South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

Grow some happiness with hydrangeas

Bringing beauty to your home and garden can be simple when you grow hydrangeas.

Their big, bushy flowers come in a variety of shades of blue, purple, rose, violet and green.

They’re easy to grow, have a long season of bloom — generally late spring to early fall — and are great for mass landscape, border plantings or container plants. The large, eye-catching hydrangea blossoms also can be enjoyed as cut or dried flowers.

To help you create a gorgeous hydrangea garden, here are some hints from experts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

• Don’t be concerned if your pink hydrangea develops blue flowers. As hydrangea flowers age on the plant, they often change colors.

• Hydrangeas grow best in moist, well-drained soil.

• Most hydrangeas benefit from some shade, though deep shade can greatly reduce flowering.

• Established hydrangea plants may benefit from regular pruning. Removing about a third of the oldest stems each year will result in a fuller, healthier plant.

• Gardeners also may want to prune to control height or to re­move old flower heads.

• One of the easiest ways to preserve the flowers is to let them dry almost completely on the plant.

Don’t collect them until the flowers have developed a papery feel. On a dry day with low humidity, cut the stems the length you need for your floral arrangements.

Strip off all leaves and then find a dry place indoors where the flowers can finish drying.

Flowers can be hung upside down while being dried or placed in a vase with or without water.

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