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A. The scientific name of this plant (Hydrangea macrophylla) comes from two Greek words "Hydor" and "aggeion" which means "water vessel".
There are approximately 35 know species; the plants are native to the Himalayas, Central and Eastern Asia, North and South America. Although there are dozens of varieties of hydrangea, some may or may not be winter hardy when planted outdoors. Most varieties are hardy outdoor plants from New York City southwards. If well protected, some will grow even further north than New York City. They are very well suited for planting near the sea. They are deciduous, with large, dark green leaves when properly nourished and are grown for their beautiful flower heads.
These plants need morning sun and afternoon shade. They prefer a loam, clay or good garden soil with approximately 1/3 part peat or humus and decayed manure. The plants should be kept evenly moist but not wet. The leaves will wilt if the soil is too dry. They will grow to 3-4 feet in height with some climbing varieties even taller.
Hydrangeas produce their main flower clusters from tips of shoots that formed the previous season. If anything damages or destroys the terminal buds of these shoots, the plant will not bloom. However, some varieties may develop side growths that will bloom. The chief cause of destruction of the terminal buds is extreme cold winters and poor pruning practices.
If the hydrangea blooms on new wood, it can be pruned any time during the year and as close to the ground as one wishes. The most commonly grown hydrangeas bloom on old wood. These varieties set their buds in late summer or early fall to bloom next spring. It is important to prune before the end of July to assure beautiful blooms in the spring. Do not prune "old wood" varieties in the fall, winter or early spring because you will remove the buds and will have only a few blooms to appear in the spring.
Cuttings afford an easy and practical way of propagating the hydrangea. The best cuttings are obtained from the end of a non-flowering shoot. Each cutting should have 2-3 pairs of leaves. Remove the bottom pair and cut the stem across just below the joint and plat it in well packed sand or rooting medium and keep it out of the sunshine. Spray lightly with water to keep it moist. When rooted, it can be planted outdoors.
The blooms are found in a variety of colors such as white, pink, rose-red and blue. One can manipulate the colors of the blooms (except for the white ones, which can't be changed) by changing the pH of the soil. A pH or 5.5 or lower must be maintained to have blue blooms. This can be accomplished by adding a 2-1/2 percent solution of aluminum sulfate every two weeks after spring growth starts and continue until color begins to show. To make the solution, dissolve 1 pound of aluminum sulfate in five gallons of water and apply about 1 gallon per plant every two weeks. If this is not done regularly, your blooms will be a lavender/pink color. A pH of 6.5 or higher will be alkaline and the blooms will be pink.