Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers! In France, hydrangeas are all over the place. The French love them and encourage them to grow – and many gardeners and nature lovers in the United States, are finding that they want them in their gardens and landscaping as well. They grow best below US Zone 6 where the weather is warmer, but they can also be grown in colder climates, it’s just more difficult to get them to flower there.

One of the most beautiful things about these plants is that the colors of the flower clusters can vary, even on the same plant and even in the same cluster! Both the pH of the soil and how much aluminum is found in it will affect the pink or blue colors of the hydrangea, as will the original color of the plant that your plant was cultivated from.

In a cooler area of the country you can plant your hydrangea in full sun, but in hotter areas its best if the plant has some shade during the day. The pH should be under 6.0 and the soil should not be too dry.

You can prune your hydrangea by carefully removing any old, dead wood, and you can cut it back during its ‘off season’ when it’s not blooming, but be careful that you don’t cut too much.

Also pay attention to the variety of hydrangea you choose, as some of them grow better in certain climates than others.