Indoor or outdoor Hydrangeas?

ameliahedlund

We recently had a funeral for my grandmother and instead of getting flowers we decided on ordering a large basket of three hydrangea plants.

When my mom saw them she thought they looked like the inside type..I was confused because I didn't realize there were two different types of them!

How can you tell the difference and HOLY COW this sucker needs a lot of water.

ETA-I still have the plant inside, waiting to move to plant her!  (about two weeks.) 

Alisha_A

Hmm I have no idea. I've never heard of having a hydrangea inside.

raeyn

The ones sold in early spring have been grown in greenhouses and forced to bloom at that time, so they are often considered to be "indoor" or "annual" hydrangeas. While it is possible to transfer them outside, they have typically never been wintered outdoors so they may not make it through the year. Here is some information from http://hydrangeasplus.com that might help you make the transition successfully:Forced hydrangeas from the Grocery StoreThe forced varieties are really similar to the outdoor varieties and it could grow like one eventually. We're really not experts on growing hydrangeas indoor. We buy the grocery store varieties during the winter so there are at least some blooms around the house but they are usually moved outdoors within the year.I've found that forced hydrangeas aren't as healthy as naturally grown hydrangeas. They grow better if they are allowed to have a dormant period and a growth period. Most varieties grow very quickly and may not be healthy if grown inside without moving the plant to a larger pot. When your forced blooms begin to decline and cannot be revived with water or moving to a larger pot, it is time to cut off the blooms and the lowest healthy leaf node. Instant fertilizer for acid loving plants is great for these forced hydrangeas that start to look peaked.Hydrangeas like slightly acidic soil too. In the artificial media that most of these forced plants are grown, you'll need to keep the acidity level up (i.e., the pH level down). Tealeaves, coffee grounds or aluminum sulfate can help because they are acidic.If you do move it outside, be sure that you don't move it until the last chance of cold weather has passed and there is no chance of any frost. My general rule of thumb is don't move the forced hydrangea outside until the outside hydrangeas are at the same stage of leaf. That can be April, May or June, depending on your area.  

ameliahedlund

raeyn:

The ones sold in early spring have been grown in greenhouses and forced to bloom at that time, so they are often considered to be "indoor" or "annual" hydrangeas. While it is possible to transfer them outside, they have typically never been wintered outdoors so they may not make it through the year. Here is some information from http://hydrangeasplus.com that might help you make the transition successfully:

Forced hydrangeas from the Grocery StoreThe forced varieties are really similar to the outdoor varieties and it could grow like one eventually. We're really not experts on growing hydrangeas indoor. We buy the grocery store varieties during the winter so there are at least some blooms around the house but they are usually moved outdoors within the year.I've found that forced hydrangeas aren't as healthy as naturally grown hydrangeas. They grow better if they are allowed to have a dormant period and a growth period. Most varieties grow very quickly and may not be healthy if grown inside without moving the plant to a larger pot. When your forced blooms begin to decline and cannot be revived with water or moving to a larger pot, it is time to cut off the blooms and the lowest healthy leaf node. Instant fertilizer for acid loving plants is great for these forced hydrangeas that start to look peaked.Hydrangeas like slightly acidic soil too. In the artificial media that most of these forced plants are grown, you'll need to keep the acidity level up (i.e., the pH level down). Tealeaves, coffee grounds or aluminum sulfate can help because they are acidic.If you do move it outside, be sure that you don't move it until the last chance of cold weather has passed and there is no chance of any frost. My general rule of thumb is don't move the forced hydrangea outside until the outside hydrangeas are at the same stage of leaf. That can be April, May or June, depending on your area.  

This is fantastic! Thank you, Now to keep them alive! Holy cow these are more needy than my daughter!