Hydrangeas were long considered stuffy, now you can find them in every flower shop - at not exactly cheap prices per single flower.
They grow splendidly in the garden - and even bloom blue.
+
The panicle hydrangea is in full bloom in late summer.
© Andrea Warnecke
Hydrangeas have long been what people like to call out and old-fashioned.
The bushes with their thick, spherical or plate-shaped flowers are an eye-catcher in the bed in summer.
This is not only found by those hobby gardeners who would like to create a farm or country house garden even in an urban environment.
Haan - Especially since there are new hydrangea varieties.
"A rough distinction is made between
ball and farmer's hydrangeas
, panicle
, plate, velvet, oak and climbing hydrangeas,
" explains Dirk Böhlje from the Association of Garden Nurseries in Haan (North Rhine-Westphalia).
The trend is for hydrangeas that change color several times in the various stages of the flowering phase.
Dark-leaved specimens or varieties with black stems such as the magic wand hydrangea are particularly popular.
The unusual blue-blooming plants are also often found in the garden.
Hydrangeas: shade plants that need a lot of water
What also makes the hydrangea * attractive is
its long flowering time from June to September, sometimes even October
.
"Hardly any other plant will bloom that long," says Böhlje.
And even after that in late autumn and winter, the dead inflorescences are still nice to look at, especially when the frost settles on them.
His advice is therefore: "They should not be removed in the fall."
In principle,
hydrangeas are quite robust, but they need some care
.
"Most species like to grow in the migratory shade and need a lot of moisture," explains Erika Brunken from the Lower Saxony Garden Academy.
"A lot of water evaporates through its large leaves and has to be replenished via the roots."
The soil should be loose, rich in humus and slightly acidic, preferably with a pH value between 5 and 6
.
"The pH value even influences the color of the flowers," explains Thomas Wagner from the Federal Association of German Gardening Friends.
Hydrangeas actually only bloom in shades from white to pink to dark red or purple.
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Sour soil turns hydrangeas blue
But you can also move them to blue flowers: "
Pink hydrangeas bloom blue when the soil is acidic
, from a pH value of 5. The gardeners can support this through a targeted choice of substrate and by adding fertilizers based on aluminum" , explains Wagner.
This phenomenon only occurs with pink hydrangeas, the others keep their color.
And you have to take care of the pink hydrangeas over and over again.
"If the soil is not acidic enough, the blue color quickly changes back to pink."
Since hydrangeas are so-called
heavy consumers
, they must also be fertilized regularly - ideally with compost or other organic fertilizer. "
Cattle pellets are
good, but
rhododendron or azalea fertilizers
can also be used. They ensure an acidic environment in the soil with a
corresponding pH value,
" adds Wagner.
Therefore, hydrangeas can also be combined well with rhododendrons * in a bed.
"They both need slightly acidic, humus-rich soil and also complement each other well during flowering," says Brunken.
Also,
hosta, ferns, astilbe, Elfenblume and azaleas
are potential neighbors.
"Hydrangeas do particularly well in light shade," says Wagner.
"White-flowered varieties in particular add light accents in shady garden areas."
Also read
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List of rubric lists: © Andrea Warnecke