| How to Get Hydrangeas to Bloom Posted: 09 Jul 2019 05:00 PM PDT Hydrangeas are beautiful when they bloom in spring and summer. However, sometimes they don't bloom the way you want them to. Hydrangea flowers can be finicky, but taking care of your plant's needs increases your chances of getting to experience an amazing bloom. Most problems are issues of watering, sunlight, and soil quality. Proper pruning also helps, and remember to protect plants from harsh weather and pests. Care for your hydrangeas and you will likely end up with stunning blossoms to admire. EditSelecting a Good Planting Spot - Place hydrangeas where they'll receive 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. The best spots are ones that receive most of this sunlight in the early morning hours. Watch your yard to see which spots the sun shines on throughout the day. If your plant looks healthy but still isn't blooming, it might not be getting enough sun. Most hydrangeas won't bloom at all in the shade.[1]
- Hydrangeas are somewhat delicate when it comes to sunlight, so too much sun can burn them. If your plant has brown scorch marks on its leaves and blooms, move it to a cooler area.
- Plant hydrangeas away from big trees and other plants. Big trees are a double threat to hydrangeas since they cast plenty of shade and take up a lot of water. If your hydrangeas won't bloom, take a look at their neighbors. Place them on the edges of shade cast by tall trees. Otherwise, create a separate space in the garden for them or pair them with other plants that won't overpower them.[2]
- If you're building a big garden, grow healthy hydrangeas near plants that bloom at the same time. Some examples include foxglove, dogwood, heucherella, and various types of shrubs.
- Keep hydrangeas in fertile but well-drained soil. Test your soil by digging a hole and filling it with water. If it drains within 5 to 15 minutes, then your soil is fine for flowers. Even though hydrangeas drink up a lot of water, too much of it leads to root rot and plants that won't bloom.[3]
- Organic compost causes waterlogged soil to drain faster. Purchase some compost, peat moss, or something similar from a gardening center. Mix it into the soil after digging out your hydrangea.
- If you're stuck dealing with pools of water over your soil, try building a raised planting bed. Build a frame out of wood, then fill it with a sandy loam from a gardening center.
- Take a sample of the soil to test its pH. Purchase a testing kit at a home improvement store and mix a sample of your soil with a little bit of water to perform a litmus test. The soil pH affects how your hydrangeas bloom. Aim for a pH between 5 and 8 depending on what color of bloom you are aiming for. As long as the soil doesn't have an extreme pH like 3 or 10, then it won't stop hydrangeas from blooming.[4]
- Many hydrangeas produce a rainbow of blooms depending on the pH. Aim for a pH of 5.5 or lower to get blue flowers and 6.5 or higher for pink and red flowers. Anything between that is likely to produce purple.
- White hydrangeas, such as French hydrangeas, don't change no matter what the pH is. If you have a white hydrangea that doesn't bloom, the problem isn't the soil pH unless it is unusually low or high.
- Amend the soil to change the pH to a safe level if it's too high or low. Compost, coffee grounds, and other organic materials are great ways to adjust the soil. Spread them around hydrangeas to gradually [[Lower Soil pH|lower the pH. Raise the pH by adding wood ash, lime, or some fertilizers. Bring the pH to a safe level in order to get the blooms you desire.[5]
- Use fertilizers high in phosphorus to make the soil more alkaline and encourage pink blooms. A 25-10-10 fertilizer works well. The numbers are the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, respectively.
EditWatering and Protecting Hydrangeas - Water hydrangeas about 3 times a week to keep the roots moist. Hydrangeas are notorious water hogs. Several times a week, use a hose to spray the water around the soil instead of directly onto the plant. Add it in the morning to keep the soil cool and moist throughout the day. Then, let the water soak in for up to half an hour before testing the soil again.
- Test the soil every day by sticking your finger in it. If it feels dry, add water to keep the soil loose and moist. You may need to water your plants once every 2 days during hot, dry summers.[6]
- Some hydrangeas burn through water more quickly than others. Bigleaf and smooth hydrangeas are the ones that drink up the most water.
