they were SO wilted and dry. Thank goodness they had just gotten them in a couple days before and the one I got was in the middle of the bunch. It was really the only one I would have considered buying, and luckily, it looks good all the way around. I told the girl when I checked out (in the garden department) that they REALLY needed to be watered and she said, "She just DID!" My eyes got big and I told her to check the pot of the one right in front of her and it was bone dry. I told her how wilted they were and that they were going to die, but then I suppose they must have known from their 'Endless Summer' pots that were out there dead. Geesh. That's the trouble with Walmart. If you get things when they first come in, great. If not, well...
ANYWAY..........rant over. LOL.
What I can't decide is where to plant it. I know they don't like hot sun, but HOW shaded can the area be? Anything else I should know about this? I don't know a lot about hydrangeas in general.
Thanks for your help!
Kylee
Here's a picture of it.
If you have a high shade spot, the plant will fit right in. By the way, I think your plant looks like it's in good shape. "Lady in Red" is a compact hydrangea (they don't like to use dwarf), so it's not going to get much taller. I wouldn't worry too much about the amount of shade - it's that afternoon sun they can't handle very well. I'd get it in a well prepared spot and ensure it had enough water the rest of the growing season, especially in the fall if you don't have much rain. If you plan to fertilize, Dirr suggests 4 ounces of 10-10-10, and nothing after the first week in August. In your zone, that may be earlier. Will Hydrangeas make it through your winters? I'm just a curious gardener seeking information.
kbaumle, I meant to add, "That's a nice Japanese red maple".
So, the shadier spot, the better? It needs some sun to produce blooms, doesn't it? I've got plenty of shady spots. No deep woods shade, but we have large oak trees in our yard that provide plenty of good shade.
Yes, hydrangeas make it through our winters fine. I did notice this was only hardy to zone 6 and I'm in 5b, so I will need to mulch well and may try to 'wrap' it somewhat, somehow. Actually, I have a feeling it will do fine, like our others.
Thanks about the JM! My grandma just bought it for us. Wasn't that sweet of her?
Well, I am still moving my LIRs around - I have 5 of them and whereas they love morning sun, the afternoon sun wilts them like wet tissue paper. At least here in Atlanta.
Got it planted this evening. It will get some filtered sun most of the day, but not late day hot sun. We'll see how it does. It's got lots of bloom buds on it right now. I can't tell yet what color it will bloom.
I'm on my second 'Lady in Red' (I bought one last year when the urge struck and kept it potted up until fall when I had the bed ready for it and several other hydrangeas, but I didn't really tend it well. After transplanting, it promptly passed out and died.
The second one was planted immediately after I brought it home this spring - here's hoping it does well! It's in a north-facing bed, and gets shade most of the day. My only concern is the silver leaf maple that shades it also tends to gulp any moisture in the surrounding beds, so I'm going to have to really watch the watering.
I have a Lady in Red ... new. I am zone 6 DC/WV border. I haven't had luck with hydrageas. Tips please! Like, how much room should I give this lady?
Mine is doing GREAT! Lots of flowering going on. Starts out pale pink, then deepens. Not red by any means, but still pretty.
