- Botanical name: Hydrangea macrophylla
- Common name: Hydrangea
- Family: Hydrangeaceae
- Plant Type: Shrub, Deciduous
Blue
Pink
Green
- Key features:
- Flowers
Lacecap and mophead hydrangeas, cultivars of Hydrangea macrophylla, are the most commonly grown hydrangeas in our gardens. Mopheads have full, round heads of large petals, and lacecaps have flattish flower heads of large outer petals and tiny flowers in the centre. Plants are typically rounded with mid-green leaves, and the flowers are either pink or blue, depending on your soil type – if you have acid soil there will be more lilac flowers, while alkaline soil generates pink blooms.
Grow Hydrangea macrophylla in moist but well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. Shelter from cold, drying winds. To promote fresh, new, vigorous growth on established plants, cut back hard in early spring. Prune out from one-third to one-quarter of last year’s growth to the base each year to encourage the plant to produce new shoots.
Find out more about growing hydrangeas.
How to grow Hydrangea macrophylla
-
Plant size
2m height
2.5m spread
-
Aspect
South facing, west facing
-
Position in border
Middle
- Sun exposure: Dappled shade, full sun
- Hardiness: Hardy
- Soil type: Acidic / chalky / alkaline / clay / heavy / moist / well drained / light / sandy
Plant calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | ||||||||||||
| Plant |
J
Do not Plant in January |
F
Do not Plant in February |
M
Do not Plant in March |
A
Do not Plant in April |
M
Do Plant in May |
J
Do Plant in June |
J
Do Plant in July |
A
Do Plant in August |
S
Do Plant in September |
O
Do not Plant in October |
N
Do not Plant in November |
D
Do not Plant in December |
| Flowers | ||||||||||||
| Flowers |
J
Plant does not flower in January |
F
Plant does not flower in February |
M
Plant does not flower in March |
A
Plant does not flower in April |
M
Plant does not flower in May |
J
Plant does flower in June |
J
Plant does flower in July |
A
Plant does flower in August |
S
Plant does not flower in September |
O
Plant does not flower in October |
N
Plant does not flower in November |
D
Plant does not flower in December |
| Take cuttings | ||||||||||||
| Take cuttings |
J
Do not Take cuttings in January |
F
Do not Take cuttings in February |
M
Do not Take cuttings in March |
A
Do not Take cuttings in April |
M
Do not Take cuttings in May |
J
Do Take cuttings in June |
J
Do Take cuttings in July |
A
Do not Take cuttings in August |
S
Do not Take cuttings in September |
O
Do not Take cuttings in October |
N
Do not Take cuttings in November |
D
Do not Take cuttings in December |
| Prune | ||||||||||||
| Prune |
J
Do not Prune in January |
F
Do not Prune in February |
M
Do Prune in March |
A
Do Prune in April |
M
Do not Prune in May |
J
Do not Prune in June |
J
Do not Prune in July |
A
Do not Prune in August |
S
Do not Prune in September |
O
Do not Prune in October |
N
Do not Prune in November |
D
Do not Prune in December |
Hydrangea macrophylla and wildlife
Hydrangea macrophylla has no particular known value to wildlife in the UK.
Is Hydrangea macrophylla poisonous?
Hydrangea macrophylla can be toxic.
Toxic to Cats
Toxic to Dogs
Toxic to Horses
No reported toxicity to Birds
No reported toxicity to Livestock
No reported toxicity to People
Plants that go well with Hydrangea macrophylla
