Hydrangeas are a relatively easy plant to grow. They will do best in a protected place in the garden out of the wind in part shade or filtered sun. They do require sun if they are to flower. As with most plants it is best to prepare the soil, digging a deep hole and filling with good compost before planting. Hydrangeas like a nice loam not to rich & they like to be kept moist but not soggy.
Color variation depends on the amount of aluminum compounds in the flowers. These aluminum compounds are mostly found in “Acid Soil”. If there is no aluminum present then the flowers are a pink. If aluminum is present then the flowers will bloom blue. The best way to check this to get a simple PH test from your garden center and then if necessary compensate the soil with lime if to acidic. They will grow best with a soil of PH 6.7 . You can also try putting some large iron nails in the ground around the base for blue flowers. Black spots
Pruning:
Directly after blooming you prune only those stems that bloomed. Next year you prune after the blooming again those stems that bloomed. You prune until you get the right size that you want to have for your Hydrangea bush. If that takes to long for you, you can prune everything after the blooming also the stems that didn’t bloom. One problem !!! you don’t get any flowers next year!
So the best method is the first because you have then every year some flowers. If that doesn’t matter you then you can choose for the second method.
So that is the rules of thumb for growing Hydrangeas. So Happy Gardening
