Posted by Kathy on April 27, 19100 at 18:33:53:
In Reply to: Peegee hydrangeas posted by Monique on April 26, 19100 at 19:28:04:
: I just bought a peegee hydrangeas and had planned to put it in a large container outside, the lady at the nursury told me that I would eventually have to transplant it. How will I know when it`s the right time to do this?
Hi Monique:
I too have a PeeGee, it's in tree form. I also have several other varieties, two of which I just potted this spring. (Since Pee Gees are late summer bloomers, I'd transplant in early spring, before new growth begins.)I started with an 18" container, which is sufficient for a two and three year old hydrangea. I did note that the roots are shallow, they tend to grow outward moreso than downward on hydrangeas (so a wide mouth pot is best.) I also read an article recently that when potting hydrangeas, one should start with at least a 25 gallon size pot. This is gigantic and not always practical. So, my guess would be you can probably get by for a couple seasons, but would have to put it in the ground after that in order to continue to get significant growth (hydrangeas grow rapidly). My mom and I both have one of the same variety, purchased 5 years ago. She potted hers, I put mine in the ground. Mine grew much larger than hers, since it was not restricted by the pot. Also, since it will be potted, it will need more frequent watering. It might be a good idea to add some of the new moisture releasing crystals to the soil. They swell when watered, then release moisture when pot gets on the dry side. Hope some of this helps!