How to grow bigleaf hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla
When to plant bigleaf hydrangea
Plant this deciduous shrub while dormant, in fall or early spring. Extension guidance rates fall (early enough for roots to establish before the ground freezes) as the best time and spring, just before growth begins, as the next best.
Bigleaf Hydrangea is timed by season rather than your frost dates, so the planting calendar does not generate ZIP-specific dates for it. Check the cited sources below to fine-tune for your area.
Growing conditions
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Spacing
- 36 to 72 in apart
- Sun
- Partial sun
- Soil pH
- 5 to 8.5
Common problems
- wilting in afternoon sun
- leaf spot
- powdery mildew
- few blooms after late frost or hard pruning
Sources
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (NC State Extension): Hydrangea macrophylla (Bigleaf Hydrangea)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center: Planting Shrubs Correctly (HGIC 1052)
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