- You'll need to add about of water a week to the soil.[7]
- Moist soil feels loose and wet but not soggy. It sticks to your finger or any tools you push into it. As long as it doesn't feel bone dry, your hydrangeas will be fine.
- Apply a balanced fertilizer at least once a year. All you need is a basic gardening fertilizer with a number rating like 12-4-8. The numbers represent the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the fertilizer, respectively. Spread this fertilizer around each hydrangea at a rate of per of ground in late May or early June. Mix it up to deep into the soil to keep your hydrangeas healthy.[8]
- The 12-4-8 fertilizer balance is low in phosphorus, so it is good for encouraging the unique blue blooms some hydrangeas get. If you're looking for red or pink blooms, choose something with more phosphorus, such as a 25-10-10 fertilizer.
- Another option is to use a fast-release 10-10-10 fertilizer. Sprinkle it on the soil in May and again in July. If you don't normally use fertilizer and notice yellow spots on the leaves, a quick application of fertilizer can save the hydrangea.[9]
- Adding too much fertilizer can damage hydrangeas. You may see your plants begin to wilt and burn like they would after receiving too much sun.
- If you add the fertilizer after August, your plants will become too soft to survive the winter. Even though it could help you get some nice blooms during the season, it isn't worth it for the next growing season.
- Spread a layer of mulch in the spring. Mulch is important for insulating your plants from heat, cold, and water loss. Get an organic mulch and add it before each hydrangea begins blooming. Keep the mulch about from the stems to prevent them from rotting. Then, let your hydrangeas grow until the next season.[10]
- Add a new layer of mulch every spring to ensure your hydrangeas have a chance to bloom. Remember to water the soil thoroughly after adding mulch.
- Some good mulch choices to look out for include pine needles and bark. These types make soil a little more acidic, which helps hydrangeas bloom.
- Spray a deer repellant onto hydrangeas to drive away pests. Look out for barren hydrangeas if you live in an area with a lot of deer! Many times, hungry deer are the reason why a healthy hydrangea doesn't seem to bloom. Get a repellent from a gardening center and spray it onto the plant's leaves and stem every 30 days.[11]
- Deer netting is an option to drape over your plants. It works best in winter since hydrangeas will break through it as they grow during the warmer months.
- Deer tend to stay away from oakleaf and climbing hydrangeas, so these types are great options if you're in an area with lots of hungry deer.
- Treat hydrangeas with fungicides to eliminate diseases. Most of the time, sunlight and water stop hydrangeas from blooming, but there are a few diseases that could affect your plants. Look for unusual colored spots on the leaves and flowers. Green, yellow, and brown spots are some common signs that require you to purchase a fungicide from the gardening center to spray on the infected area.[12]
- For example, white mildew spots are treatable. Brown spots and tan rings come from other funguses.
- In addition to applying a fungicide, take care of your hydrangea's needs. Many funguses come from excess moisture. Make sure you water your plants appropriately and provide plenty of air circulation.
- If you aren't able to treat a disease, get rid of the infected plant as soon as possible to prevent the disease from spreading. Dead or dying plants that look badly discolored often aren't salvageable and can ruin any other hydrangeas you have.
EditPruning Hydrangeas - Use a visual guide if you don't know what type of hydrangeas you have. Most people don't realize there are so many different types of hydrangeas. Knowing what kind you have can help you better care for your plants and choose the right time to bust out your gardening shears. In general, there are several main types of hydrangeas commonly grown in gardens. They are easy to identify by appearance.[13]
- Bigleaf hydrangeas are the most common type. They have big leaves at least long and often have big, puffy flowers. Mophead and lacecap hydrangeas are a few examples.
- Smooth hydrangeas like the Annabelle variety grow over tall and can tolerate hotter climates. Annabelle hydrangeas have those big snowball flowers that grow thick.
- Panicle hydrangeas like the PeeGee have large, cone-shaped flowers. They are more resistant to cold weather than other types. They are often very large, as in tree height.
- Like the name suggests, oakleaf hydrangeas have the same star-shaped leaves as oak trees. The leaves also turn colors in the fall. These plants have white, cone-shaped flowers.
