Hydrangeas are a fantastic choice for your balcony! These beauties will reward you with stunning, colorful blooms for years to come—as long as you give them a little TLC. If you’re ready to level up your patio game, check out these pro tips for keeping your Hydrangeas happy and healthy.
Finding the Perfect Spot
You can easily grow hydrangeas in containers on your balcony, but location is everything. While these plants love light, they aren’t big fans of baking in the harsh, direct sun all day. Because of those gorgeous large green leaves, they lose moisture fast and can dry out before you know it.
To keep them from wilting, aim for a spot that’s sheltered from the wind and offers partial shade or filtered light. If your balcony gets a lot of sun, try to move your pots into the shade during the heat of the afternoon to give them a break.
Getting the Planting Right
Fun fact: the botanical name for hydrangea is Hydrangea, which basically translates to “water vessel.” That’s a huge hint that these plants are thirsty! You’ll want to use a soil that stays moist but still breathes well. Water your hydrangeas regularly, but make sure excess water can drain away so the roots don’t sit in a puddle.
Here’s how to get them started:
- Pick a pot with plenty of room to grow.
- Add a drainage layer (like expanded clay pebbles) at the bottom.
- Fill the pot with specialized hydrangea soil or rhododendron mix.
Pro Tips for Maintenance
Hydrangeas are “heavy feeders,” meaning they need plenty of nutrients to produce those massive flower heads. Since nutrients wash out of pots faster than garden beds, fertilizing during the growing season is a must.
Go with a dedicated hydrangea fertilizer, or get creative with a mix of potting soil, horn meal, and coffee grounds. Rhododendron fertilizer also works in a pinch! As for pruning, you can usually leave them alone for the first few years. You’ll only need to worry about a “rejuvenation cut” once the plant gets older.
One of the coolest things about many hydrangea varieties? You can actually play chemist and change their color! By tweaking the pH level of the soil, you can shift the blooms between pink and blue. Just don’t forget to look into the right overwintering steps to keep them safe when the temperature drops!
