How to Care for Potted Hydrangea for Home Decorating
Extensively grown in China and Japan, hydrangea is a frequent flower in gardens in the city and the countryside, and, this time of the year you can find it in most florist shops potted. You can keep it indoors, on a balcony or a porch, to decorate your apartment, but, if you want to plant it in the garden, you should wait till fall. But today’s article is dedicated to how to care for potted hydrangea.
Hydrangea starts blooming towards the end of April, but the flowers open in June and last around 4 – 6 weeks. For the plant to bear flowers longer, in a rich, beautiful color, there are a few requirements to follow.
Soil and pot
Hydrangea needs good quality soil, a mixture of forest soil, peat and sand (10 – 15%) being ideal. The soil is very important also because it sets the color of your hydrangea. The flowers turn blue in a more acid soil, you can obtain by adding some well diluted vinegar (1 part to 25 parts water) in the pot, and they turn pink or magenta in a more alkaline soil, you can obtain by adding some whitewash, eggshells, tree bark etc. A soil with pH values in-between will give you the white flowers.
The pot you use should ensure perfect drainage to prevent roots from rotting and provide good insulation to protect them from both heat and cold. Plastic pots can lead to overheating the plant’s roots. Thick ceramic pots are ideal from this point of view.
How to care for potted hydrangea. Lighting
Hydrangea needs light in the morning and shade in the afternoon. If you grow it in a pot, you can move it around accordingly. In any case, don’t leave it in direct sunlight any time of the day.
Watering and fertilizing
While growing (spring to autumn), hydrangea needs intensive watering, so the soil is always moist. In the same period, you can supply a liquid fertilizer, once a week, to help it bloomed longer. A good fertilizer for hydrangeas is also a homemade one, from organic debris.
How to care for potted hydrangea. Wintering
You should be aware of the fact that hydrangea only lasts 2 – 3 years indoors, because, for blooming, it needs a wintering period, with temperatures above frosting point but under 50 degrees. Over winter, you can keep the pot in a cool place, like a greenhouse, garage or balcony.
Credits: horticultorul.ro, decodays.ro, gradina.acasa.ro, gradina-online.ro
Photo credits: magnolia.ro, meudedoverde.com.br
