Potted Hydrangea Care

It is one of the most beautiful flowering shrubs that exist and, despite what we may think, it is not essential to have a garden or a lot of space to enjoy it. It is enough to know in detail the care of the Hydrangea in a pot to be able to contemplate its beauty up close. And no: despite the popular legend, growing it in a container does not mean having to give up the beauty of its flowering. Getting it happens, only, by knowing what you need and, what is more important, giving it to you.

The relationship between lovers of gardening and Hydrangea goes back a long way. It is one of the plants to have at home that your grandmother would have, and the reason is not only due to the beauty of its flowering. It also does so because it is a plant that does not require great care and can even be cultivated almost intuitively. In fact, it is enough to know in depth what acid plants are to understand much of what they need to grow healthy and show off their incredible blooms.

But let’s make a stop along the way. Because, although the care of the Hydrangea in a pot is not complicated, it is more demanding than when we plant it directly in the ground.

WHAT ARE THE CARE OF THE HORTENSIA IN A POT?

Let’s start with an aspect that is key when we delve into the care of the Hydrangea in a pot. Considering growing them in these containers should be thought primarily for outdoors. A way to have them both if we do not have space on the floor or if we plan to create with them a focus of nature and color in a certain space. Hydrangeas have very specific needs when it comes to temperature. A demand for oscillation between heat and cold that, if grown indoors, we will have to offer.

Apart from this detail, let’s see what we need to know about the care of the Hydrangea in a pot to avoid scares and unpleasantness. Because, although we know in a general way the care of the Hydrangea, cultivated in containers we will have to be careful with certain aspects that are more demanding than on the ground.

1. The location, an essential starting point

Remember: they are shade bushes. A typology that gives us an idea of ​​what is your need and tolerance to the sun. In order to grow and bloom, the Hydrangea needs at least 5 hours of light a day. But beware: not just any light. The ideal for them is morning light, since its intensity is not harmful to them. Exposing them to full sun will burn their leaves.

If we apply the care of the Hydrangea in a pot to one that we have inside the house, we will have to provide it with a bright space. If we live in a warm climate, the ideal is that we protect them from the heat in the shade.

2. The pot and the soil, essential for its proper health

As a shrub, the Hydrangea demands a deep and wide soil to lay its roots. A real requirement for these plants, since if they cannot grow below the surface, they may get sick or even die. Avoiding this happens by choosing, from among the different types of pots, one made of clay and at least 50 centimeters in diameter. Good dimensions for a plant that can reach, even in containers, a meter in height.

As important as this is to ensure the characteristics of the soil. And we are not just referring to knowing which soil is best for acid plants. It is not only essential that our plant has a substrate for acid plants that offers it the pH it needs. In addition, it is vital to offer good drainage with the presence of volcanic clay or clay. Despite its demand for moisture, the Hydrangea does not tolerate waterlogging.

3. Irrigation, one of the most demanding cares for the Hydrangea in a pot

As we said, the Hydrangea is a shrub with a high demand for humidity. What’s more: to maintain its correct health, it needs the soil in which it is planted to be always moist. A detail that makes irrigation one of the cares for the Hydrangea in a pot that we will have to watch the most. Planted directly in the ground, our bush has options to keep its roots hydrated. However, doing it in a container will depend on our hand that is.

This implies moderate and regular watering, especially on the hottest days. Or, as an alternative, the installation of a drip irrigation kit for urban orchards and pots that allows us to maintain that hydration that it constantly demands.

4. The subscriber, a task that we cannot neglect

An essential part in the care of the Hydrangea in a pot, and fundamental to enjoy its beautiful flowering. As a good acid plant, we will have to opt for a specific fertilizer for this type of plant.

Whether we choose a liquid fertilizer or if we opt for fertilizer bars, it is essential to start using it at the beginning of spring. Thanks to it, not only the growth of the plant will be stimulated but, above all, the formation of the flower.

5. Pruning, the last essential task

When we talk about pruning hydrangeas, we have to see it from two points of view. On the one hand, rapid pruning: that which we carry out during the flowering season and which seeks, fundamentally, to eliminate already withered flowers to ensure that our plant focuses its resources on creating new ones.

As important as this is the pruning that we must consider as part of the care of the Hydrangea in a pot. We refer to a more forceful pruning, which seeks above all to eliminate old branches and facilitate the growth of our plant in the face of good weather. In this case, it is essential to know the characteristics of the variety that we have in order to carry it out when it is needed.

And ready! Now you can enjoy your potted hydrangea. A plant that will demand very little of you and that will give you, without a doubt! many joys.