{"id":848,"date":"2026-10-29T22:19:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T22:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.buymyplants.com.au\/_home\/care\/hydrangeas-planting-in-the-ground-and-ongoing-care\/"},"modified":"2026-10-29T22:19:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T22:19:19","slug":"hydrangeas-planting-in-the-ground-and-ongoing-care","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.buymyplants.com.au\/_home\/care\/hydrangeas-planting-in-the-ground-and-ongoing-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Hydrangeas \u2014 Planting in the Ground and Ongoing Care"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"bmp-care-article\">\n<p>Growing and maintaining hydrangeas in the ground in Perth requires managing Perth\u2019s sandy soils and hot, dry summers.<\/p>\n<h2>Step 1: Choose the Right Location<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Sunlight:<\/strong> Plant in a spot with gentle morning sun and dappled or afternoon shade. Avoid harsh western sun or exposed hot brick walls, which can scorch the large leaves and flowers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wind Protection:<\/strong> Choose a sheltered area away from strong winds, as hydrangea stems are brittle.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Spacing:<\/strong> Space plants about 1 to 1.5 meters apart to allow proper air circulation and growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Step 2: Prepare the Soil<\/h2>\n<p>Perth\u2019s native sandy soil drains too fast and lacks the organic matter hydrangeas crave.<\/p>\n<p>1. Dig a hole twice as wide and the same depth as the pot.<\/p>\n<p>2. Generously mix in compost, well-rotted cow manure, or a specialized soil improver (such as ActivGrow or an acid-loving mix like Searles Azalea, Camellia &amp; Gardenia Mix) to help retain moisture.<\/p>\n<p>3. Add water-retaining crystals to the backfill mix if your soil is particularly sandy.<\/p>\n<h2>Step 3: Plant Your Hydrangea<\/h2>\n<p>1. Water the hydrangea thoroughly in its pot before planting.<\/p>\n<p>2. Gently tease out the roots on the outside of the rootball if they are tightly bound.<\/p>\n<p>3. Place the plant in the hole so that the top of the rootball sits even with the surrounding garden grade.<\/p>\n<p>4. Backfill with your enriched soil mix and lightly firm it down.<\/p>\n<p>5. Water deeply right away to settle the soil around the roots.<\/p>\n<h2>Step 4: Mulch Heavily<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Apply a 5 to 7 cm layer of chunky organic mulch\u2014such as pine bark or sugarcane mulch\u2014around the base.<\/li>\n<li>Keep the mulch a few centimetres away from the main woody stem (the plant&#x27;s neck) to prevent rot. Mulch is essential in Perth to keep shallow roots cool and lock in moisture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Step 5: Watering Routine (Crucial in Perth)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Establishment Phase:<\/strong> Water every couple of days for the first 4 to 6 weeks while roots settle.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Summer &amp; Spring:<\/strong> Deeply soak the roots 2 to 3 times a week (ideally in the early morning). Potted or newly exposed plants may wilt quickly on hot days and appreciate an extra drink.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tip:<\/strong> Drooping leaves are usually a sign of thirst; they will bounce back quickly once watered.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Step 6: Feeding and Colour Control<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Fertilising:<\/strong> Feed in early spring with a controlled-release flower or rose fertilizer (low in nitrogen, higher in potassium and phosphorus to encourage blooms rather than just leafy growth). Apply a second light feed in midsummer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Controlling Flower Color (Mophead Hydrangeas):<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>o Blue flowers: Require acidic soil (pH 4.5\u20135.5). Apply an acidifying blueing tonic in spring and autumn.<\/p>\n<p>o Pink or Red flowers: Require alkaline soil (pH above 6.5\u20137). Sprinkle garden lime around the root zone in spring and autumn.<\/p>\n<p>o Note: White hydrangeas stay white regardless of soil pH, and many modern hybrid varieties have fixed colours that resist shifting.<\/p>\n<h2>Step 7: Pruning<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Prune during late winter when the plant is dormant and has dropped its leaves.<\/li>\n<li>Cut back flowered stems to the first pair of fat, healthy leaf buds (about 1\/3 to halfway down).<\/li>\n<li>Leave any green stems that haven&#x27;t flowered yet alone, as they hold next season&#x27;s blooms.<\/li>\n<li>Remove any dead, weak, or very old woody canes right down to ground level to freshen up the shrub.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"bmp-care-downloads\">\n<h2>Download or print this guide<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buymyplants.com.au\/_home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/hydrangeas-planting-in-the-ground-and-ongoing-care.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Original guide PDF<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Growing and maintaining hydrangeas in the ground in Perth requires managing Perth\u2019s sandy soils and hot, dry summers. Step 1: Choose the Right Location Sunlight: Plant in a spot with gentle morning sun and dappled or afternoon shade. Avoid harsh western sun or exposed hot brick walls, which can scorch the large leaves and flowers. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":18,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-848","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"buymyplants_70lkd8","author_link":"https:\/\/www.buymyplants.com.au\/_home\/author\/buymyplants_70lkd8\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Growing and maintaining hydrangeas in the ground in Perth requires managing Perth\u2019s sandy soils and hot, dry summers. Step 1: Choose the Right Location Sunlight: Plant in a spot with gentle morning sun and dappled or afternoon shade. Avoid harsh western sun or exposed hot brick walls, which can scorch the large leaves and flowers.&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buymyplants.com.au\/_home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buymyplants.com.au\/_home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buymyplants.com.au\/_home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buymyplants.com.au\/_home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buymyplants.com.au\/_home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.buymyplants.com.au\/_home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/848\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.buymyplants.com.au\/_home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.buymyplants.com.au\/_home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}