Hydrangea
Prefers a shady or partial-shade spot - full sun copes but flowers fade faster and leaves can scorch brown on hot days. Water in the morning and keep soil consistently moist through summer, as hydrangeas wilt quickly in the heat.
- Sun
- partial sun
- Water
- high
- Spacing
- 100cm
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Grows in
- Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago, Invercargill / Southland
- Mature height
- 1.5m
- Flowering season
- Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec
- Common diseases
- Powdery mildew, Leaf spot, Botrytis blight
- Common pests
- Aphids, Scale, Slugs and snails
When to plant by region
In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: March-April and September-October. In Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago and Invercargill / Southland: September-October.
Growing stages
Germination & planting
- Choose a shady or partial-shade spot; full sun copes but flowers fade faster and leaves can scorch
- Space plants around 100cm apart for their mature spread
Establishment
- Water in the morning and keep soil consistently moist, hydrangeas wilt quickly in the heat
- Watch young plants for aphids and scale on soft growth
Vegetative growth
- Keep soil consistently moist through summer, as this high water need continues
- Watch for powdery mildew, leaf spot and botrytis blight, especially in humid conditions
- Slugs and snails can target soft new growth at the base
Flowering
- Full sun makes blooms fade faster than a partial-shade position
- Keep up consistent watering, as wilting happens quickly once soil dries out
Dieback & dormancy
- Leaves drop and the plant becomes dormant over winter
- Reduce watering over the dormant winter period
- Clear fallen, disease-affected leaves to reduce leaf spot and botrytis carryover