Hello everyone,
I am new to the group and wanted to know if some of you fellow gardeners can help me out. I just potted my new nikko blue hydrangea 2 days ago. These are my first hydrangeas so I do not want to kill them. So heres a little info. I live in zone 7a and during the day I put them outside in complete shade. I bring them in at night don't want the frost to hurt them. I planted them in a soil that has peat moss in it. Now my questions are how long will they take to bloom. They are really green with lots of leaves. And I plan on putting them on my front porch which in the day it gets morning sun and late afternoon between evening shade. Would this be a good location for them. Am I doing the right things with them. Comments would gladly be appreciated. Here is a picture of them the black specks on the leaves is only the soil from the pot.
when will my new nikko blue hydrangea bloom
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luis_pr
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 824
- Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:31 am
- Location: Hurst, TX USA Zone 7b/8a
"I put them outside in complete shade." - Hydrangeas are understory shrubs so they will do fine in the shade. However, if placed in dense shade, they get spindly and either bloom less or not at all. In what I call "bright shade", they will do just fine.
"don't want the frost to hurt them" - gosh, where do you live? In my location, I have already gotten into the 90s so it is shocking to hear Z7'ers saying that they are still getting frost. Wow! But hydrangeas are woodsy shrubs and can handle frost. The only problem with frost is that it could kill the leaves (not the canes or roots). However, the leaves normally would regrow after a while.
"I plan on putting them on my front porch which in the day it gets morning sun and late afternoon between evening shade."- They do best in morning sun, afternoon shade or in dappled sun. The problem is the leaves will scorch during the worst of the summer months if they get too much strong sun. Your sun in Z7 is probably too strong but you can always try and move them if the location turns out to cause problems during the summer months. You will not be the first one to do that or the last one. Join the club.
Bloomage - I have seen pictures of macrophyllas blooming when smaller than yours so I would think that yours will do that this year. The problem is that the flower buds develop in July and are invisible until the last minute so you cannot tell for sure if you have flower buds now. And what worked for the ones that I saw may not apply to Nikko Blue. Can the seller where you got them from tell you this or did you grow them yourself? I know you potted them 2 days ago but was not sure if you bought them from someone aaaand then potted them? Or if you grew them?
Luis
PS - I saw a big black something in between the two sets of leaves. Too big to be dirt. Is that a doggie in front of the green wall? or something?
"don't want the frost to hurt them" - gosh, where do you live? In my location, I have already gotten into the 90s so it is shocking to hear Z7'ers saying that they are still getting frost. Wow! But hydrangeas are woodsy shrubs and can handle frost. The only problem with frost is that it could kill the leaves (not the canes or roots). However, the leaves normally would regrow after a while.
"I plan on putting them on my front porch which in the day it gets morning sun and late afternoon between evening shade."- They do best in morning sun, afternoon shade or in dappled sun. The problem is the leaves will scorch during the worst of the summer months if they get too much strong sun. Your sun in Z7 is probably too strong but you can always try and move them if the location turns out to cause problems during the summer months. You will not be the first one to do that or the last one. Join the club.
Bloomage - I have seen pictures of macrophyllas blooming when smaller than yours so I would think that yours will do that this year. The problem is that the flower buds develop in July and are invisible until the last minute so you cannot tell for sure if you have flower buds now. And what worked for the ones that I saw may not apply to Nikko Blue. Can the seller where you got them from tell you this or did you grow them yourself? I know you potted them 2 days ago but was not sure if you bought them from someone aaaand then potted them? Or if you grew them?
Luis
PS - I saw a big black something in between the two sets of leaves. Too big to be dirt. Is that a doggie in front of the green wall? or something?