I have this hydrangea that is supposed to be red but is pink and green and sometimes white. It is out growing the pot it is in. Can I put it in the ground in zone 8b in the spring? Or is it ok to leave it in the pot?
Can I put potted hydrangea in the ground in East Texas
You bet. Florist hydrangeas can have difficulty surviving the cold winter weather but in Zone 8b, winter is not bound to be that bad. I grow non-florist hydrangeas in the ground, at the edge of zones 7 and 8 in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex so, your mophead should be able to make a go in your SE location.
If the plant has been brought inside during every winter in previous years, it may not be used to the cold. In that case, you may want to plant it on the ground in Spring, a couple of weeks (2-4) after your average date of last frost. If it is used to being outside in the pot during winter, you could plant it on the ground after it has gone dormant to minimize transplant shock. Remember to water the plant if winter is dry: one watering every week or two is fine. Mulch heavily (3-4") using any type of acidic mulch, including pine needles. Add the mulch up to or slightly past the drip line. Leaf out times and bloom times should be similar to those observed in past years.
Hydrangeas do not really come in 'red' color; they lack red pigments. Magentas and darker pinks are probably what some 'red' ones will give you (ignore those retouched photos in some websites). But hydrangeas develop blooms whose colors vary due to soil acidity and the presence (or absence) of aluminum. Basically, you get tones of pink in alkaline soils, purples in neutral to lightly acid soils or blues in acid soils. East Texas has acid soils so do not be surprised if this makes your flowers change and turn blue (or purple in some cases). Your lizard visitor (in the picture) may be confused next year if this happens!
Does this help you, Texasgrower?
Luis
There is a Hydrangea macrophylla called 'Cardinal Red', among others whose flowers start out lavender and age to a good red. There is also Forever & Ever 'Red Hydrangea' which they claim blooms a "brilliant red", although I've never actually seen one.
http://www.foreverhydrangea.com/info_red.aspx
I grew through the winter a white florists hydrangea (Christmas gift) and planted it out in the mid spring. It struggled at first to say the least, then seemed to take pretty good hold. When cold weather sets in I'm going to put a rose cone over it. Just a fun experiment and the fact that I have trouble throwing any plant in the compost bin. We shall see.
Luis, It helps very much. The plant did spend last winter's cold days and nights on the front porch sometimes covered with a sheet. I just bought a greenhouse so I'm hoping to winter it in there. I think I will plant it in the spring. It is just so full and hanging down the sides of the pot I had to put it up on a table so the flowers wouldn't drag on the ground. Right now it has green, mauve, and pink flowers. It did have a few white. It's the hydrangea of many colors. Mophead huh? I like that. Oh and the lizard? lives in the bird house above the hydrangea.
Thanks so much for the info, Jeanne
Snapple, I hate throwing any plant away too. I almost made that mistake with a bouganvilla that I thought died from the excess cold we had last winter. It was a stick. I ignored it, never watered it planning to throw it out to reuse the pot. A month at least went by when I noticed growth at the base. I almost fell over. My plant was alive. Now It's big and had to be cut back before Ike showed up.
Let me know how the rose cone does. Living in Florida for so many years, whenever it got to freezing we covered everything with sheets. So that is what I do. I only lost a geranium out of all my plants last year.
Good for you Tgrower. It sounds like you'll have no trouble with the hydrangea, especially in Zone 8b. Up here you have to practically put parkas on some plants.
Snapple, parkas, that's funny. Up there I'd need more than a parka for my ownself. Carhart is more like it.
Jeanne, since you are used to feeding the shrub often in the pot, I thought I would mention that you can cut back drastically once planted in the ground. You can feed it once in May and again in July with manure, cottonseed meal or a general-purpose slow-release 10-10-10 fertilizer. You can also add weak fertilizers like coffee grounds, liquid seaweed or liquid fish during the growing season, as long as you stop by the start of August.
Thanks Luis. I like to use manure. I have a friend that actually makes a manure tea to water her plants with. If I can get access to a pasture I might try that myself.
Hi, Texasgrower--My method with florist plants depends on the time of year. I generally keep them potted in the house the first 3-4 months to let them adjust to not being in a greenhouse (i.e. optimum conditions). Then I repot them and let them spend about 3-4 months outside, but not in the winter. If winter comes, I keep them in the house through the first winter, let them go outside--still potted--into a very protected area for the second winter. Then, finally, I put them in the ground early in the Spring, keep them well watered and let them grow.
This seems like it takes a long time, but remember you are transitioning a plant that has been forced to mature rapidly with high levels of fertilizer/pesticides etc, to a plant that must deal with all the extremes of outdoors, not to mention the stress of shipping, being in a store, being in your home, repotting, being on a "false" seasonal schedule etc. Good Luck!
Thanks Yotedog. I have had this one in a pot for two years. I overwintered it last year and will do the same this year. Then I will plant it in the spring as you say. According to your timeline mine will be adjusted and should do good. I appreciate your advice. Jeanne
That sounds perfect! Just make sure its well-watered when you put it out, being you are in Texas....I grew up there, and its either a great place or a rotten place for plants, as you know, depending on the day!