66 - Hydrangea
Life cycle
Culture and fertilization requirements
Try planting a cultivar called Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora,’ or ‘PeeGee,’ which flowers on new wood instead of old wood, just like hydrangea ‘Tardiva,’ he said. The varieties that flower on new wood may be a little more foolproof for growers in the Mid-Atlantic region, since winter temperatures may be too hard on buds from old wood.
For example, Hydrangea macrophylla (bigleaf hydrangea), bears flower on old wood, so winter may take its toll on the plant, and it may leaf out and never bloom. The buds, even in areas of Virginia, he said, may be frozen out and a year’s worth of blooms lost.
Ford talked about remontant cultivars (“remontant” means producing a crop more than once in a season) like ‘Endless Summer,’ ‘Blushing Bride,’ ‘David Ramsey,’ ‘Oak Hill,’ and ‘Penny Mac.’
“Bigger is not always better” for stem size, Ford noted, since it is sometimes difficult to keep a longer stem properly hydrated as a cut flower. Bushes with 6- to 8-inch blooms and 20 to 30 stems per plant are more profitable, he said.
https://www.lancasterfarming.com/country-life/gardening/cut-flower-growers-looking-at-hydrangeas-for-perennial-blooms/article_bc3f816b-802f-5f76-a52b-d3f35d4cf3c4.html
Harvesting details
You’ll want to start with a well-hydrated plant. If it hasn’t rained recently, water the plant at the ground level the day before you intend to cut blooms from your Hydrangea. Then do your bloom cutting in the early morning the next day.
Pick the perfect bloom to cut by choosing it at the right stage on the plant, as it will not continue to mature once cut. Choose only the fully open and mature blooms at full color. The older the bloom, the longer it will last in the vase. Immature blooms will always wilt.
To cut the blooms properly, always cut between the nodes (the locations along the stem where the leaves come out.) Cut off the stem in a straight cut to allow the plant to recover in the fastest manner, and strip all the leaves. Now recut the stem at an angle, then cut a vertical slit in the stem to open its vascular system and allow it to take up the most water possible.
Immediately place the stem into a bucket of lukewarm water mixed at the proper ratio with cut flower food. Bring the stems inside and condition them by leaving them in the water for a few hours before arranging them. Just after conditioning the blooms, recut them and dip the stem ends in alum. (Alum is a pickling agent found in the spice section of most grocery stores.)
Current Seed Start & Transplant Dates
Note: Seed starting and transplant dates do not always correlate one to one with dates shown below. Note correct start and expected transplant dates on the tag of the tray for seed germination. Adjust dates with plant tags on a yearly basis if necessary. 8 ounces of fertilizer is about 1 cup. Consider Sustane various NPK and Alfalfa Meal or Blood Meal for nitrogen.