Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas did not do well in my new garden, too warm, dry and sunny. My fault, even though constantly watering them. They were too high maintenance and one flowered slightly but both plants looked poor. I could not be doing with tending them every day so they have gone, to be replaced with 6 x variegated hebe from sainsbury at just £2 each. These are thriving, in fact look bright and lovely. Hydrangea annabelle was the wrong plant and in the wrong place. Sadly I will not be growing hydrangeas again

I had somewhere on my gardening photos
Pictures of a white Hydrangea. With big blossoms.

Can't remember what it was, but it looked like lace. I tried everything to stop bugs eating it but it was just was completely ragged.
(Talking about big white blossoms sounds like a musical hall joke.)
I have in the past said I was not keen on Hydrangea . Perhaps that's my fault.

I have a climbing hydrangea which has never flowered! It was given to me as a small cutting eight years ago, lived in a pot for a year as I was living in rented accommodation then planted in a sunny spot next to a fence.

It then struggled for several years, almost dying completely but resurged into life again four years ago. It is now climbing the fence and is about five foot tall, lovely and green but not a flower to be seen!

What am I doing wrong?

I love Hydrangea they flower at a time in my border when I have little colour there.
One came in a pot from our previous home and I bought 2 in pots at a very good price. All are doing very well but they do need plenty of water and will show they do by drooping if they don't get it.
We also have a large climbing hydrangea which we inherited with the house which is beautiful.

The clue is in the name -hydra = water. Lots of it and a good pruning every year and they should bloom wonderfully, mine do in various colours. I've also set four climbing hydrangea's going and they are doing really well, both in coverage and bloom.

Cuttings are easy although it's worth making more than than you think you'll want in case of casualties. Just take a cutting from any shot which doesn't have a flower on it and remove some of the leaves.

Agree annodomini re Dunham Massey?

One of the hydrangeas I admire just along the road is a lovely deep purple. For a superb collection of hydrangeas it's hard to beat the garden of Dunham Massey, a NT property south of Manchester,

Should read...
in various shades of pink!

Oops posted to soon!!
....various shades.

I have recently purchased a blue and also a white hydrangea.

The nursery owner advised me to use one tablespoon vinegar to a gallon of water and use to water the bushes weekly.
Hopefully this and ericasious soil would stop the flowers reverting to pink.

We shall see

My grandmother had several lovely large blue hydrangeas.
Indeed most of her neighbours displayed large blue hydrangeas in their front gardens.

I have several hydrangeas all of which are in various

Thank you everyone, I will restrain myself from pruning. Just take the heads off in the spring.

Interesting Sparklefizz. Thanks.

The message I'm getting here is that I should find some bargain basement potted hydrangeas and grow them on! I do have a prolific petiolaris which doesn't seem to need any encouragement, but a mop-head, which I bought in a pot, sulked for several years after I planted it out. Last year it bloomed well but this year it has just one very large bloom. I have tried talking to it - perhaps I said the wrong thing.

If anyone goes to Windermere in the Lake District there is a lovely hydrangea garden within walking distance of the town which is worth a visit.

annep1 Perhaps we were having wetter summers previously, so your hydrangea coped. they really do need plenty of water. This is what it says online:

^Result for meaning of name hydrangea
First discovered in Japan, the name hydrangea comes from the Greek "hydor," meaning water, and "angos," meaning jar or vessel. This roughly translates to "water barrel," referring to the hydrangea's need for plenty of water and its cup-shaped flower.

Beautiful photos everyone.
No I don't water or feed it Sparklefizz . I didn't think I needed to. It's been planted ten years and used to bloom better.
Will do now.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201908/medium-611423-5d8471ab-0ad1-41be-8349-e0b6dbeda105.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201908/medium-987741-2e198a15-1bef-4fce-ae8d-4b1c22087623.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201908/medium-592953-59d9d4f2-66d9-4011-97f8-2bf9eb4b2437.jpeg

Loved seeing the varieties everyone else has. Here’s some more of mine.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201908/medium-275263-7e8bb1b7-3590-4e65-9bca-d1bf5ea355a0.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201908/medium-494056-8fdabb6a-bb27-4174-87a9-adfcbf2010d7.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201908/medium-94888-7dd49733-c1a3-40fb-bf8b-4a2bcfa3e4a8.jpeg

I also love Hydrangeas. I can’t stop buying them from the sad plant section and brining them back to life.
All mine are grown in pots, for the moment!

gillybob What a pretty garden you have!

Fabulous photos everybody. I prune mine religiously each Spring. I planted 4 of them and thought they would probably do well as many people in this area have got beautiful Hydrangeas so they must like the soil, poor though it is.

I took cuttings a fortnight ago but the excessive heat has, I fear, killed them off so I intend to start again today.
Next year's flowers are already present so if you prune them now you lose next year's flowers.

I bought 6 potted hydrangeas from a Homebase closing down sale for £1 each 2 years ago they are dotted around in pots. The ones in full sun seem to be doing better than the ones in partial shade. Some of them are turning pink, they have conical shaped flowers, I don’t know the variety. I think they are getting too big for the pots so may have to pot on when they have died down for the winter.

We have hydrangeas in large pots and planted out. The Gardener’s World programme last week had an item on taking cuttings. I might try today as it is cooler and currently drizzling here in Herts.

I never prune mine.

Yours are magnificent Gillybob.