- A climbing hydrangea is a type of vine. It spreads slowly but produces tiny, white flowers that are ball-shaped like lacecaps.
- Let the hydrangea grow out to figure out when it blooms. If you're still unsure when your plant blooms, leave it alone for a full season. Hydrangeas are relatively low-maintenance and don't need a lot of pruning. Watch the plant to see which buds turn into flowers. It could come either from last year's buds or on the new growth.[14]
- Hydrangeas that bloom on old wood form buds at the end of the growing season in autumn and bloom in early spring.
- Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood develop buds in early spring and bloom by autumn.
- Prune away old stems on plants that bloom late in the year. If your hydrangea flowers on old wood, it makes new flowers on any branches left to grow for a year. Wait for the blooms to fade around late summer or early fall. Then, use a pair of gardening shears to remove weak or damaged stems. Cut these stems all the way to the ground to give the new stems plenty of space to grow and make more vibrant flowers next year.[15]
- Bigleaf, or French, hydrangeas work this way. They don't need much pruning, so trim good stems back to the first healthy buds. Remove the flowers as they fade by the end of the growing season.
- You can cut off approximately ⅓ of the plant's stems to make it grow back stronger next year.
- Oakleaf hydrangeas also bloom on old wood but don't need much pruning. Remove damaged branches and shape it after the flowers begin fading.
- Trim plants with early blooms before they begin growing in spring. Smooth and panicle hydrangeas bloom on new wood. Take care of these plants in late winter or early spring before they wake up. Try removing weaker and damaged branches to keep the plant strong and shapely. The new growth will end up making flowers during the growing season.[16]
- These types of hydrangeas are extra hearty, so you could even cut them down to the ground and still end up with new flowers during the growing season.
- There are also some newer types of hydrangeas that bloom multiple times a year. You can trim these repeaters as needed throughout the growing season, starting in early spring. Cut faded flower stems to half their length and wait to prune branches until the last bloom in autumn.
- A lot of bigger hydrangeas, including the popular Annabelle variety, have heavy flowers. Tying the stems to stakes can help prevent them from sagging.[17]
- New hydrangeas can take as long as 5 years to bloom. If you're looking for something quicker, choose bigger, more mature, or flowering hydrangeas from a gardening center.[18]
- Try to pick a hydrangea that is the right size for your garden in order to reduce the amount of pruning you have to do.
- Hydrangeas can be grown in pots, which allows you to move them to better growing spots if needed.
- Keep in mind that late frosts can damage hydrangea buds and prevent them from blooming. If your hydrangea begins growing before your area gets hit by a sudden chill, it could lose all its buds.
EditThings You'll Need EditSelecting a Good Planting Spot - pH testing kit
- Shovel
- Water
- Compost or other amendments
EditWatering and Protecting Growing Hydrangeas - 10-30-10 slow-release fertilizer
- Soaking hose or drip irrigator
- Pine mulch
- Deer repellant (optional)
- Fungicide (optional)
EditPruning Hydrangeas - Gardening gloves
- Pruning shears
- Visual identification guide (optional)
EditReferences
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| How to Build a Campfire Pit Posted: 09 Jul 2019 09:00 AM PDT Enjoying a night under the stars in the great outdoors with a crackling campfire nearby is tough to beat. However, it's important to remember that a successful campfire is a safe campfire. Choosing the right spot for your fire, crafting a containment ring to keep the coals from escaping, and keeping supplies handy to quickly extinguish the flames are the keys to building a safe campfire. EditSelecting the Area for the Pit - Make sure it's legal to start a fire in your area. Before you build a campfire pit, you need to make sure it's allowed and if there any special steps or precautions that you're required to take. If you're at a campground or a park, ask the park ranger or check the rules about building a fire. There may be rules about where or how large of a fire you can build. If you're not sure, don't build a fire![1]
- Check the local fire-danger level, which is usually displayed at ranger stations or along roads. If you can't find one, try looking online or calling the local government office.
