Advice with Nikko blue hydrangea

Good morning all

I just bought two Nikko blues in one gallon pots yesterday and on the plant files I see they are not for are zone.

Do any of you have one of these beauties?

My soil is so sandy and I'm not quite sure how to amend the soil and what I should add to it before putting them in the ground.

Could anyone give me some help please?


Thanks a bunch and have a great sunday

Amos

Hi Amos,

I moved away from the most beautiful huge Nikko blue hydrangea you ever laid your eyes on. It was at our city house we sold when we moved up here. The soil there tended to be good but on the clay side. I planted it right up next to the house. It sat in a nitch between the house foundation and the cement patio. It was on the north side of the house. It got morning sun and was shaded in the afternoon from a big old plum tree. I always mulched it with pine mulch to keep it on the acid side. I also threw some of those water holding crystals in the hole when I planted it. I used to call it swell gel but I know there is a better name for it. I would presoak them with fertilizer then throw them in the hole. I backfilled with a combination of Canadian peat moss mixed with good garden compost and then mulched with the pine muclh.

The "hydra" in the name of the plant refers to the fact they need copious amounts of water especially on very hot days. The mulch will help hold the moisture in. You don't want to plant it where it will sit in the hot afternoon sun. The leaves will wilt and cry for help. :) On super hot days like when it's in the upper 90's you may have to give it an extra drink. I always fed my aluminum sulfate to make it turn real blue. If you don't do that it can go pink on you. A couple years I got lazy and didn't give them them the aluminum sulfate and my plant had multi colored flowers on it. Some were lavender, some blue, some pink. People used to ask me how the heck I got my bush to have so many different colors. :) You can buy the aluminum sulfate at your better garden centers. Read the directions. Make sure you give it the plant early. I gave it that every three weeks early on the spring. My plant was about 4 feet tall and just as wide so make sure you put yours where it has room to expand. If your soil is sandy and on the alkaline side you may have to remove the dirt and replace it and put lots of rich soil in it's place.

Here is some information I found on the internet about hydrangeas that might be more helpful. Good luck and post pics when it's in bloom.

Brenda

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Hydrangea macrophylla, also called bigleaf or French hydrangea, has either pink or blue flowers. Flower color is determined indirectly by the soil pH, which affects the availability of aluminum in the soil. In acid soils the flowers will be blue, in alkaline soils the flowers will be pink. Aluminum is available to the plant in acid soils. Research has determined that the actual mechanism of color variation is due to the presence or absence of aluminum compounds in the flowers.

For blue flowers, maintain a soil pH between 5 and 5.5. Apply aluminum sulfate or sulfur to reduce the pH to this range when you see new growth emerging in April. For application rates refer to the tables in fact sheet HGIC 1650, Changing the pH of Your Soil. Information on soil testing is available in fact sheet HGIC 1652, Soil Testing.

For pink flowers, maintain a soil pH of 6 or more by liming your soil. For more information on selecting a liming material and time of application refer to fact sheet HGIC 1650, Changing the pH of Your Soil.

Mature Height/Spread
Hydrangeas are deciduous shrubs that grow from 4 to 12 feet in height depending on the variety.

Growth Rate
The growth rate is quite fast.

Landscape Use
Bigleaf hydrangeas are effective as single plants, massed or in containers on paved terraces.

Cultivation
Hydrangeas are easy to grow in well-drained soil, which should contain plenty of organic matter or humus. Bigleaf hydrangea prefers morning sun and afternoon shade. Avoid planting it in hot, dry, exposed sites. Most people buy hydrangeas when they are blooming, but spring or fall is the best time to set them out. For planting, dig a large hole approximately two feet across and one foot deep.

Bigleaf hydrangea responds to several light applications of fertilizer during the growing season. A general-purpose fertilizer, such as 10-10-10 applied at a rate of 2 cups per 100 square feet in March, May and July is suggested. It is not necessary to remove the mulch when fertilizing, but water soon after application to help dissolve the fertilizer and send it into the soil.

Hydrangeas have such big leaves that they can suffer if set out during hot weather. They need plenty of water, so plan to water thoroughly once per week or more frequently.

Bigleaf hydrangea should be pruned after flowering so they can develop “old wood” to support blossoms the following summer. Avoid pruning after August 1.

One of the easiest ways to propagate bigleaf hydrangea is by layering. This is done by digging a trench near the plant and bending a section of limb down into the trench. Use a knife to remove a small ring of outer bark about an inch wide all the way around the limb. Then, cover the limb with soil, leaving 6 to 12 inches of the tip growth uncovered. Old established hydrangeas may also be divided in the early spring by using a shovel to divide the clump.

Problems
The most common reason for hydrangeas failing to bloom is winter injury. Other reasons may be too much shade, poor fertility and too much nitrogen fertilizer.

Hydrangeas are susceptible leaf spots and powdery mildew. Insect pests on hydrangea include aphids, leaf tiers, rose chafers and red spiders.

Cultivars and Varieties
The cultivars of Hydrangea macrophylla are divided into two groups:

The “hortensias” have sterile flowers in solid masses, which are often so heavy they cause the stem to bend.
The “lacecaps” have a center of fertile, relatively non-showy flowers and an outer ring of showy, sterile flowers, which together form a pinwheel effect.
Hortensias:

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1067.htm

I forgot to tell you that it will need winter protection for sure. The cold winter winds will kill it faster than anything. I used to make a wall out of burlap around mine plus it was right up next to the house. I was tempted to dig it up when I moved but I knew it was very happy where it was so I just left it for the new owners to enjoy.

