Will hydrangeas and azaleas tolerate full sun?
Heruga (7a Northern NJ)
5 years ago
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years agoSara Malone Zone 9b
5 years agoRelated Discussions
How much sun can Incrediball Hydrangea tolerate?
Comments (11)All things being equal, yes, you can try growing it in containers. The catch is that large containers get large/heavy and some garages are tight in the space department. Big containers are also a pain to move around, especially something like a half of a whiskey barrel that is full of potting soil. You may need some whiskey to move the darn thing. Ha! A solution in some cases may be to put the container in "rollers" full time. I am lazy and have no helpers when aid is needed to bring the heavy pots into the garage or the house in the Fall so, having the containers already on s-t-r-o-n-g rolling plant caddies year around is useful....See MoreTwo nikko hydrangea, full sun, one needs much more water
Comments (5)The part that you cannot see is the root system. One shrub may have a larger root system and is better equipped to get soil moisture. The other shrub may have had its root system cut too small and is now stressed more than the other shrub. Feel free to give one more TLC than the other. It is ok for them to wilt so water immediately if the wilting episode looks extreme. Otherwise, water in the morning if it still appears wilted. Most will start to recover by nightfall. Also, maintain them well mulched (about 4"). I am trying to keep that at least 6" past the drip line over here. If your soil drains well, the extra waterings needed during this dry hot summer will be well received. Give them about 1 gallon to 1.5 gallons per watering during the summers like this one; water the soil/mulch early in the mornings starting with the root ball and moving outwards. Windy locations can promote wilting so use a wind break if the area is windy. Do not fertilize them on their first year; the potting soil mix probably contains those round fertilizer pellets already. Hydrangeas here are suffering too. With temps in the 105s daily, "everyone" is complaining. I already lost one azalea this summer. How is it going for you? Luis...See MoreHydrangea that tolerates afternoon sun only?
Comments (24)Very Nice NHBabs - very nice! Our droughts can last weeks in the Atlanta area but at least we can water, on our watering days up to 10 AM (wet years no one pays attention to these rules). Been here 38 years and have had two summers where we had a total water ban - talk about brutal. We often get sued by AL and FL over the Chattahoochee River so we get a total water ban while AL folks continue watering like its nobody's business (but then they also have the TN River running through the upper end of the state) - not quite fair but what can you do? Use grey water collected in the tub, washing machine, and sinks; AC condensate and hope everything ekes by until the fall rains come in....See MoreWhat's the sun tolerance of 'Love' variety Hydrangea macrophylla?
Comments (11)Hello, hydrangeahead. I guess no one has it or too few people have it. There is usually very little difference sun-wise between all the various big leaf varieties from a sun perspective. Meaning, if a location works for one mophead, it will usually work for another similar (height, etc) mophead. That being said, big leaf hydrangea typically fares best when the conditions you planted it are similar to the conditions where mopheads originated from. Usually. And that translates to dappled sun locations; or morning sun/afternoon-evening shade; or bright shade. In northern locations that are cold and the sun is not strong, big leaf hydrangea can be in close to full sun conditions. But in warmer northern locations and all the others, I would recommend afternoon shade for best results. But the problem sometimes is that, yes, the plant may not have sunlight issues but, it may have blooming issues with winter weather. Mopheads have a difficult time reliably producing blooms as your location gets colder... say, Zone 5 or colder. Even down here in Z8, I have had mild winters that are mild, suddenly get very cold, zap the flower buds and I get no blooms from old wood. In cold zones, this problem may require that you try remontant (re-blooming) mopheads instead of those that only produce flower buds on old wood. But Z4 is "pushing the envelope" A LOT. The ads for Love do not state that it is remontant so, until this is stated, assume it blooms on old wood only. It may be risky to grow it in cold zones like yours, where the old wood may get killed. The plant may come back from the crown but it will not bloom since it is not remontant. But for dara_gardener, it may do well in BC in afternoon shade. Hopefully, dara_gardener will chime in and say where she planted hers. Browning of the blooms is not necessarily too much sun per se; too much sun or actually hot weather exacerbates moisture issues and causes the plant to abort blooms when the big leaves loose moisture faster than the plant can absorb more water via the roots. Where the sun is strong (in the South of the US for example), too much sun results in sun scorch (the leaves in direct contact with the sun turn all yellow, including the leaf veins, and the other leaves remain dark green). For sunny places in Z4, your best choice is a hydrangea paniculata. But again, one has to be mindful of the location. Down here, as sun tolerant as paniculatas are, the leaves need protection from our harsh sun or they fry. FYI Only... If wondering... I have seen other similar double-bloom mopheads around. Check these; they are remontant: Forever & Ever Together; Forever & Ever Peace; Double Delights Perfection. I believe they are hardy to Zone 5. Forever and Ever Mopheads however, are usually advertised hardy to Zone 4. They will probably loose old wood flower buds but will then produce blooms later in the Summer. Caution: ES is also advertised as hardy to Zone 4 but blooms poorly sometimes based on the complaints in the forum. F&E does not have as many complaints....See Moregardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agodbarron
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoPhled Z6a-MA
5 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years agoluis_pr
5 years agoHeruga (7a Northern NJ)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agodbarron
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agostir_fryi SE Mich
5 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years agoHeruga (7a Northern NJ)
5 years agoRoxana *** ZN 5 Indianapolis IN ***
5 years agotikva5
5 years agodavidrt28 (zone 7)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoHeruga (7a Northern NJ)
5 years agodavidrt28 (zone 7)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoHeruga (7a Northern NJ)
5 years agoDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agojpm995
5 years agoctgardenguy (Zone 6)
5 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years agoctgardenguy (Zone 6)
5 years agoa1an
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoHeruga (7a Northern NJ)
5 years ago
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cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)