Shrubs

Are you thinking of adding a Hydrangea ' Nikko Blue ' to your garden landscape this season ? There are many quality that make this particular hydrangea variety show a popular choice amongst gardener . In this article , gardening expert and hydrangea enthusiast Jill Drago share everything you need to fuck about this character of hydrangea , include alimony and tutelage .

Contents

Hydrangea Nikko BluemGrowing in garden with bright colored flowers.

‘ Nikko amobarbital sodium ’ is a variety ofbig leaf hydrangea . These shrubs are used in a traditional cottage or coastal mount make a soft yet dramatic show in gardens .

Of course , blue is in the name of this hydrangea variety . But in my opinion , it is the most staring blue I have ever seen on a plant . Blue can be such a tricky color to obtain in your garden . Aside from yearly , dark heyday can be hard to come by . Lucky for all of us we have the ‘ Nikko blue ’ hydrangea to satisfy our suspect garden blot withdreamy blue hydrangea flush .

If you are seeking more information on ‘ Nikko aristocratical ’ hydrangea or are just brush up on what you already know , read on ! I will cover everything you need to recognize abouthow to plant , mature and care for a ‘ Nikko dingy ’ hydrangea .

Close-up of a blooming ‘Nikko Blue’ variety. The flower head is large, consisting of many small blue four-petalled flowers with slightly whitish centers.

About ‘Nikko Blue’ Hydrangea

‘ Nikko blue ’ hydrangeas have become the monetary standard that all other gloomy hydrangeas are judge against .   This pretty hydrangea is a penis of the bigleaf hydrangea species orHydrangeamacrophylla .

The puritanic flower on this shrub will grow up to 5 inches and will be made up of various shades of drear and white depending on how old the flower is . These flowers are mopheads and will be made up of dozens of smaller florets .

Why You Should Plant ‘Nikko Blue’

If you are seem for gentle flowers for your shadowy garden , ‘ Nikko bluing ’ is a great pick for you . Thistype of hydrangeacan originate to about 6 feet in meridian make them prominent , but not too tumid . you’re able to easilyuse these for hedges or container plantings .

Another welfare of this blue mantrap is that is relatively easy to care for . Aside from lachrymation , ‘ Nikko blue ’ does not ask much criminal maintenance from you . It is uncommon to find such a beautiful bush that ask so small from you .

Propagation

Do you already have ‘ Nikko naughty ’ hydrangeas grow in your garden , but want more ? If so , circulate these pretty shrubs is easy ! The most successful manner to propagate ‘ Nikko blue ’ hydrangeas is by hold softwood cutting or byground layering decent in your garden .

Softwood cuttings should be taken in late spring to early summertime . Select a 6 - 12 column inch division of fresh green growth that has at least a few set of leaves on it .

Dip the final stage of the cutting into some rooting endocrine powder and stick the newspaper clipping into some sterile planting soil . Once the clipping has make root you may plant it in your garden , or you may continue to transplant it into larger pots until the hydrangea has grown a flake .

Close-up of a flowering ‘Nikko Blue’ variety in the garden. The bush is large, lush, has tall erect stems with large, heart-shaped leaves of bright green color with jagged edges, and has large flowers of apical, round blue inflorescences.

Garden layering is a very uncomplicated and fun direction to propagate raw hydrangeas . choose a low - growing branch and take away some of the barque and leaves .

Dig a shallow hole and place the branch in the hole , hold open it weigh down by a pit or brick .

compensate the branch with soil . Roots will form from the expose growth point , at this point you’re able to cut the branch from the mother industrial plant and transplantation this Modern hydrangea to another area of your garden .

Close-up of cuttings of a bigleaf hydrangea in a woman’s hand, against a blurred background of small, plastic, black pots with soil. Cuttings have several young oval leaves of bright green color with serrated edges.

How to Plant

Just as caring for ‘ Nikko blue ’ is wide-eyed , so is planting the bush themselves . Once you have bring your hydrangeas home from the garden center coiffure the potted hydrangea where you think you want to plant it .

Take a few steps back , and check that you areleaving enough space between plantingsso that everyone will thrive . Once you are confident in your placing , labour a hole about two times as wide and abstruse as the root nut of the hydrangea .

Gently target the hydrangea in the hole and whirl it around so the best side of the plant life is facing outward . Backfill with your garden grease , and water thoroughly .

A gardener transplants large-leaved shrubs from containers into the soil. Close-up of a woman’s hands in black gloves with an orange rim planting a young hydrangea seedling in a dug hole in the garden. Nearby on the ground, there is another hydrangea seedling in a black plastic pot. Hydrangea seedlings have large oval leaves with serrated edges.

You will want to check the wet level of the soil day by day for a few weeks , specially during any hot stretches . This will help keep any transplanting shock absorber which can direct to the personnel casualty of the hydrangea .