Brenda, do you cut yours back before winter??

I know they won't flower the next year if they are cut to FAR back...
Mine are huge too...I really have to take one out, and they are as tall as me (I'm vertically challenged) LOL...

Good luck amos55 they are very hearty plants with beautiful blooms
just make sure you put the sulfate on them to keep them blue like loon said...

No, I never cut mine back. In the early spring I would watch for the buds on it to leaf out. Once I could identify the dead limbs I would go in and prune them away but that is all the pruning I would do. I did cut the flowers off and once I dried them and made a beautiful wreath out of them. The flowers were huge.

I had a lacecap hydrangea down there too. I don't think they are as hardy because I got a dieback almost to the ground each year even with protection. I never got it to bloom very much. Also, don't waste your money on the varigated varieties of hydrangea because they REALLY aren't hardy here. They need a good zone 6 or better. I had to try though. **smile**

If you have soil that is naturally very acid you might not have to ammed as much or even use the aluminum sulfate but my soil was alkaline and I had to ammend and use the aluminum sulfate.

Down south they have the most beautiful hydrangeas. I saw them in bloom down there and that is why I wanted to buy one for my yard here. Down there they get HUGE and often people surround them houses with them.

Brenda

To my knowledge about the only reliable bloom on new wood Hydrangea's for Z5 are Limelight & Annabelle.
Endless Summer and other so called "bloom on new wood" varieties are not all they're cracked up to be and definately need winter protection and be extremely careful about those late hard frosts.

I have both endless summer and nikko - never cover them (but they are in a protected area) and have blooms all summer long...probably just luck though! I never trim back the 'stick's until it is fully leafed out - then trim them back to the growth area.

Just planted a limelight...silly me didn't check the demensions....grows 6 x 9 feet! Yikes...that is way too big for the place I put it...

Thank you Brenda for the information on the nikko blues.
I have copied it so I have all the information on hand.
Here is a picture of the little ones.
Hopefuly I will be able to post a great picture in a few years of how beautiul they are.

Smiles

Amos

my daughter got me a Forever&Ever hydrangea to day at Lowes thy told her it was hardy for our zone 5 its in bloom and the flowers are green edged with purple any one know what it is and if it is hardy ?? the stems are not woody at all looks more like a house plant to me lol
Gloria

Can you put a picture up of it?

I'll try tomarrow I'm not good at that yet I'm going to Lowes and see if I can find one with insructions on it
Gloria

Gloria,

It looks like the Forever & Ever is hardy to zone 4 which is even better than the regular Nikkos which are hardy to 5. With the zone climate changing and not predictable, I think it's wise to go down a zone just to ensure you are able to overwinter your investment. I have not heard of this family of hydrangeas but will be looking for them. They have their own website. Click on the link to find out the specific growing information for your particular variety. They come in all colors. Post pics when it's blooming. Would love to see.

Forever & Ever® Hydrangea

This original variety in the Forever & Ever® series was introduced in 2005. It's mophead flowers are either pink or blue depending on soil pH. Pruning of spent blooms will encourage more blooming throughout the season.


Botanical Name: Hydrangea macrophylla 'Early Sensation'



Breeder: Darwin Plants, The Netherlands



Flower Color: Blooms are an intense pink or blue depending on soil pH



Hardiness: Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8



Flower Type: Large rounded mophead flowers



Flowering Period: Early to midsummer until frost



Foliage: Large lustrous, deep green leaves in summer



Plant Size: Will grow about 30-35" tall and about as wide



Growth Habit: Compact rounded habit



Suggested Uses: Ideal for shrub borders; blooms in northern areas where many other hydrangeas typically do not perform well



Soil Needs: Does best in partial shade (morning sun, afternoon shade)



Water Needs: Moderate to high water requirements; plant does not perform well in overly dry conditions



Fertilizer: Controlled release fertilizer (10-10-10) is recommended in spring



Disease Tolerance: Under severe disease conditions, plant can develop powdery mildew; leaf spot can also be a problem late in the season



Pest Issues: Generally pest free


http://www.foreverhydrangea.com/info_pink.aspx

thank you thank you Loon I went to Lowes and wouldent ya know it they dident have the one I got1111 I know just where I'm going to put it but you know when I was in town to day 1 clemits and 2 roses followed me home darndest thing pink champagne and sunsprite and Impatient thank you again
Gloria

Gloria,

Sunspite was my very favorite rose I had at my city house before we moved up here. It smelled so beautiful and the foliage never got that awful blackspot. It would bloom it's little head off all summer long. I just know you are going to love that rose. I also love Chicago Peace and bought two to plant here. It's the only rose my husband ever really noticed and said he liked. He never notices anything and never comments much but when he saw that Chicago Peace rose in bloom he really made a big deal over it. Very unusual for him. :) You know what I like to border my roses with? Grey lamb's ears or lavendar. I like the big ears that don't bloom. It really frames the roses nicely.

Brenda

Good Idea Brenda I'll have to get some but for right now there in pots waiting for the dirt in the back yard my dh realy likes the Impatient its the same orange red as impatiens it just glows so the should realy pop
Gloria