- Select a flat spot away from trees, dry grass, and lots of leaves. Low hanging branches from trees and lots of brush or dry grass can easily catch fire and get out of control quickly. Choosing flat and level ground to build a campfire pit will also help prevent any coals or embers from rolling away. A good rule of thumb is to choose an area that is at least away from trees and brush.[2]
- Pick a spot that protects your fire pit from the wind. Take note of strong prevailing winds and choose a location that is protected from direct exposure to them. Strong winds can blow coals from the fire and spread it. Try to avoid building a campfire pit in an open area exposed to high winds.[3]
- Use natural features like hills or boulders to shield your fire pit from the wind.
- Arrange your camp so that the wind is at your back to block or deflect it from blowing directly onto your fire.
- If the wind is strong enough to blow debris around, it's too windy to start a fire!
- Choose a place at least away from your lodging. It may be tempting to build a nice fire near the entrance of your cabin or tent to help keep warm, but the materials that make up your tent, cabin, or other form of lodging may not need to be exposed to a direct flame to heat up and catch fire. Be sure to choose a place for your fire pit that's far enough away from your lodging and camping supplies.[4]
- Don't place a sleeping bag next to a campfire because the material could catch fire before you notice it!
EditBuilding a Containment Ring - Clear an area at least around the pit. Before you start to build the containment ring for your fire, you should remove any fire hazards that could cause the fire to spread. Pick up any sticks, leaves, or other flammable material around the area of your fire pit.[5]
- Even if the leaves or branches are damp, you still need to clear them from the area because they could dry out and catch fire.
- Try to rake up any dry leaves as well.
- Dig out a bowl-shaped indentation about deep. A small indentation in the ground will help contain the coals and protect them from the wind. It also allows your fire to burn bright and hot with less smoke because the coals are concentrated in the bowl. Use a shovel or a sturdy stick to dig out the indentation.[6]
- The width of the bowl could vary depending on how large of a fire you're building, but a diameter bowl should be sufficient for most campfires.
- Use rocks or large logs to form a diameter ring. Rocks that are fist-sized or larger are great for making a containment ring. Place them side by side without any gaps in between them to form a containment circle. You could also use large logs to make a ring around the fire pit—just make sure they're not so dry that they'll catch fire easily.[7]
- A ring with a diameter should be large enough for a medium-sized fire, but you can make a larger ring if needed.
- Build a fire inside the containment ring. Gather some small brush or leaves for tinder, some dry, medium-sized branches for kindling, and larger dry logs to use as fuel for your fire. Make a teepee structure with your tinder and kindling and light the tinder at the center of the teepee. Add the larger logs when the fire gets going.[8]
- You'll need about 4-5 logs to keep a campfire burning for 2 hours, so make sure you gather enough.
- Keep the logs you plan to use as fuel at least away from the fire pit so there's no chance they could catch fire.
- Make sure you gather enough fuel to last for as long as you need a fire.
- Bring your own firewood if there isn't any available around you or if you're not permitted to collect it. Contact a park ranger or a local government office to make sure you can gather and burn wood around you.
- Keep a bucket that holds of water nearby. It's always a good idea to keep a bucket or large container of water near the area of the fire pit in case you need to put out any sparks or embers that pop out of the fire. A fire can get out of control quickly, so keep enough water to put the whole fire out at a moment's notice.[9]
- Always put out your fire when you are ready to leave. Soak the pit with water before you leave, even if you let the fire die out on its own.
- Keep a fire extinguisher on hand as well to prevent a possible forest fire.
- Having water nearby also makes the job of extinguishing the fire quick and easy.
EditThings You'll Need - A bucket
- Fire extinguisher
- Shovel or sturdy stick
- Rocks or large logs to form a ring
- Kindling
- Brush or leaves for tinder
- Medium-sized branches for kindling
- Large logs for fuel
- Never leave a campfire unattended. Make sure your fire is completely extinguished before you leave the area or go to sleep.
