The hydrangea is a British classic, beloved for its big, cheerful flowers, but it’s actually native to Japan. It was introduced to the UK in the early 1700s and has been popular ever since. Hydrangea macrophylla is the archetypal hydrangea, with a compact shape and lots of big round flower clusters.
An amazing thing about the hydrangea is its flowers change colour depending on the acidity of the soil. Acidic soil results in bluer flowers, while alkaline soil results in more pinkish flowers. Hydrangea flowers start to appear in early summer and should give your outdoor space colour and a spicy scent through to autumn, long after a lot of other flowers have faded.
You might expect such a spectacular plant to be complicated to care for, it’s super low-maintenance. Keep it well watered and fed throughout the growing season, then give it a good prune back in late autumn and you should see an explosion of flowers year after year.
While you can simply pop the nursery pot (the plastic pot that your hydrangea comes in) into a decorative pot, we highly recommend planting it out directly into it's decorative pot - as long as it has drainage holes at the bottom. This will give it more room to grow and you will need to water it a little less. Either way, be sure to repot your plant every couple of years to give it a fresh boost of nutrients - there's only so much soil in a pot, and a growing plant will use up that goodness quickly.
Did you know?
In Japan, the leaves of hydrangea macrophylla are fermented to make a drink called amacha.
Most light conditions
Easy care
Regular watering
Feeding