How to Grow Hydrangea ‘Nikko Blue’

If you are quick to grow ‘ Nikko blue ’ in your garden , let ’s take a flavour at the nitty - gritty of how to grow the glad hydrangeas possible !

Sunlight

This variety turn considerably when it is planted inpartial sunshine . This is about 4 - 6 hr of sun . It is even better if this sunlight is in the good morning rather than in the good afternoon when the sun is stronger .

Bigleaf hydrangea tend to dry out in the afternoon , you may even notice the leaf droop toward the ground . If they pop back up after the sun has set your hydrangea will be safe , if not they will need more watering or to be transplanted .

Sunshine is require for hydrangeas to produce big beautiful blossom so do not plant in abstruse shade . This could result in tall-growing growth and small or no flowers .

Close-up of a flowering bush in a sunny garden against the sky. The bush is large, lush, has tall stems covered with large oval green leaves with serrated edges and large round inflorescences of small blue flowers.

Water

Hydrangeas do best when they get around one inch of urine per week . This water can be from rain , irrigation , or a combining of both .

When watering your hydrangea by hand , purpose the weewee orirrigation sprinkler at the home of the plant . This will help to eliminate any fungal diseases on the leaves . It will also ensure you are using less piss by saturating the dirt rather than the leaves or flowers .

Soil

For ‘ Nikko blue ’ hydrangea to grow best they need well - drain soil canty to harbour on to a scrap of moisture . If you have grease that incline to pool or dry out out too apace you may need to amend your garden soil with some compost or other organic material .

hydrangea also preferslightly acidulent soil . you could find oneself out the acidity of your garden soil by having a soil trial done .

This will give you the soil ’s pH scale and other selective information about the nutrient that naturally exist in your garden . Acidic soil has a pH of 6.5 or less . If your pH is higher than that your hydrangea will still arise nicely but amending it will allow the shrub to prosper .

Close-up of a beautiful blooming shrub covered with water drops, in a sunny garden. The hydrangea bush is large, lush, consists of many erect stems with large, heart-shaped, green leaves with serrated edges. Hydrangea has a large rounded inflorescence of many 4-petal flowers with white eyes.

Climate and Temperature

‘ Nikko low-spirited ’ hydrangeas are hardy inzones 6 - 9 , sometimes you could get away with establish them in zone 5 . This means that these hydrangeas are not the most cold unfearing species of hydrangea .

If you plant in an unprotected area you may feel some winter burn . This variety is patient of of the humidness of the summertime but may have a difficult time in more arid climate .

Fertilization

‘ Nikko blue ’ hydrangea do not necessarily need fertilizer . depend on the results of your soil test , you may be able to skip this step . However , you may choose tofertilize your hydrangeas in the springwhich can be good .

If you take to fecundate your shrubs a 2d time keep in thinker that this 2nd fertilizer software needs to be done before the end of September . This will forbid the hydrangea from producing any new development too deep in the time of year which could be damage by Robert Frost and other wintertime weather condition .

you may use anall - function fertiliser , such as a10 - 10 - 10on your hydrangea . If you are looking to boost your blossom you may choose for a fertiliser with a gamey middle number . This numeral present phosphorus which is primal for efflorescence .

Close-up of planting ‘Nikko Blue’ variety in a garden, in well-drained soil. A woman’s hand pours soil at the base of a freshly planted hydrangea seedling. A young hydrangea bush has beautiful, oval, bright green leaves with jagged edges.

If you would rather stay away from traditional fertilizer adding compost to your garden beds is a not bad way to naturally sum nutrient to your gardens resulting in tidy and well-chosen industrial plant .

Now you would not be crazy to expect your ‘ Nikko blue ’ hydrangea to have well , racy flowers ! Sometimes though , your blue flowers might change by reversal out to be pink ! There is an easy answer to this , and it all lies in thepH of your dirt .

For your hydrangea to have blue flowers the grunge needs to be acidic . Pink flowers are asure sign of alkaline soil . Now you may either leave nature to do its own summons , or you may treat your soil with aluminum sulfate .

Close-up of a large ‘Nikko Blue’ variety in a sunny garden. The bush consists of tall erect stems, covered with large oval leaves of bright green color with serrated edges. Large apical rounded inflorescences consist of dozens of blue flowers.

There are all sort of products on the market that were created specially for this purpose . You will require to read the practical app instructions carefully to check that you are giving your bush the right amount of aluminium sulfate to get the result you are calculate for .

Maintenance

It might seem laborious to believe but this variety does not expect much regular maintenance from you . Pruning is optional ( more on that later ) , as is deadheading .

The best thing you’re able to do for your hydrangea is to keep the orbit around them as tidy as you’re able to . This may meanweedingorraking out any fallen leavesor other plant debris from your garden .

afterward in the downslope or early in the spring carve out some clip to clean out the jacket of the plant . Hydrangeas are really good at fascinate fallen leafage , these leaves can then compact and could run to some fungal issue . Wear glove and eye protection and grab out as much of the leafage debris as you could .

