Hydrangeas are millions of years old, and they could be found in North America as far back as 65 million years ago. They were first cultivated in Japan and didn’t reach Europe until the 18th century.
While hydrangeas come in white, blue, purple and pink, the color of the blooms is dictated by the pH of the soil.
The plant’s large, beautiful flower balls have made them popular across the world, and they are perfect for your home décor.
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Why Hydrangeas Are Good for Homes
Hydrangeas are popular both inside and out because when they are in bloom, the entire bush is covered in blooms. Add in the fact that they’re super easy to care for, and you can understand their popularity.
When decorating with hydrangeas indoors, their large flower clusters and bright colors make brilliant centerpieces. They are also great for growing in containers.
Hydrangeas do best with bright, indirect light, which means as long as your room is bright, they don’t need to be in the window. Keeping a hydrangea alive is easy, and they’ll keep rewarding their owners with blooms from the mid-spring through the summer, often lasting until the early fall.
A Hydrangea Can Be Good for Your Feng Shui Flow
Feng shui is all about balance and the positive feelings that a room can create when you spend time in it.
But are hydrangeas good for feng shui? They certainly can be!
The plant’s flower clusters are colorful enough to add a pop of lovely color to the space, and the flower itself is a symbol of spirituality, love, and gratitude. Hydrangeas can add positive energy, or chi, to the space and allow that energy to flow freely through your home.
They are especially recommended for meditation rooms and corners.
If you don’t want to worry about keeping a hydrangea alive, you can also use an artificial one to help with your feng shui. An artificial plant adds the same pleasing colors and shapes that are so great for your feng shui, and they will still symbolize spirituality and other positive attributes.
Hydrangeas Are Easy to Grow and Maintain Any Time of the Year
Hydrangeas can easily be grown indoors as long as they have the right conditions. They like relatively cool temperatures and indirect light, so placing them near a window usually isn’t best.
Keep them in a cool, non-drafty area of a room where they still get some light. Avoid too much heat as overheating can turn the leaves brown and crispy.
Hydrangeas won’t tolerate direct sun in the afternoons but will thrive in both medium and high humidity. After the winter is over, you will likely need to repot a hydrangea when the spring comes.
How Do Hydrangeas Grow?
Hydrangeas can be grown from seeds or from cuttings, with cuttings being by far the easiest way to grow them. If you harvest your own hydrangea seeds, it can take a few weeks to allow them to dry out.
Once the seeds are dry, plant them in the late winter or early spring, and germination takes another two weeks. After that, it takes about 14 months for the plant to grow from seeds to a plant that is large and established enough to be planted in the ground.
It will be two years before the plants bloom. Cuttings allow you to start further along in the process, which means you’ll get blooms sooner.
What Kind of Soil Do Hydrangeas Need?
The soil that you grow hydrangeas in should drain well and should be slightly acidic. The pH level of the soil determines the color of the blooms with more acidic soil producing blue and less acidic soil producing pink or purple flowers.
Fertilize the soil every week during the growing and blooming seasons. After the flowers are gone, fertilize once a month. Stop fertilizing in the fall.
How Much Water Does a Hydrangea Need?
Watering a hydrangea the proper amount is important to the health of the plant and the quality of the flowers. When growing a hydrangea indoors, make sure the pot has at least one drainage hole to keep the plant from sitting in water. Proper drainage prevents the roots from rotting and fungal diseases from developing.
How often you water your hydrangea depends on whether the plant is in bloom and how quickly the soil becomes dry. To see if your plant needs water, stick your finger 3 inches into the soil.
If it is semi-dry to that level, water it thoroughly with water running through the drainage holes. Hydrangeas will need to be watered more often when in bloom. When you see the flower clusters drooping, the plant needs water. The soil should never completely dry out.
Hydrangeas Are Relatively Inexpensive
Another great thing about hydrangeas is their low price tag. You can buy a hydrangea in a planter for relatively little, and you won’t have to wait years for it to bloom.
Hydrangea Decorating Ideas Are Nearly Endless
Because these plants can thrive in bright sunlight as well as partial shade, you have a lot of flexibility for placement inside your home. A wide variety of options exist for using a hydrangea to bring a space to life.
- Put hydrangeas in a galvanized bucket or planter to create a rustic, farmhouse look.
- Use them to brighten up a space without direct sunlight like a corner of the room.
- Add them to planters on your front or back porch.
- Brighten up a table top or dresser with the addition of a hydrangea.
- Snip off some of those large blooms and use them in a flower arrangement in the kitchen.
- Create a centerpiece using the whole plant or just a few flower clusters alone or with other types of plants.
- Place hydrangeas on your mantel along with other seasonal décor.
Artificial Hydrangeas Often Look Just Like the Real Thing
If you travel a lot and can’t take care of a live plant, or you simply aren’t good at keeping them alive, getting an artificial hydrangea is a good alternative. High-quality artificial plants are increasingly good at mimicking the look of the real thing, and they can be used in place of a live plant for all of your decorating efforts.
Hydrangeas are a beautiful flowering plant that come in bright colors and are easy to care for. They’re great for feng shui as well as to add some color to your home. If you have any favorite tips for finding ways to use hydrangeas in your home décor, let us know in the comments.
