{"title":"Hydrangeas","description":"\u003cp\u003eHydrangeas do a job few other shrubs manage: they hold large, structural flower heads through the hottest weeks of summer and into autumn, in positions that get very little direct sun. That makes them the shrub of choice for a south-facing bed, a shaded courtyard, the strip beside a fence that never quite warms up, or the bed under an established deciduous tree, where they will need extra water. Buy them if you have a spot that is bright but sheltered from midday and afternoon sun, and you want mass and colour rather than fine detail. They also hold their shape in large pots.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe range here splits into two groups that behave differently. The bigleaf types are the familiar mopheads and lacecaps. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hydrangea-macrophylla\"\u003eHydrangea macrophylla\u003c\/a\u003e is the standard, and it is the one whose flower colour responds to soil, turning blue in acid soil and pink in alkaline. It is stocked across four sizes, from a 175mm squat pot through 200mm and 300mm up to 500mm plants. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hydrangea-macrophylla-jogasaki\"\u003eJogasaki\u003c\/a\u003e is a lacecap with doubled florets around a flat centre, sold as a 140mm starter from $21.95. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hydrangea-runaway-bride\"\u003eRunaway Bride\u003c\/a\u003e is different again: it flowers along the length of long, arching stems rather than only at the tips, so it suits a raised bed edge or a wide pot where it can spill over the rim. The panicle group, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hydrangea-paniculata-candlelight\"\u003eCandlelight\u003c\/a\u003e and Hercules, carries cone-shaped heads on stiffer stems and takes more sun than the bigleaf types. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hydrangea-diamond-rouge\"\u003eDiamond Rouge\u003c\/a\u003e and Sundae Fraise are panicle types too, opening pale and ageing to pink and red. For size straight away, Strawberries and Cream, Tuxedo Pink and Oriental Lace are stocked only as advanced 330mm plants, and the Assorted line runs from 140mm pots to 200L specimens.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePosition matters more here than anything you do later, and the mistake to avoid is hot afternoon sun. A hydrangea against a west-facing wall or out in open lawn wilts flat every hot afternoon, scorches brown around the leaf margins and flower edges, and either dies in its first summer or sits stunted for years. Morning sun with afternoon shade is the target; in a cool southern district they carry more sun if the soil never dries out, but through a hot inland or subtropical summer it is a requirement. Full shade is workable and gives you fewer flowers. Improve the soil with compost before planting, mulch to about 75mm to keep the root zone cool, and water deeply twice a week through summer rather than a light sprinkle each day. Pruning depends on the group: bigleaf types set next season's buds on old wood, so cut them back straight after flowering and leave them alone in winter, or you will cut off the flowers. Panicle types flower on new wood and can be shortened hard in late winter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA shaded bed keeps working through the year if you back them up: \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/camellias\"\u003ecamellias\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/gardenia\"\u003egardenias\u003c\/a\u003e take similar conditions and flower either side of the hydrangea season. For colour across the wider garden, see \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/flowering\"\u003eflowering plants\u003c\/a\u003e, or work through \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/shop-all-plants\"\u003eshop all plants\u003c\/a\u003e to build a full order. Every order ships farm-direct with flat $99 delivery across QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA, a $399 minimum order, and the 30-Day Healthy Plant Guarantee.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"pd-hub-guide\"\u003eNew to these plants? Read our guide: \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/hydrangea-care-australia\"\u003eHydrangea care, pruning and flower colour\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"hydrangea-macrophylla-jogasaki","title":"Hydrangea macrophylla Jogasaki","description":"\u003cp\u003eBlue or pink is not settled by the label with Jogasaki, it is settled by your soil. Acid mixes with available aluminium push the florets towards violet and blue, while limed or naturally alkaline soils turn them pink. Potted into a standard mix and left alone, most plants land somewhere between the two.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe flower is the reason to grow it. Jogasaki is a double lacecap, so rather than a solid ball you get a flat head of small fertile buds ringed and studded with layered, star-like sterile florets held above the foliage on wiry stalks. It cuts well and holds its shape as it dries.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeing deciduous, it gives you bare stems through winter. Part shade is not optional in most of Australia. Hot afternoon sun collapses the leaves by lunchtime, and repeated wilting scorches the floret edges permanently. Keep the root zone moist through summer and mulch it. Prune spent heads and dead wood only, because the flower buds form on last season's wood.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 140mm, at $21.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/when-to-plant-trees-and-shrubs-australia\"\u003ewhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64308991525233,"sku":null,"price":21.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/tAgFBhuvtRKIu9kFJIU04_BsuaNTFV.jpg?v=1787628217"},{"product_id":"hydrangea-paniculata-candlelight","title":"Panicle Hydrangea - Hydrangea paniculata Candlelight","description":"\u003cp\u003ePrune this one hard, and prune it in late winter. Panicle hydrangeas flower on the current season's growth, so cutting the framework back to a low permanent structure each year gives you fewer, larger, better-carried cone-shaped heads instead of a thicket of thin wood. That single habit difference is what separates paniculata from the mophead hydrangeas most people picture.