If your hydrangeas are looking a little lacklustre, don’t give up on them just yet – August is the most important month for giving them the care they need to grow stronger and put on a stunning display next season
Do one key task this month(Image: LAW Ho Ming via Getty Images)
If your hydrangeas appear weary or haven’t delivered the spectacular blooms you were anticipating, there’s no need to abandon hope just yet.
Gardening authority Pat Sullivan suggests August represents the crucial period for providing these plants with the attention they require to flourish and create a magnificent spectacle come next season – and it centres on one straightforward procedure.
Sullivan, who has guided gardeners for numerous decades, revealed during a 93 WIBC broadcast that countless individuals have misconceptions about hydrangeas, especially the pink and blue varieties, referred to as macrophyllas.
“Hydrangeas have become very confusing,” he said, noting that one of the most significant errors people commit involves positioning them in unsuitable locations. “These are not shade plants,” he added.
Whilst they cannot withstand scorching afternoon sun, they require abundant morning illumination to promote vigorous flowering, reports the Express.
“If you get too much shade, you’ll get foliage and no blooms,” he cautioned. The ideal location for these cultivars would therefore be an east-facing spot that receives brilliant sunlight during morning hours and shade by early afternoon.
For those cultivating paniculatas – the resilient white varieties – different guidelines apply. These prove far more capable of enduring hot afternoon sun and may be positioned in areas that would prove overwhelming for their pink and blue relatives.
But how do you ensure they truly flourish once they’re in the right spot?
Sullivan points out that August is a pivotal month for hydrangea care. “In the month of August, you want to keep them watered, fertilised, and do a bit of trimming,” he elaborated.
This minor pruning could be the “simple task” that significantly enhances the appearance of your hydrangeas, both presently and in the coming year.
Why specifically August?
This is because macrophyllas form their flower buds on both old and new wood, and timely pruning ensures you don’t inadvertently remove next season’s blossoms. “Once you’ve given them a trim in August, that’s it for the season,” Sullivan advised.
“If you start pruning in autumn, you might end up removing some of the colour for the following year.”
This makes August the perfect time to tidy them up without jeopardising their future potential.
Besides pruning, feeding your hydrangeas at this time can provide them with a much-needed boost. Sullivan suggests using a high-quality fertiliser a few times annually, which helps to fortify the plant and promote more vibrant blooms.
For those aiming for the iconic blue hydrangea look, he also recommends acidifying the soil with aluminium sulphate. “People here in the Midwest want to make them blue, so you have to acidify the soil,” he explained.
In more acidic soils, hydrangeas naturally turn blue, while in neutral or alkaline soils, they tend to lean towards pink.
On the other hand, Paniculatas are more lenient when it comes to pruning. As they sprout on new wood, they can be trimmed back more drastically in early spring without jeopardising their flowering potential.
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