Hortensia

Hortensia

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Did You Know?

The name of this plant is hydrangea or hortensia. This plant is mainly known for its bunch of flowers at the tip of each branch stooping in a downward direction. I must say it is a very pretty sight altogether.

The flowers are mostly white, blue, red, pink, light purple, or dark purple. The color of the flowers is mainly due to the presence of aluminum ions which are available or tied up depending upon the soil pH. The soil pH will determine how available aluminum is to the plant. Acidic soil will give you blue flowers (aluminum available to the plants), and alkaline soil will give you pink flowers (aluminum unavailable to the plants).

Hortensia does well in partial shade. They need to be planted in an area where they receive morning sun. They also thrive in full sunlight but may need extra water on hot summer days.

Hortensia needs minimal pruning, but if you would like to reduce the size of the plant or prevent it from falling over too much, the best time to prune these shrubs is immediately after flowering. The easiest thing to do at this time is to take out some of the older stocks, which will reduce crowding and encourage new growth.

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My Observation:

From the above study, I assume that my garden soil is somewhere in between, with a balanced pH, since the flowers are light purple in color.

This is a beautiful ornamental plant and adds to the beauty of your garden. As mentioned above it does need a lot of water in the hot summer or else its leaves begin to droop. This has been placed in the view of full sunlight. During rains, it grows very well, with a thick growth of its lush green leaves.

We have grown these plants in pots, they thrive well in the open soil also. I am yet to try planting them on the ground, I will keep this post updated till then...