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCandlelight sits in the creamy lime range as it opens and warms as the heads age, holding on the bush for weeks and drying on the stem if you leave it standing. Soil chemistry does not drive the colour here, so adding aluminium or lime achieves nothing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is deciduous and tolerates more light than the macrophylla types, though in inland heat part shade and steady summer water keep the foliage from crisping at the margins. Feed lightly in early spring. It earns its place in a mixed border, as a loose informal hedge, or in a large pot where the bare winter framework still reads as structure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 200mm, at $34.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/when-to-plant-trees-and-shrubs-australia\"\u003ewhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64308991918449,"sku":null,"price":34.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/h0mairWXwSTU3MWU9l_sI_Kq0UlGRn.jpg?v=1787628216"},{"product_id":"hydrangea-runaway-bride","title":"Hydrangea Runaway Bride","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat sets Runaway Bride apart is where the flowers come from. An ordinary hydrangea flowers at the tips of its stems. This one breaks lacecap heads from buds along the length of each stem, so a well-grown plant carries far more of them and the stems arch outward under the load. The result is a cascading, almost trailing shrub rather than a tidy dome.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlooms are white, sometimes with a soft blush, in loose open lacecaps rather than solid balls. It is deciduous, and it performs better in a big pot, a raised bed or along the top of a retaining wall than squeezed into a border, because that arching habit needs somewhere to spill.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePart shade with shelter from hot afternoon sun is the requirement, plus steady moisture once the flowers begin. Do not shear it into a ball. After flowering, take out dead and clearly old wood at the base and leave the young stems, which carry the following season's laterals. Offered in 200mm and 300mm.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 2 sizes, from 200mm up to 300mm, priced from $36.95 to $99.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/when-to-plant-trees-and-shrubs-australia\"\u003ewhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64308992934257,"sku":null,"price":36.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64308992967025,"sku":null,"price":99.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/4xR9nJLfqOAeqgKOXnJW9_lOLYSYmb.jpg?v=1787628279"},{"product_id":"hydrangea-spp-assorted","title":"Hydrangea spp. Assorted","description":"\u003cp\u003eAssorted means exactly that. These are unnamed hydrangeas grown in mixed batches, so flower colour, and whether a given plant throws a mophead or a lacecap head, is not guaranteed. For a formal mass planting that needs uniformity, that is a real problem. For a shaded border, a cottage bed or cutting, it rarely matters at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eColour is partly in your hands anyway. Garden hydrangeas shift blue in acid soil where aluminium is available to the roots and lean pink as the soil moves alkaline, which is why the same plant behaves differently in a pot of potting mix and in a bed beside a limestone wall or fresh concrete. Give them morning sun and afternoon shade, since full western sun will wilt and scorch the leaves no matter how much water you put on. Keep the soil moist through summer and mulch properly. Prune after flowering by cutting spent stems back to a pair of fat buds rather than shearing the whole plant down in winter, which removes next season's flowers. Available in 140mm and as large 200 litre plants.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 4 sizes, from 140mm up to 200L, priced from $16.95 to $1439.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/when-to-plant-trees-and-shrubs-australia\"\u003ewhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"250mm","offer_id":64308993032561,"sku":null,"price":59.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64308993065329,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":64308993098097,"sku":null,"price":1439.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64308993130865,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/7EPjZE7LlBa56YqxZPdDF_nBcbOeZU.jpg?v=1787628279"},{"product_id":"hydrangea-strawberries-and-cream","title":"Hydrangea Strawberries and Cream","description":"\u003cp\u003eStrawberries and Cream describes what the flowers do rather than what they start as. Heads open in the white to cream range and take on pink as the florets age, so one bush can carry two or three tones at once. That progression is strongest where nights cool down and weakest in humid subtropical gardens, where the pink often stays pale.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is deciduous, so plan for bare stems in winter. Part shade and reliable moisture from late spring onwards are what keep it looking well; dry roots show up first as scorched leaf margins and prematurely browned heads.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne thing worth settling before you cut. Hydrangeas sold under trade names can flower on old wood or on new, and pruning the wrong type at the wrong time costs you a full season of bloom. If you are not certain which you have, restrict yourself to removing dead stems and spent heads in late winter, then watch where the buds actually break. It cuts well for the vase.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 330mm, at $149.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/when-to-plant-trees-and-shrubs-australia\"\u003ewhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"330mm","offer_id":64308993294705,"sku":null,"price":149.