EditRelated wikiHows EditReferences
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| How to Arrange a Cascade Bridal Bouquet Posted: 09 Jul 2019 01:00 AM PDT A cascading flower arrangement is dramatic and beautiful, making it perfect for a bridal bouquet. However, buying your bouquet can be expensive, especially if you want a lush design. Fortunately, making your own cascading bouquet is relatively easy, and it can be a great way to save a little on your wedding budget. All you'll need are a bouquet holder and an assortment of greenery and flowers. EditChoosing Your Flowers - Choose about 15-18 stems of a long-stemmed flower for your bouquet. Having one main flower repeated throughout the bouquet will look more elegant than having a random assortment of blooms. You can choose any flowers you like, but make sure the stems are at least long to ensure they'll be long enough to reach the bouquet holder.[1]
- Roses are a common option for a wedding bouquet, especially white or red roses. Other popular options include stargazer lilies, peonies, anemones, ranunculus, dahlias, and hydrangeas. It's up to you whether you want to use all the same color of your primary bloom, or if you want an assortment of shades![2]
- To narrow down your options, look at a picture of each flower and think about how each one would look against your dress. For example, if you have a very simple gown, an ornate flower like a hydrangea could provide a pretty contrast.
- On the other hand, you could choose a flower with special significance to you, like the first flower your fiance ever gave you or a bloom that reminds you of a loved one.
- Add 10-12 stems of smaller accent flowers. You'll need to tuck smaller flowers around the primary blooms in order to make your bouquet look full. You can choose 1 accent flower, or you can use more than one kind of flower if you want an even more diverse bouquet. However, just as with your primary blooms, look for flowers with stems that are at least .[3]
- Good options for accent flowers include calla lilies, lavender, spray roses, hypericum, and orchids.
- You can choose accent blooms that are the same color as your primary flower for a monochrome look, or you can choose a coordinating color to add contrast to your bouquet. You can even use multiple colors of accent blooms if you want!
- Select 8-10 long sprays of greenery. Your greenery will be used to shape the cascade bouquet, so you'll need several long pieces that will drape from the center of the bouquet as far down as you want the bouquet to reach. For an average-sized cascade bouquet, about will be long enough, but if you want a dramatically long cascade, you may want it to be even longer than that.[4]
- Myrtle, ivy, silver sage, spirea, lemon leaf, and eucalyptus are all popular options, but you can use any greenery that's in season!
- Find a delicate filler like baby's breath or ferns to close any gaps. Since you'll be creating your cascade bouquet on a form, you may need to use small, delicate sprays to fill in any gaps. After all, you want the focus to be on your bouquet, not on the holder underneath it.
- Baby's breath is a perfect filler, since it's so delicate that it won't detract from your primary blooms, but you can also use any other small flowers, ferns, or additional greenery. Other filler flowers include snapdragons, silver ragwort, poms, delphinium, and Queen Anne's lace.[5]
EditCreating the Cascade Shape - Submerge a bouquet holder in warm water. A bouquet holder looks almost like a microphone, with a long handle and a round area on top where you insert the flowers. Before you arrange your bouquet, place the top of holder upside-down in a pitcher or bowl of warm water for about a minute. The top of the bouquet holder, which is called the "oasis," typically has foam inside, which absorbs water to keep the flowers fresh.[6]
- Place the holder gently into the water and let it sink. Don't push it down into the water, or air bubbles could form inside the oasis, preventing the water from reaching the flowers.
- You can find these bouquet holders wherever craft or floral supplies are sold.
- Place the bouquet holder in a heavy ceramic vase. Once you've filled the oasis, lift the holder straight out of the water, turn it right-side-up, and transfer it to a vase to keep it secure. You'll need your hands free to work with the flowers, so make sure you use a heavy vase with a secure base that won't tip over while you're creating your bouquet.[7]
- If you have a stand for your bouquet holder, you can use that instead.
- Add rocks or marbles to the bottom of the vase if it isn't heavy enough.
- Insert the 2 longest greenery stems into the bottom of the holder. Start by putting your 2 longest pieces of greenery in the bottom front of the bouquet holder. With the tips of the greenery pointing down, push the bottom of the stems into the gaps or foam in the holder until they feel like they're securely in place. Then, add the rest of your greenery, cutting it if necessary so it's shorter at the top and longer at the bottom.[8]
- You want the effect here to look as if the greenery is spilling out all the way around your hand, but if it's too long on the top, it will be difficult for you to hold the bouquet.
