Hydrangea is hands down my favorite flower! The full bloom and colors make my heart go pitter patter! Growing up in Florida I wanted them so badly, but year after year of trying they would die. The heat was just too strong to grow the hydrangea!
While hydrangea blooms longest and best up north, they will and can grow beautifully in Atlanta, but we have a shorter blooming season.
Here are some things I’ve learned over the years about planting hydrangea in Atlanta and southern areas.
Shade is a friend of hydrangea
Plant hydrangea where they get a bit of morning sun, and then a lot of shade. Hydrangea doesn’t love full sun at all and they will bake if not given shade. They are southern ladies – let them sip lemonade on the porch in the shade!
In this photo my hydrangea are planted on the side of our house in between the porch and huge privacy trees. This blocks a ton of sun so they grow and flourish.
Note: while hydrangea loves morning sun and evening shade, this photo shows just the opposite. We get evening sun. So ours wilt at the end of every day from heat. But come morning they perk right up!
Sun is also a hydrangea friend
They need sun and lots of water. It’s a delicate balance. Look for porches, or roof overhangs or areas tucked under tall trees to plant your hydrangea bushes. They need a big brother to protect them from too much exposure.
Again, all of this only applies to southern planting areas. Not all of this applies to plantings in the north! I have zero experience with that!
In this photo my hydrangea are planted in the front of the house, which gets full sun all day. As pretty as they look in this photo they look terrible in real life. My landscapers talked me into this and I questioned them the whole time. Let’s just say they aren’t my landscapers anymore. These hydrangea bushes look like poop within a week of blooming.
Good luck! Hydrangea blooms are so beautiful they are worth the work!
Read my post on how to keep cut hydrangea from wilting
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