hydrangea

maypole

Just bought a lovely blue Hydrangea in flower from Lidl £3.99. BUT it says put in garden AFTER flowering, so it must be an indoor one. :rolleyes: I wanted it for the garden now, can I put it outside while it is still flowering?

Also, because it needs an acid soil, it will have to be in a pot, does it have to have pure lime free compost or will a mixture do?

Thank you to any one who can advise

powershopper

Yes of course you can put them outside, they are fully hardy.
I just dig a big hole , bung in some compost from the heap (hydrangeas seem to like a bit of extra moisture) or from a bag of whatever you have around, and put the plant in. Water well and enjoy. They will stay blue if you have an acid soil, mine always go pink after a year or so. But you can get stuff to feed your plants at the beginning of the growing season to keep them blue.
good luck.

Jayar

My dad used to have a hydrangea where he lived and it always had some blue flowers and some pink ones as well. He always just gave it quite a hard prune after flowering and it lasted for years (about 40 I think). Must have a drive by that house to see if it's still there

maypole

Thank you powershopper and jayar :T most helpful advice :beer:

maypole

I planted my blue Hydrangea in ericaceous compost in a pot in the right conditions and the flowers have gone limp:eek: what has gone wrong?