‘Nikko Blue’ variety blooming in the yard. Close-up of a large flower head consisting of several rounded apical blue-purple inflorescences. Some flowers are dry, brown. The leaves are large, heart-shaped, green with pointed tips and serrated edges.

Pruning

When it fall to pruning , you will need to do a little minute of preparation . These hydrangeas blossom on honest-to-goodness wood . This have in mind that your hydrangea will form bud for the next year shortly after this class ’s flowers have passed .

fortuitously , your ‘ Nikko puritanical ’ hydrangea does notrequire much pruning , if any at all . But if you do find that your hydrangea has get a bit giving than you would like , or you just want to do some forge you should do thisin the early drop .

you may even do your pruning as youdeadhead your flush . This will safeguard you from accidentally snip off any of those cute buds .

Close-up of a hydrangea inflorescence changing from blue to pink. Large round inflorescence of dozens of small 4-petalled blue and pink flowers.

Pests

‘ Nikko blue ’ does not have too much difficultywhen it comes to pests . You will find common garden insects , however . Japanese beetle , aphids , spider mite as well as caterpillars can be found residing on your ‘ Nikko bluish ’ hydrangeas .

These pests are vulgar and you may discover handling for each of them at your garden center . you could also spray the hydrangea with your horde to knock off some of the insects . Japanese mallet can be removed by handand pick up them in a bucket of oily water .

Diseases

hydrangea do not have much troublewhen it comes to diseases . If they shin with anything though , it isfungal diseases . These types of diseases are most dominant in tender and moist environments . You will observe them more if your plants are growing too faithful together . This can forestall sufficient flow of air .

disease to look out for are leaf situation , blight , or powdery mould . These can all be deal with a copper fungicide if needed . However , they are easily preventable by maintain your garden kempt and minimize water splashes by irrigate at the foundation of the hydrangea .

Common Planting Locations

‘ Nikko blue ’ hydrangea are simple to add to your garden . Try adding them into a perennial garden or a foundation garden for a big dada of low color . This variety also makes a really prettyshort hedgeorborder plantthat can be accented by lower - rise perennials or flowering yearbook .

And of course , do n’t leave that these blue beautiescan be added to your containers ! Container - planted hydrangea are a really good option for gardeners who may not have the correct growing conditions in their yard .

you could easy set container on a terrace or porch to secure that your plant is capture the everlasting amount of sunlight .

Close-up of a flowering ‘Nikko Blue’ variety in a neat garden. The hydrangea bush is large, lush, has large oval green leaves with serrated edges and large rounded flower heads, consisting of small blue and purple flowers.

Frequently Asked Questions

If your hydrangea is pump out loads of pretty pink efflorescence when you await them to be depressed , you have alkaline soil . This can be fixed well by utilise some Al sulfate to your soil .

This trick only exploit if you are mature a hydrangea that is think to be dark such as ‘ Nikko blue ’ or a hydrangea that is stand for to be pink . If you have a ashen hydrangea you will not be able to alter the semblance of your hydrangea blossoms .

There are a few reasons that they may not be blooming .

Close-up of a woman’s hands in red gloves cutting a blooming shrub with red secateurs, in a garden. The hydrangea bush has large, lush, oval foliage, dark green in color with jagged edges. A beautiful, large, rounded apical inflorescence consists of dozens of small 4-petal flowers.

The first is plant position . Bigleaf hydrangea wish to be planted in partial spectre , not full or rich spectre , nor full sun . They need a break from the sun to keep from drying out . However , by planting these shrubs in the cryptical shade your hydrangea will not be capable to bring on flower . Consider transplantation to an area in your garden that receives dappled or morning sunshine .

The next is a pruning mistake ! This variety forms their blossom on old wood . This mean that the flowers for next twelvemonth will be form on branches in the fall prior . Pruning seldom needs to come about , but if you choose to do some pruning it should be done immediately after they have finished blooming to annul snipping off any flower buds .

‘ Nikko blue ’ hydrangea prosper in fond sun sp when you are considering plants to get nearby , you will want to keep that in mind . Funka , astilbe , and nuance - get it on annuals such as impatiens are great starting points . If you would wish to add some different textures to the garden consider adding fern or lambs ear .

Close-up of a Japanese beetle on blue flowers. The beetle is large, shiny, metallic green.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for thatperfect blue hydrangea‘Nikko blue sky ’ is the path to go . It is well - have it away for its stunning color and its dependability . A hedging of this variety show growing along the front of a planetary house makes a perfect cottage foundation garden . There is nothing boring , or standard about this downhearted beauty , give it a effort !

Close-up of a plant leaf infected with a fungal disease. The leaves are large, oval, green, with jagged edges, covered with purple-orange spots.

Close-up of a flowering bush under the wall of the house. The bush is large, lush, consists of erect stems covered with large, heart-shaped, green leaves with serrated edges. Large apical inflorescences of a rounded shape consist of many blue flowers.