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/JDHLvkCeGH0eqgCT-AT9g_jCaqT4zL.jpg?v=1787628280"},{"product_id":"hydrangea-sundae-fraise","title":"Hydrangea Sundae Fraise","description":"\u003cp\u003eGardeners who like the white to strawberry colour run of the big panicle hydrangeas, but have nowhere to put a shrub that size, usually end up at Sundae Fraise. It is a compact panicle type with shorter, stiffer stems, so the cone-shaped heads are less inclined to fold over after summer rain, and it sits comfortably in a pot or the front half of a border.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe heads open pale and deepen towards pink from the base of the cone upwards, giving a two-tone effect that lasts for weeks. Colour here responds to age and temperature, not to soil chemistry, so aluminium sulphate does nothing at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeciduous. Cut the framework back in late winter, well before growth moves, since the flowers come on new season's shoots. Part shade suits it across most of Australia, with more direct sun tolerated in cool districts. Keep the soil moist through summer and mulch the root zone rather than letting it bake dry.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 200mm, at $40.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/when-to-plant-trees-and-shrubs-australia\"\u003ewhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64308993360241,"sku":null,"price":40.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/j25JyHOyUHr-fgIxYAuZj_BHJPkAsW.jpg?v=1787628279"},{"product_id":"hydrangea-tuxedo-pink","title":"Hydrangea Tuxedo Pink","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe foliage does half the work here. Tuxedo types are grown for very dark, near-black stems and heavily pigmented leaves, and pink heads sitting against that background carry far more weight than the same colour on ordinary green growth. The dark tone develops best in decent light, so a deeply shaded corner will green it up and flatten the contrast you bought it for.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePart shade with morning sun is the workable compromise. Full afternoon sun through an inland summer burns both the dark foliage and the flowers, and repeated wilting is what kills most of these in containers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeciduous, so treat the display as a spring and summer one. Keep water steady from bud break through flowering, mulch to hold moisture, and feed lightly rather than generously; soft over-fed growth is what draws sap-sucking insects and leaves stems floppy. Prune sparingly, taking out dead wood and the oldest stems after flowering. Supplied in a 330mm pot, big enough to plant straight into a display container.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 330mm, at $149.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/when-to-plant-trees-and-shrubs-australia\"\u003ewhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"330mm","offer_id":64308995785073,"sku":null,"price":149.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/KXI-RZo3W8LUmWTJ-pMZv_IsJZLmDZ.jpg?v=1787628279"},{"product_id":"hydrangea-macrophylla","title":"Hydrangea macrophylla","description":"\u003cp\u003eBlue or pink? With Hydrangea macrophylla the answer is written in your soil rather than on the label. Acidic ground with available aluminium pushes the mopheads and lacecaps blue; limey or neutral soil turns the same plant pink. White forms ignore the whole business and stay white. Growers shift the colour deliberately using aluminium sulphate for blue or garden lime for pink, and it takes a season or two to move.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe other thing to get right is pruning. Flower buds form on last season's wood, so cut back soon after the blooms fade, taking stems to a fat pair of buds and thinning the oldest canes out at the base. A tidy-up in spring removes the entire display.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is deciduous, and it wilts dramatically in afternoon sun. Part shade, deep mulch and steady summer water keep the leaves up. Heads cut late in the season dry well and hold their shape indoors.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 4 sizes, from 175mm Squat up to 500mm, priced from $25.95 to $229.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/when-to-plant-trees-and-shrubs-australia\"\u003ewhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"175mm Squat","offer_id":64311485923697,"sku":null,"price":25.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311485956465,"sku":null,"price":119.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500mm","offer_id":64311485989233,"sku":null,"price":229.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311486022001,"sku":null,"price":44.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/qpnQUuOq_-tJtvWl8vxP_S9MMQezd.jpg?v=1787629863"},{"product_id":"hydrangea-diamond-rouge","title":"Hydrangea Diamond Rouge","description":"\u003cp\u003eUnlike the mophead hydrangeas most people picture, Diamond Rouge carries dense conical panicles rather than round heads, and its colour is not controlled by soil pH. Blooms open creamy white, take on pink, then deepen towards red as they age, so one plant shows several shades at once.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is deciduous, dropping to bare stems over winter, and that matters for pruning. This type flowers on the current season's growth, so you can cut it back hard while it is dormant and still get a full display, which is the opposite of the advice given for blue and pink macrophyllas. Part shade suits it in Australia, particularly shelter from hot afternoon sun, and it wants regular water through summer because the first sign of stress is wilting flower heads that never quite recover. The stems hold well in the vase and dry to a papery bronze if you leave them on the plant. Sold in 200mm, a useful size for a large container or a shaded border.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 200mm, at $34.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/when-to-plant-trees-and-shrubs-australia\"\u003ewhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311491658097,"sku":null,"price":34.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/STfAmdaruHpYBpd1kz6kZ_dJUjxZyg.jpg?v=1787629933"}],"url":"https:\/\/plantdrop.com.au\/collections\/hydrangea.oembed","provider":"Plant Drop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}