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What time of year do hydrangeas bloom? Well, that all depends on the variety. Hydrangeas are versatile shrubs so the growing season for the hydrangeas extends beyond the time that you see the blooms open and fade. Some hydrangea shrubs have very beautiful Fall foliage after the blooms have faded such as the oak leaf hydrangeas.
Hydrangea flowering time
Generally speaking, different hydrangea varieties bloom at different times of the year and the climate and pruning play a role in flowering time too.
- The mop head hydrangea, for example, will typically flower at the end of spring all the way through the middle of summer. If you are reblooming a newer hydrangea and you have optimum growing conditions for the entire season you might get blooms all Spring and Summer long. The weather will impact the length of your flowering time as well.
- Panicle hydrangeas will typically flower from the end of spring all the way through the beginning of Summer but the blossoms will stay on the plant until winter.
- If you have a Climbing Hydrangea in your garden you might get flowers from the end of spring all the way through the middle of summer.
The climate where you live is going to impact your flowering time as well. If you live in a coastal area your bigleaf hydrangeas will bloom much sooner than they would in a cooler garden in New England. If you lived in the south an oak leaf hydrangea for example might bloom in the early summer but for someone who lives in the midwest it might not bloom until the middle of summer.
Pruning plays an influence as well. If you prune during certain times of the year you can delay the flowering season of your hydrangeas. People who prune a big leaf or Oakleaf hydrangea after August, for example, might delay the flowering season for the subsequent year. If the hydrangea was cut back hard this will increase the flower size of the hydrangeas but it will reduce the number of flowers. Similarly, it will also postpone the flowering season compared to those hydrangeas which were only lightly pruned.
So, figuring out when your hydrangeas bloom requires a little bit of homework. Check with local garden centres to see which types of hydrangeas bloom at what points of the year where you live. Consider how you want your hydrangeas to be used. Some people use them for potted plants while other people like to plant a hedge. The type that you plant, where it is in your yard, and where you live should all be taking into account when trying to figure out when you are hydrangea is going to bloom.