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sararose28

What kind of hydrangea is this?

sararose28
14 years ago

I just bought a hydrangea and it didn't come with a tag that said what specific kind of hydrangea it was. Can anyone help me out? The pictures are below.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Sara

Comments (3)

  • luis_pr
    14 years ago

    Many mophead hydrangeas sold in grocery stores are called florist hydrangeas in reference to the ones who used to sell them in April-May but nowadays, you can see them for sale in places like Lowes too. They ususally do not carry a plant label.

    I personally get irked when no plant label is provided because it does not allow you to see if they are to be considered annuals in your zone or not.

    Hydrangeas should not be grown inside the house (unless you grow in pots and bring them inside during winter) so plan to plant it when danger of frost has passed for sure. Select a place that gets dappled sun or morning sun, is well drained with acidic soil. Try to maintain the soil moist -not wet- at all times (water again if a finger inserted to a depth of 4" feels almost dry or dry). When looking for a spot to grow it in, assume the plant will get to be about 5' by 5' (just a guess since there is no plant label).

    Should the container include some of those fertilizer pellets, do not bother fertilizing this year. Mulch it with 3-4" of mulch.

    Next year, if it turns out to be hardy to Zone 6 winters and leafs out in Spring, fertilize it in June with some manure, cottonseed meal or general purpose slow-release chemical fertilizer (say, half a cup in June?). Additional weak fertilizers like liquid seaweed and coffee grounds are fine too but stop them all in June so the plant prepares for the upcoming winter ahead.

    The shrub will produce flower buds sometime in July-August and these -at first- "invisible" buds will stay on through winter. Any pruning -not needed now but maybe in the future- should also be done after flowering and before the start of July. No change of pruning the flower buds if you prune before July. The dried out leaves can be deaheaded or left on for winter interest.

    You may want to consider winter protection techniques in the Fall since we do not know what variety of mophead this is. This may increase the chances of success further. For more information on this subject, go here: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hydra/msg081740463386.html

    Luis

    Here is a link that might be useful: More information about hydrangeas

  • sararose28
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    So this is a mophead? I have other mopheads, so I thought that might be what it was but I have never seen such a beautiful combination of pink and green blooms in my life! Does anyone else have a hydrangea that has blooms this color? Can anyone share some pictures?
    Sara

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    14 years ago

    Yes, it's a mophead but because it is a greenhouse grown plant (as Luis says, typically unidentifed) it's just a guess as to any specific cultivar. And because greenhouse/florist hydrangeas undergo a rather complex regime of lighting, fertilizing and applications of growth hormones to get them to bloom small and vastly out of season, there is no guarantee that this plant, should it survive the move, would look anything similar when planted and established outdoors.

    FWIW, many varieties of hydrangea will produce green-tinted buds that open to the more normal colors or white, blues or pinks. It's not uncommon to see both these colors (the green and another) on flowers that are not yet fully open. What you have is really just a pink flowering bigleaf hydrangea. And it may or may not be pink when planted in the ground :-)