Today, we take a look at one of South Africa’s all time favourite plants, the Hydrangea. These are found in most gardens and in most areas. They are commonly known as The Christmas Flower. The Hydrangea originated in Asia and grows into rounded bushes, reaching heights of around 2 Metres. Although they flower throughout summer, they are at their best during mid-summer.

The leaves are large and shiny and the flowers grow in clusters, forming big round balls. The flowers can reach 30 cm across and come in a variety of colours and shades, like pink, blue, white and even red, although these are rare.

There are several varieties of Hydrangea, both hybrids and common types. One of the best known, is the Mariesii. This has small flowers, which are encircled by more prominent flowers, causing them to look like a posey. This type has very ornate, green and white, variegated leaves and the lower flower stalks are longer than usual.

If thee soil is slightly acidic, with a pH of about 6, then the Hydrangea will produce pink blooms, whereas, if the soil is very acidic, with a pH of about 4.5, then it will produce blue blooms. In neutral soils, the flowers will change to pink, if watered with weak solution of lime-water, or blue if watered with a solution of Aluminium Sulphate, in the ratio of 1 Tablespoon per bucket of water. In both cases the plants should only be watered once in 3 weeks. Pieces of iron and tin, can also be buried in the soil next to the plants, to encourage blue flowers and the use of chemicals will intensify the depth of blue.

A clever trick is to plant a couple of varieties in clumps, or rows, with a slight slope. By watering the higher plants, as in the last paragraph, the water slowly runs to the lower plants, changing the pH of the soil as it does so. Thus, the plants can be made to change colour and often bear flowers of both colo-ours.

The flowers become reddish brown, with age and can even turn pale green, in autumn. Hydrangeas make lovely in a flower arrangement and will last longer, by crushing the end of the stems, to absorb water more easily. To freshen the flower heads, immerse them in a bath of cold water, overnight.

In warmer areas, these shrubs are evergreen in nature, but when subjected to colder winters, they become deciduous. They require plenty of moisture in summer, but also like the humidity, at the coast. Inland, they prefer partially shaded, dampish areas, but at the coast, they do best, when planted next to a south facing wall, or even in direct sun, but then on very hot days, the leaves should be sprayed with water. The great thing about Hydrangeas, is that they are hardy and can adapt, to almost any conditions. The Hydrangea plants grow best in good, rich, porous soils. It is advised, to mix in a good blend of compost, or well rotted manure, at least once per season.

Pruning of Hydrangeas is important and should be done at the end of autumn, or mid-winter. Cut the main stalks down, to about 60 cm from the ground, and just above a leaf nodule. Old pieces of wood must be removed, at the base and all little, short stems, growing into the middle of the shrub, must be cut away, leaving only the sturdy, main stalks. If the plant is damaged due to frost, then remove all dead stalks and provide protection, from further frost damage. The plant will be revitalized, by new growth in spring time.

There are several options as to when the Hydrangea bush can be pruned. Heavy pruning in winter will provide late summer, or autumn flowers. Light summer pruning, by cutting off old blooms, with stems of about 20 cm and following up in July, with another light pruning, will provide a beautiful show of flowers, in the mid-summer.

Hydrangeas should be replaced at least every 15 years. They can be grown from cuttings, or by suckers, separated, from the base of the root. When small the plants are ideal for tubs and containers.

Some varieties of Hydrangea are:

Hydrangea Petiolaris
- A self supporting climber, from Japan. It is tall and has white flowers, in open bunches. It is fairly slow growing and requires a cool, shaded area.

Hydrangea Quercifolia
- This is a hardy shrub, from North America and grows to a height of about 2 Metres. It has a spray of white flowers, that then turn purple. These Hydrangeas have oak-like, large leaves, which turn a mahogany colour, before falling off in winter.

Hydrangea Paniculata
- This species is deciduous, hardy and tree like. They grow to almost 3 Metres tall and have produce pointed flower heads, of white, in the summer. These grow to about 35 cms across. This Hydrangea plant, requires cool, moist conditions and needs to be pruned, at the end of winter. The official name of Paniculata Grandiflora, is often referred to as the PeeGee Hydrangea.

Hydrangea Serrata
- This plant also originated in Japan. It has pretty, flattish, flower heads, of about 8 cms across and are usually light blue, or pink and white. There are usually a few sterile blooms, that flower later, in summer. The shrub grows to a height of about 2 Metres high and the foliage is smaller and thinner than the common Macrophylla variety.

There are many other varieties of Hydrangea plants, like the Cuminata, which has long slender leaves, with typically blue flowers and the Rosalba, which has pink and white sterile flowers. There are also other types like the Saxifrangaceae, the Hortensis and the Praecox.

Sally Robson is an up and coming, South African internet marketer, with a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet. She and her husband Derek, have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. She also has a passion for gardening.

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