When I was growing up there were always hydrangea plants growing in the garden but I have never really appreciated the beauty of this plant’s large blooms until now.
When out shopping recently I came across a ‘Lace Cap’ hydrangea and instantly fell in love with the beautiful flowers. Until then I was not even aware of this variety and it looked so pretty I just had to buy it!
After searching online for more information about the variety I realised that there was so much more to learn about hydrangeas that I had first thought.
In this post I have included videos which I found that give you great information about hydrangea varieties, how to change the colour of hydrangeas, pruning hydrangeas, propagating hydrangeas, as well as how to make the hydrangea blooms last longer when used as a cut flower!
I could write it all out for you but what better way to learn than to see the experts in action! I have also included links to some websites that are a great source of general information about hydrangeas.
General Information and Different Types
One resource that I found with plenty of information about all things hydrangeas is the Plant Addicts website. This site has lots of information about the types available as well as how to propagate and prune the plants.
I also found the YouTube video below to be a great general introduction to the different types of hydrangeas available.
GardenGuy06 YouTube video: Hydrangea Varieties
Changing the Colour of Hydrangea Blooms
I always knew that it was possible to change the colour of the hydrangea flowers by adding something to the soil but I was never sure what I needed to do exactly. The next video explains how and why hydrangea flowers can appear either pink or blue and what to add to change the colour.
SpringHillNursery YouTube video: How to Change the Color of Your Hydrangea Blooms – Step-By-Step Gardening
You basically just need to adjust the pH of your soil. If you want blue flowers you will need to make your soil more acidic. You can do this by adding some aluminium sulphate solution to your soil. Or you can also use natural items such as eggshells, citrus peel or coffee grounds.
If you prefer pink flowers then you will want to have alkaline soil. For that you will need to add some garden lime. Check out the two links below to find out more.
Gardenista: Hydrangeas – How to Change Color from Pink to Blue
Plant Addicts: Changing the Color of Hydrangeas
Getting More Plants from Layering or Cuttings
If you want to grow more hydrangeas the following videos show you how. You can grow more by either layering a branch on an existing plant or by using cuttings.
Layering To Get More Plants
SpecificLove7 YouTube video: How to Root a Hydrangea from a Branch (ENDLESS SUMMER)
Growing Hydrangeas from Cuttings
S&K GREENHOUSE YouTube video: How to Propagate Hydrangeas |Simple Way to Get Cuttings to Root Faster|
Tips on Pruning Hydrangeas
If you are unsure of when, how, and how much to prune back your hydrangeas – don’t dispare. I found the following two videos gave some great information. There is one for pruning in the autumn/fall and one for pruning in the spring.
GardenGuy06 YouTube video: Fall Hydrangea Care
GardenGuy06 YouTube video: Spring Hydrangea Care
Making Hydrangea Cut Flowers Last Longer
Finally, I like to bring some of the flowers from the garden inside occasionally and I wondered if there is a way to make the flowers last as long as possible. So I am including the video below that shows you how to prepare the flower and what to put in the vase to make the flower last. It really helped me to keep my hydrangea flowers looking fresher for longer!
Pam Archer YouTube video: How to Make Cut Hydrangea Stay Fresh with Pam Archer
I hope this information is as useful for you when you’re learning all about hydrangea plants as it was for me.
Hi, I'm Kaylene, and I'm a keen gardener,budding baker and wannabe DIYer!
Great post. I love the video tutorials! 😉
Thank you, glad you liked it!