too late in the season for planting hydrangeas?

[lfnfan]

Hi all

Have I left it too late to plant hydrangeas macrophylla or arborescens? Living in London.

Wanting to plant a five-metre row to screen a patio wall (approx 80cm high), so if I plant a whole bunch now (or in the next few weeks), and it's the wrong time, it might end up being a costly mistake. Wait till spring?

Many thanks for any advice.

Paul

[Bigmallly]

According to this, you can take hardwood cuttings in winter if you know anyone who has one:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/65384/...search-results

[Scarlet]

...and they grow like wild fire if you have the growing conditions that they favour. My MIL had a garden full of them, all started with cuttings. They really don't like my garden, Im on clay soil and it can be very dry in the Summer.

[WendyC]

Are you thinking of planting container grown plants from the Garden centre? If so I'd say it was the perfect time to get them going while the soil is still warm. Think of them as woodland plants, so moisture retentive soil with lots of organic matter and not full sun.

[Nicos]

I would have thought that Autumn was the best time for planting them...as it is with most shrubs and trees?
The soil is still warm and the cool/ wet over winter would be better than having to cope with a hotter/ drier summer?

I always thought this was a rule of thumb?
Any reason why hydrangea might be an exception?

Bet it'll look wonderful once established!

[Lisasbolt]

my grandma back in the UK, has a massive plant out in her front and every year she takes cuttings and puts them into damp soil in pots from the garden (sept/oct time). Everyone seems to take and are quite good looking plants by the summer. She then can give them away she has so many. Although i must say its just about the only good thing she can do in the garden, and i am being nice