Hydrangea Flower

by Abbas Jahangir · July 8, 2021

Hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla) is a shrub-shaped ornamental plant with distinctive flowers in white, pink, and blue tones. Especially in summer places, it is preferred abundantly to color flower gardens, which are frequently seen in gardens.

Hydrangea flower care is easy compared to many flowers. Large pots in large gardens or balconies are very suitable for this type of flower. The plant, which is pruned once a year, can be reproduced with special methods and even its color can be changed.

The flower is named after Hortensia, a French scientist. It is rumored that they were inspired by. Since the Turkish pronunciation of the word is similar to the word hydrangea, it is thought that the name of the flower entered our language in this way. In other words, the meaning of the hydrangea flower is not related to the word “middle” in our language.

In its linguistic origin, “ Hydrangea” is a combination of the Greek words “Hydor” meaning “water” and “angeion” meaning “vessel”. The second word that forms the name of the flower, “Macrophylla”, means broadleaf in Latin.

Before You Start Growing Hydrangea:

The hydrangea flower actually grows most lushly in gardens. So if you have a garden, you don’t need any extra growing site preparation.
If you want to grow a flower that loves large areas at home, you should prefer large pots. Potted dishes will be useful for removing excess water.
It is easy to create space for hydrangeas that can grow in any soil type. It is enough to make sure that the soil is not too alkaline.
Irrigation is very important for hydrangea care. The plant should never be left without water, but the soil should not be too moist or muddy.
As with almost all flowers, watering the same amount in the morning and at the same time, if possible, gives fruitful results. Using a metered watering can make your job easier.

What Month Is Hydrangea Planted?

You can grow hydrangea from seed, or a branch from a grown healthy hydrangea can be planted in a pot.
If you want to plant a hydrangea seedling or a grown hydrangea branch into a pot, you have time from spring to September. So, you can choose the summer months.
If you are going to germinate the hydrangea seed in a pot, you should first soak the seed in water for a while. Then spread the seed on the suitable soil and a thin layer of peat on the top of the pot and cover it with a stretch film for a greenhouse effect. It will be sufficient to moisten the soil with spray water during the germination period.
You can also have a fragrant flower by cutting a 15 cm long branch from a healthy hydrangea that has not bloomed in the summer and planting it in the appropriate place.

Hydrangea Flower Care: 4 Easy Steps

1) Choose Outdoor Large Areas such as Balconies, Gardens

If you want to color your balconies, you can grow hydrangeas at home.
Narrow windowsills or places with no light may not be sufficient for large hydrangea pots.
The important thing for the place to grow hydrangea is that it is a large area and it is a light, slightly shaded place.

2) Choose a Large Pot

Large pots are suitable for hydrangeas, which are mostly outdoor plants. Thus, the plant can easily release its roots to the deep.
Use perforated pots that are designed to drain water from the bottom of the plant when over-watered.
When the water that the plant does not need flows out of the pothole, choose pots with a base to get this water easily. Thus, you can perform the cleaning process in a practical way.

3) Position It Where It Can Get Indirect Light

It is also necessary to pay attention to whether the flower receives sunlight during hydrangea care. Although it does not need to receive direct light, it will be good to benefit from indirect light or in areas in a semi-lake.
Hydrangeas are adversely affected in very cold or hot places. Therefore, they should not be kept on windy balconies or in front of windows.
The parts of the house where the ambient temperature can drop below 14-15 degrees are also not suitable for hydrangeas.

4) Do the same amount of watering on the same days

You can irrigate 1-2 times a week in hot weather, and in winter as the soil dries.
Do not irrigate directly from the bottom, but from places close to the bottom.
You can easily clean the water that the plant will release from the pot base because it is too much.
If possible, water on the same days and in the same amount. Since hydrangea is easily affected by hot and cold, make sure that the water you use is at room temperature.

How to Propagate Hydrangea Flower?

For hydrangea propagation, you may prefer cuttings.
Cut off a long branch of hydrangea that has not bloomed, cut off the lower leaves and the apex, and plant it in the pot.
As you see in large greenhouses, wrap the pot you are rooting in nylon.
You can plant high sticks on the sides of the pot so that the nylon stands upright.
When the roots grow around the hydrangea branch that you ventilate and water every 2-3 days for 2-3 weeks, you can switch to a new pot.
You can root the cuttings at any time, but early summer is one of the most suitable periods.
Hydrangea is also an easy flower in terms of rooting.
Hydrangeas take root in a period of 1 month.

How to Prune a Hydrangea Flower

For your hydrangea to bloom beautifully the next year, you should only prune off the blooming stems. It is important for healthy growth that you prune less than a third of your flower’s branches in total.
You can prune suitable branches up to the newly formed sections of the root.
Pruning periods vary according to the type of flower. In general, we can say that it will be appropriate to prune your hydrangea after the flowering period has passed.

How to Color Hydrangea?

An interesting feature of hydrangeas is that they change color. After planting a pink seedling, be prepared to encounter a blue hydrangea.
The hydrangea changes according to the pH of the soil. As the acid level rises, the color turns into blue tones, and as the acid level decreases, the color turns into pink tones.
You can also perform the hydrangea coloring process yourself with external applications.
You can add aluminum sulfate to the soil of your pink-flowered hydrangea for hydrangea bluing.
It is also a different method to add a mixture of leaf rot and cattle manure to the pot twice a month, between late spring and September, to ensure a color change from pink to blue in hydrangeas.
For a color change from blue to pink, you should use ovine manure instead of cattle in the color change method.

Hydrangea Flower Varieties

Hydrangea Macrophylla: It is a small species of hydrangea reaching an average of 2 meters in length compared to other varieties. It needs a lot of water. The flowers of this species are in ball form, in white, blue, and pink colors. It blooms between June and September. It is a suitable plant for growing indoors and on large home balconies.
Hydrangea sargentiana: It has large and velvety-textured leaves and umbrella-shaped flowers. The height of Hydrangea Sargentiana can reach 4 meters depending on maintenance and pruning. Its scent is the most intense among the hydrangea species.
Hydrangea Arborescens: Usually blooms in white and green colors. Snowball hydrangea is in this species group. Compared to other species, its branches are very thin and can grow up to 3 meters in length. Large flowers bloom in summer.