Hydrangea Pics: Pruning Hydrangeas

Hydrangea (/ha?'dre?nd?i?/;common titles hydrangea or hortensia) is a genus of 70-75 kinds of flowering crops native to southern and eastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea, the Himalayas, and Indonesia) and the Americas. Probably the greatest types diversity is at eastern Asia, notably China, Japan, and Korea. Most are shrubs 1 to 3 meters high, however, many are small trees and shrubs, among others lianas reaching up to 30 m (98 feet) by climbing up trees and shrubs. They could be either deciduous or evergreen, although generally cultivated temperate species are all deciduous.Having been introduced to the Azores, H. macrophylla is now very common, particularly on Faial, which is recognized as the "blue island" because of the multitude of hydrangeas present on the island.Life cycleHydrangea blossoms are produced from early spring to late fall months; they grow in flowerheads (corymbs or panicles) frequently at the ends of the stems.

Usually the flowerheads contain two types of plants: small non-showy bouquets in the center or interior of the flowerhead, and large, showy plants with large brilliant sepals (tepals). These showy plants are often long in a band, or to the surface of the tiny flowers. Crops in wild populations routinely have few to nothing of the showy flowers, while cultivated hydrangeas have been bred and selected to have significantly more of the bigger type plants.There are two flower arrangements in hydrangeas with Corymb style inflorescens, which includes the commonly grown "bigleaf hydrangea"--Hydrangea macrophylla. Mophead bouquets are large round flowerheads resembling pom-poms or, as the name suggests, the head of a mop. On the other hand, lacecap flowers bear round, flat flowerheads with a center core of subdued, small plants bounded by outer jewelry of much larger blossoms having showy tepals or sepals.

The blooms of some viburnums and rhododendrons can show up, at first glance, a lot like those of some hydrangeas.Colors and ground acidityIn most varieties the flowers are white, but in some kinds (notably H. macrophylla), can be blue, red, green, light crimson, or dark crimson. In these types the colour is afflicted by the existence of aluminium ions which can be found or tied up depending upon the garden soil pH. For H. h and macrophylla. serrata cultivars, the flower color can be determined by the relative acidity of the soil: an acidic soil (pH below 7), will supply aluminum ions and produce flowers that are blue to purple typically, whereas an alkaline soil (pH above 7) will tie up aluminum ions and bring about pink or red flowers.

This is caused by a color change of the bloom pigments in the presence of aluminium ions which may be adopted into hyperaccumulating plant life.[6] Reducing the pH of potting soils or mixes usually will not change the rose color to blue, because these soils haven't any aluminum ions. The ability to blue or green a hydrangea is also influenced by the cultivar. Some plants are selected because of their ability to be blued, while some are bred and selected to be red, white or pink. The flower color of most other Hydrangea species is not influenced by aluminum and cannot be changed or shifted. Hydrangeas likewise have a nickname called 'Change Rose'.