I'd start with 4 hours of sun if newly planted, especially if just planted now. You're technically supposed to plant these in April or September.

I would not exceed 4 hours of sun ever, if dealing with Coerulea.
This said, Coerulea is supposedly way more capable of blooming reliably than Grays wood. Coerulea is also a serrata, not japonica.

Once *established*, Grays wood and Preziosa can take relatively high amounts of sun compared to other H. serratas, and they're very closely related genetically, so they should be treated the same.

Springwood, thank you so much for what strikes me as a very knowledgeable response (impressed). That is what I needed to hear.....I wish I got that from the grower who sent me the plants initially.

The grower listed coerulea as "Hydrangea Japonica Coerulea". I'm a beginner, as you probably figured out by now.

I planted the hydrangeas in May. We had a relatively cool and wet May and early June. It was a cold April, and the ground was still frozen here through much of April this year.

So 2-3 hours, or maybe even less, of direct sunlight are preferable for all three (Grayswood, Preziosa and Coerulea) to 6+ hrs of sun or probably more? Will they do well with that little light? Unforunately, I don't have much "middle ground" (~4 hrs) for them. It's one extreme or the other.

Given your comment about taking a lot of sun once established, could I move them back into the sun after a couple of years? That's probably a stupid question- I assume the answer is no- but I am gradually learning.

I suppose I will have to reserve the sunny area in front of my Quick Fires for something else, or maybe just a ground cover.

Thanks again. Your comment was very helpful. I wish I had this info from the beginning.

2-3 hours should be fine. The more hours, the more blooms are produced but I doubt if one can sometimes really tell.

This is always a stressful time to plant a hydrangea here since we get into the 90s by May and start seeing wilting by then. 85 degres does not sound warm but it may cause wilting to a plant that is not yet established. A windy location/day may also stress the shrub. Provide it with 1 gallon of water (1.5 if planted in sandy soil) per watering and maintain 3-4" of mulch so the soil moisture does not escape. Water again as soon as the soil feels dry or almost dry.

To provide shade in the middle of summer, I have built contraptions on top hydrangeas or you can use 30% shadecloth. Then remove it when cooler temps arrive.

This post was edited by luis_pr on Sun, Jun 8, 14 at 23:15

Thanks!

Thanks!

Grayswood is a bigleaf or macrophylla hydrangea and probably would do well in a northern or eastern exposure and get morning sun and PM shade (PM sun causes the plants to wilt from the stored up heat of the day on them).
I had planted a Grayswood at my MIL's home in a eastern exposure and unfortunately, the new homeowners removed it despite it being sited correctly. Maybe they disliked hydrangeas or the hickory tree they took down -- maybe one of the branches of that tree fell on it.
If you are getting at least 8 hours of sun, I suggest going with the Hydrangea paniculata type hydrangeas instead of the macrophyllas or oakleaf varieties.