Hydrangea macrophylla €16.99 each or 2 for €30 at Powerscourt Garden Pavilion
Hydrangea macrophylla provides an old-fashioned charm hard to resist. H. macrophylla colours range from blue, pinkto white and red. The Lacecap hydrangeas flowers look like a circle of unopened buds surrounded by open petals.
Hydrangea macrophylla varieties will tolerate poor soils, exposed positions and by the sea. Hydrangeas have a wide range of planting options from group planting to colour for containers.
Work plenty of organic matter into the soil prior to planting, and after planting and in subsequent years apply mulch or farmyard manure. Most pruning is carried out in late winter or early spring. Cut out one or two of the oldest stems at the base to encourage new growth. If there is any frost damage in spring, prune back damaged shoots to just above the first undamaged pair of buds on live, healthy wood.
If you wish to enhance red or pink flowers, apply a dressing of ground limestone or chalk at a rate of 75-100g per sq m.
To obtain a blue hydrangea, aluminium must be present in the soil. To ensure that aluminium is present, aluminium sulphate may be added to the soil around the hydrangeas.
Until next time,
Claire Hayes, General Manager at Powerscourt Garden Pavilion.
Work plenty of organic matter into the soil prior to planting, and after planting and in subsequent years apply mulch or farmyard manure. Most pruning is carried out in late winter or early spring. Cut out one or two of the oldest stems at the base to encourage new growth. If there is any frost damage in spring, prune back damaged shoots to just above the first undamaged pair of buds on live, healthy wood.
If you wish to enhance red or pink flowers, apply a dressing of ground limestone or chalk at a rate of 75-100g per sq m.
To obtain a blue hydrangea, aluminium must be present in the soil. To ensure that aluminium is present, aluminium sulphate may be added to the soil around the hydrangeas.
Until next time,
Claire Hayes, General Manager at Powerscourt Garden Pavilion. 
