Asked by: Anjelica Seyfart
home and garden landscaping

Can I plant a florist hydrangea outside?

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Most potted, gift hydrangeas fail to thrive because they're kept indoors too long. Others die because they've been raised in a greenhouse, and even if planted outdoors, they're not cold hardy in your part of the country. But hydrangeas can be great potted plants, if you make good choices. Here's what you need to know.


Also to know is, when can you plant a potted hydrangea outside?

It is always best to plant the potted hydrangea outdoors whenever possible. It should only be planted outdoors in early to mid summer as it needs time to acclimate to outdoor conditions before winter arrives.

Additionally, are florist hydrangeas Hardy? Most hydrangeas that are sold as gift plants are hardy on Cape Cod. So like all of our pink and blue hydrangeas, these will have reduced flowering the summer after a cold winter. Potted Hydrangea plants dry out quickly. This is the most challenging thing about keeping them indoors in April and May.

Likewise, people ask, is there a difference between indoor and outdoor hydrangeas?

When a hydrangea doesn't bloom in the spring, frost is often the culprit. So if it's still chilly where you live, wait a little longer before moving your potted plant into the great outdoors. But that's no problem. Hydrangeas are just as pleasant indoors as they are outside.

How do you care for a potted hydrangea outside?

  1. Place your potted hydrangeas in areas that receive morning sunlight and afternoon shade, for best growth.
  2. Add organic matter, such as peat moss, to soil to improve fertility, as potted hydrangeas perform best in potting mix high in organic content.

Related Question Answers

Hailey Jasmit

Professional

Will potted hydrangeas rebloom?

Although you can transplant these hydrangeas outdoors after they stop blooming, it's also possible to force them into bloom a second time as a potted plant. Reblooming hydrangeas requires proper pruning and care, along with a dormant period, to produce attractive flowers.

Donna Tetens

Professional

How long do potted hydrangeas last?

Move the hydrangea to a warmer room, with temperatures between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, after six weeks of cooling. Resume your regular watering and fertilizing schedule. The hydrangea will bloom in approximately four months.

Yanameyaia Kunik

Professional

Do Hydrangeas like full sun?

Most hydrangeas thrive in rich, porous, somewhat moist soils. Add compost to enrich poor soil. They prefer full sun in the morning, with some afternoon shade; however, many will grow and bloom in partial shade.

Zinayida Wieprich

Explainer

Do hydrangeas come back every year?

Since they bloom on previous years' growth AND the new season's growth, you can leave them all winter long to achieve double the blooms next spring. Do NOT prune the hydrangea back in fall. Mound the mulch or leaves around your plants at least 12” high to protect the flower buds that will bloom early next year.

Alphousseyni Buschler

Explainer

Can you grow hydrangeas in pots?

Planting hydrangeas
Pot grown hydrangeas can be planted at any time of year, in the open ground or in pots and containers using Vitax John Innes compost. Choose nice big pots that will allow the plants to grow happily for several years. Small containers dry out too quickly.

Reynier Hogn

Explainer

Do hydrangeas multiply?

Multiply Your Plants. Hydrangeas respond well to several propagation techniques, including layering and dividing. But Dirr's method for rooting softwood cuttings in summer will yield a bunch of new plants in about four weeks.

Yasen Milcheva

Pundit

How fast do hydrangeas grow?

Reaching up to 15 feet in height, the hydrangea grows quickly and often fills in a space in just one summer. You'll find hydrangeas growing in hardiness Zones 3 to 7 as perennials.

Deriman Vaughn

Pundit

How tall do hydrangeas grow?

As its name implies, the panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) features long panicles of white, densely-packed flowers. This is the largest of the shrub species and can reach a maximum average height and width of 15 and 12 feet respectively. It has been known to reach heights of 25 feet.

Sondos Amesbury

Pundit

When should I plant my hydrangea outside?

Hydrangeas are not terribly particular about the time of year when they're planted, but summer planting can be problematic in inland areas where the summers are bright and hot. For best results, plant hydrangeas in spring or fall, when temperatures are mild.

Cleber Chanza

Pundit

How do you transplant hydrangeas outside?

Start the process by digging just outside a hydrangea's leaf canopy. Roots will extend somewhat beyond this point, but by digging in this spot you'll capture most of the roots. A hydrangea has a fibrous root system. When you dig the plant, you'll be moving a large soil clump with it.

Everette Collinson

Pundit

Can you grow hydrangeas from cuttings?

Once you have selected a stem to propagate the hydrangea, take a sharp pair of shears and cut the stem off just below a leaf node. While rooting hormone will increase the chances of successfully propagating hydrangeas, you can still propagate hydrangea shrubs without it. Now, stick the cutting into damp potting soil.

Olene Kaltofen

Teacher

How do you keep hydrangeas alive?

How to make your hydrangeas last longer:
  1. Add sugar to room temperature water (sugar feeds the stems)
  2. Add soap to room temperature water in the vase (soap keeps bacteria away)
  3. Remove the leaves (they take up a lot of water)
  4. Cut the stems on an angle and cut up the stem (they can soak up more water)

Zhor Lechado

Teacher

What temperature can hydrangeas?

Temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the day and just below 60 F at night are ideal. During the fall bud development stage, hydrangeas need six weeks of temperatures below 65 F for the buds to set. After this period, the hydrangeas should go dormant in temperatures between 35 and 45 F for six weeks.

Teodosia Miguela

Teacher

What do hydrangeas look like in the winter?

Dormant, Not Dead
Like other plants, this period comes naturally during winter, even in many mild climates. Throughout the dormancy, hydrangeas drop all of their leaves and look dead. In early spring, however, the hydrangeas start bouncing back, producing new leaves and beginning to bud out.

Nolberto Beso

Teacher

Are all hydrangeas Hardy?

Out of all the hydrangeas, panicle hydrangeas are the most cold-hardy, and can thrive in hardiness zones four to seven. Native to Japan and China, they are one of the few types of hydrangeas that need several hours of sun and can even tolerate full sun.

Marck Yorke

Reviewer

Can you keep hydrangeas small?

The mature hydrangea is a shrub that cannot be made smaller. If you cut a big leaf hydrangea down one year it will replace that growth the following season. Many lacecap hydrangeas bloom on second year growth, so they should be pruned in the same way as the mopheads.

Lorrine Ivova

Reviewer

Are all hydrangeas perennials?

All hydrangeas are either woody or herbaceous perennials. The problem for northern states like Michigan is that not all hydrangeas are winter hardy, and are not able to take the Zone 5 winters that can dip to -20 degrees. paniculata) and oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia).

Abdenaji Lindacher

Reviewer

How do I get more blooms on my hydrangea?

How to Get More Flowers:
  1. Plant panicle hydrangeas in all-day sun or afternoon sun.
  2. Water them during times of drought.
  3. Amend the soil liberally with organic matter (such as compost)
  4. Limit hard pruning to early spring, just before new growth emerges.
  5. Deadhead blooms as they fade.

Alimou Abando

Reviewer

Do hydrangea flowers die?

If your Hydrangea flowers dry out they will turn brown. Similarly, if the plants are growing in full or afternoon sun they will fade rapidly.