A hydrangea in full bloom is absolutely amazing!  I’ve seen them with clusters of flowers bigger than a basketball.  I love the beautiful blue ones I see in the north west with their acid soil.  But I live in a place with alkaline soil so instead of blue ones we get pink and white ones and they are lovely.

Hydrangeas like moist rich soil. They typically like sunshine but I live in a rather hot dry climate and I find that here they do much better in shade especially in the afternoon.

Grow a hydrangea from a stem cutting

I don’t like to spend money if I can figure out another way to get what I want.  I have found that many plants are very easy to root with a stem cutting.  Hydrangeas are one of the easiest.  This is how I do it.

• Prepare a small pot with wet potting soil.
• Take a cutting about 5 inches long from the tip of a branch.

• Strip off all the leaves except the smallest one at the tip.

• You will need some rooting hormone powder.  You can buy this at any garden center.

• Dip the branch into the powder

• Poke a hole into the soil with a pencil.
• Insert the branch into the hole and press it down so that the soil is tight around it with no air pockets.

• Cover it with a jar to create a little terrarium.

• Set it outside in the shade.  Do not let the sun hit it or it will burn.

• Keep it watered.  I like to set it where it will get hit by the sprinklers that way I don’t have to think about it.
• Now you wait.  Hydrangeas root pretty quickly.  Possibly only two or three weeks.
• When you start seeing new growth that means it has probably rooted.  You can remove the jar but keep an eye on it.  If it starts to droop put the jar back on.
• When it stays perky with no jar you will know it has rooted.
• At this point keep it watered and let it grow in the pot a bit before you set it out.
• Since it has been in the shade you might need to slowly acclimate it to sunshine if it is going in the sun.

This cutting was started the end of April and this is what it looked like in July.

Hydrangeas root very easily so they are a fun one to try.   I like to try all kinds plants. Some root easily and quickly.  Some take longer before they root and some don’t work at all using this method.   I have had a lot of success with many different plants.  I always figure that I don’t lose anything by trying.  As I go on walks I like to look for plants to try.  I bring home little branches of this and that and it is  amazing how much of my garden comes from little cuttings.

I hope this is helpful.  Have lots of fun gardening!