Hydrangea serrata aposBluebirdapos hydrangea

Position full sun or partial shade Soil moist, well drained, moderately fertile, humus rich soil Rate of growth average Flowering period June to September Hardiness fully hardy Flattened heads of beautiful, blue mauve flowers last from June to September and in autumn, the pointed, mid green leaves, turn dusky red. On alkaline soils th e flowers may become pink. This compact, deciduous hydrangea is perfect for small gardens in sun or partial shade. Hydrangeas give their best blue flowers on acidic soils with a pH 5.5. When grown on neutral soil, with a pH of 7, the flowers will predominantly be pink, although you may also get blue or mauve blooms. If you want to make sure that your Hydrangea has blue toned flowers, you will need to make sure your pH does not creep above 6.5. To lower the pH on a neutral soil, you can treat it annually with aluminium salts. Itaposs much harder however to alter the pH of limey alkaline soil, so itaposs much easier to grow white or pink hydrangeas instead. Garden care Hydrangeas do not like to dry out. In dry weather, soak the roots with a hose and the plant will usually recover. Remove faded flowerh eads in spring after the danger of frosts, cutting back the flowered stems to a strong pair of buds. Take out misplaced or diseased shoots. Mulch young plant s with a well rotted manure or compost in spring. Once established, remove a quarter to a third of the shoots to the base of the plant.