Potted hydrangeas are popular spring gifts for Women’s Day, Easter or Mother’s Day. They flower lavishly for weeks, but many people then do not know what to do next and the plant dies. In fact an indoor hydrangea can bloom every year with the right light, watering and an essential winter rest. Here is how to care for a potted hydrangea after buying it, how to repot, prune and prepare it to flower again.
Potted hydrangeas are bigleaf hydrangeas. Put yours in a bright spot without direct midday sun — an east or west window — away from radiators. The ideal temperature while flowering is +18…+22 °C.
Keep the compost constantly moist: water with soft, settled water 2–3 times a week or plunge the pot in water for 15–20 minutes and let it drain. Hydrangeas do not forgive drying out — the heads wilt within hours.
If the pot is wrapped in decorative foil, remove it or make holes so water does not pool around the roots. More in bigleaf hydrangea.
Repotting and pruning
After flowering, cut spent heads back to the first pair of strong buds. Repot into a pot 2–3 cm wider using acidic hydrangea or rhododendron compost with drainage at the bottom.
In summer put the pot on a balcony or in the garden in part shade: shoots ripen better outdoors and set more flower buds.
Winter rest: the key secret
To flower again, a hydrangea needs 2–3 months of cool rest. In October, as leaves yellow, move it to a dark or dim place at +4…+8 °C — a cellar, glazed balcony or cool hallway.
During rest, water every 2–3 weeks just to stop the root ball drying out. Leaves will drop — that is normal.
In February bring it back to warmth and light, resume watering and feed with hydrangea fertiliser every two weeks. Buds will appear in spring.
Common problems
Heads wilting fast means drying out or heat: soak the pot and move it away from the radiator. Brown leaf edges mean dry air or hard water.
Leaves paling between the veins is chlorosis from alkaline water: use soft water and acidify the compost. No flowers usually means it had no winter rest.
After the spring frosts you can plant a potted hydrangea in the garden, but bigleaf varieties need winter cover. More on all hydrangeas in our hydrangea guide.
Hydrangeas with delivery
Want to delight someone with hydrangeas? We deliver single stems or bouquets across Kyiv and Ukraine, with a card carrying your words.
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
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Hydrangeas