- Fill in more greenery around the top and sides of the holder. To make the bouquet look symmetrical, you may need to have a few short pieces of greenery around the circumference of the holder, as well as sticking up from the top back of the bouquet holder. Imagine creating an upside-down teardrop shape that's rounded at the top and full on the sides, then comes to a narrow point at the bottom.[9]
- The length of the greenery on the top and sides will depend on the size of the bouquet you want to create and how far you want the greenery to extend, but it should be just a little shorter than your flowers, unless you have a few pieces you want to showcase.
EditAdding the Flowers - Start by arranging your primary blooms. Place your largest, prettiest flowers in the center of your arrangement as the focal point, then work the remaining flowers all the way around the bouquet holder. Arrange the top flowers so they're pointing straight up, the blooms around the circumference of the holder so they're horizontal, and the longest, cascading stems so they're pointing downward.[10]
- As you're arranging the flowers, alternate putting a few on the top, then a few on the sides, and so on. This causes the stems to interlock in a grid pattern, which will help prevent the flowers from falling out of your bouquet.[11]
- Space each type of flower evenly throughout the bouquet. If it isn't symmetrical, it won't create the effect that the flowers are cascading down.[12]
- Trim your flower stems so the shortest go on top and the longest go on bottom. As you start to arrange your bouquet, use a sharp pair of floral shears to trim each stem to the length you want it to be. The stems on the bottom of your bouquet should be the longest, with medium-length stems in the middle of the arrangement, and the shortest blooms on top.[13]
- The length of the stems will depend on the size of the bouquet you're creating, but they'll likely only need to be about at the top, whereas you may not need to trim the stems on the bottom at all.
- It's best to trim your flowers one at a time as you place them in the arrangement so you can customize your bouquet.
- When you're trimming the stems, try to cut the flowers on the top and middle so they'll extend slightly past the greenery.
- Cut thicker stems at an angle so they'll be easy to insert into the bouquet holder.
- Add your accent flowers around your primary blooms. Now that you have your greenery and primary blooms arranged, you can start filling in the body of your bouquet with the accent flowers that you chose. Continue alternating between adding flowers to the top and sides of the bouquet, criss-crossing the stems to secure them.[14]
- Don't worry about making the bouquet look perfectly full just yet; it's more important that you space your accent flowers evenly throughout the bouquet.[15]
- Fill in any remaining gaps with baby's breath or greenery. Look at the bouquet from the top, front, and sides, and use your filler to completely cover up any gaps that are left. Depending on the size of the blooms you used and how closely they're arranged, you may only need a few sprigs, or you may need to tuck small sprays throughout the entire bouquet to fill it out.
- Baby's breath is inexpensive and delicate, so buy more than you think you'll need just in case your bouquet doesn't look as full as you'd like when you're finished.
- Not only will this ensure the bouquet holder isn't visible in your wedding photographs, but it also helps secure the grid you made that's holding the larger stems in place.
- Keep your flowers in a cool place overnight or until you need them. It's best to assemble your bouquet no more than 1 day before you'll need it. If you have a floral cooler, you can keep your bouquet there, but if not, you'll need to find a cool place away from direct sunlight where your flowers won't be disturbed, like a shaded, out-of-the-way corner in a cool bedroom.[16]
- Don't place your bouquet in a regular refrigerator. The moisture will cause the flowers to wilt.
- If you need to make your bouquet more than 1 day ahead of time, either choose hearty flowers like posies, lilies, and succulents, or opt for artificial flowers.[17]
EditThings You'll Need - 15-18 long-stemmed flowers
- 10-12 accent flowers
- 8-10 sprays of greenery
- Baby's breath or another filler
- Bouquet holder
- Heavy vase or stand
- Bowl or pitcher of warm water
- Floral shears
- Floral wire and tape (optional)
- Pin (optional)
- You can even use artificial flowers to save more!
- If you'd like, you can wrap the handle of your bouquet holder in ribbon to make it look more elegant.
EditRelated wikiHows EditReferences
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