Partial shade is best, especially where they will get morning sun and afternoon shade.

Last year would not have been a good year to assess your ability to grow hydrangea, since we had a severe drought and very hot summer.

Hydrangeas like LOTS of water. Hydra meaning water. However, hydrangeas will let you know if they are too dry by the drooping foliage.

Mine are planted in my partially shady backyard, and one in the front right up against the house on the North side. They like a bit of acid soil, but in neutral soils, the ones touted as "blue" will just simply be pink. Some people like pink. Oftentimes they will be a blend of pink and blue, which makes them look lavendar in color. Also beautiful IMHO.

One of the easiest hydrangeas to grow in Oklahoma is H. quercifolia, or oakleaf hydrangea. They are not as fussy, can take a little more sun than the mopheads (H. macrophylla hybrids, with huge ball-shaped masses of bloom). 'Nikko Blue' is pretty reliable here, too. It's a mophead. 'Endless Summer' is a new one that blooms on both old and new wood. Most hydrangeas (the older cultivars and some new ones), bloom on the previous year's wood. That's why proper pruning is essential. Never cut your hydrangea back until after it is finished blooming. It will proceed to grow new stems and leaves, and those will be the stems that produce next year's bloom. New cultivars include 'Penny Mac', 'Lady in Red' (red tinged foliage and blooms), and 'Endless Summer' (mentioned).

H. arborescens 'Annabelle' has the largest blooms. They are white and can be the size of basketballs or larger! If pruned lightly after flowering, they may bloom a second time.

H. macrophylla var. normalis are the lacecaps, having an inner ring of fertile flowers and an outer ring of infertile, but showy flowers. I have one called 'Frau Reiko', on which the outer ring of flowers are pink with a white picotee edge. It's gorgeous and very vigorous.

I love H. quercifolia (oakleaf) because the leaves are shaped like oak leaves, and the blooms are huge conical shaped flowers emerging white, and then turning pink as they age. In winter, this plant has interested exfoliating bark. In fall, the leaves turn red. So, it's an all-season interest plant.

I've attached an article on the various types of hydrangea and their cultivation requirements.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Hydrangeas

Thank you very much for the info I just love them and want so much to have them in my yard

Thanks
Bessie

Mine are on the north side of my house, recieve morning sun and no afternoon sun. They did not bloom last year for various reasons. I run a soaker hose down through the bed and water them about once a week. I also use peat moss and mulch them heavily with shredded cyprus mulch, which I will stop this year cause of the damage to the cyprus forests. Over the years have lost a couple but usually it is during a really cold winter other than the pruning in the spring they are pretty carefree. By the way, mine all started as Easter pots from Homeland and Walmart. So they were $8.00 per and then I do not feel so bad if I loss one. They are gorgeous and one of my favorites. Good luck! Stephanie

Stephanie, you probably have 'Nikko Blue' then. I have pine trees in my yard, so I use the pine needles to mulch my acid-loving plants. It's not so essential with oakleaf hydrangea, but I always feed them Espoma 'Holly Tone' every spring, and mulch with a bit of chicken manure, and some pine needles. I am so glad I have those pine trees - sometimes!

My hydrangeas are just starting to leaf out now. My big Nikko is situated on the North side of my house, but it does get some west sun because my house actually sits at an angle with a north-northwest exposure. The others are in the shady backyard. Peat bogs are in severe decline now, too. I quit using cypress mulch a few years back and now use the other bark mulches. I am going to try to get some coconut coir this spring to use instead of peat. It comes in bricks that when wet, expand greatly in volume.

I believe that our hydrangeas failed to bloom last year due to the drought. We had a bit more moisture this year, plus I got out and watered them on the nice days we had, so they hopefully would bloom this year. Same thing happened with my azaleas. I think I lost one this year. They are pretty borderline in Oklahoma. I tried rhododendrons one year, but they died almost immediately, so I won't go that route again. I lost a lot of bloom last year on my lilies, too. There is something to be said for a wet winter damaging or killing a lot of things, but winter drought can be just as bad.

I got my butterfly tent the other day. It's like a beach tent, mesh on 3 sides with two separate zipper openings, 6x6x6. I am going to use it to put pots of butterfly host plants inside so I can raise the eggs and caterpillars in a safe haven. I am going to put it up today in the back yard.

Susan

Thank's Lady's for the extra info I may have bought mine to late in the early summer

Thanks again
Bessie

I planted hydrangeas for the first time last March or April--2 "Light-O-Day" hydrangeas. They are planted in shade on the north side of my house, and did not bloom at all last year. I'm so glad to see that other people's didn't bloom, either, because I was really wondering what the problem was.

I watered them almost every day--sometimes twice a day in the middle of the drought. They sure would droop if they were thirsty. One minute they would be fine, and 10 minutes later they looked as if they were one second away from sure death. I'm hoping that they will be more established and won't require quite as much attention this year. I didn't prune them at all, and now they are leafing out all over the old wood, but especially around the base and the tips. We had the soil pH tested last year, but I'd like to do it again this year.

I also planted rhododendrons in the same bed, and they did okay last year. They have lots of buds this year, so I have my fingers crossed for a pretty show.

I was working in the garden this morning and it looks like one of mine is still here I have some small leafs starting to show up

Hi Ladies! This is my first ever GardenWeb post although I've been a lurker for years on other forums here. Just stumbled on this forum this morning and I'm so glad I did! Thanks Susan for the tip on the pine needles and hyrdrangas. I'm doing yard clean up today and was going to haul off my pine needles, now they are going to the hydranga bed instead! Mine didn't flower last year either, thanks to you all I now have a clue why! I also added a Nikko Blue last year so I'm anxious to see how it does. Thanks for the info!

Lilosmom - welcome to the forum! Yeah, and what you don't use for mulch, put them in a compost pile somewhere for the future! I would also use something like Espoma's Holly Tone if you want blue color in your Nikko Blue. If not, they will be pink or pink/purplish, which are both pretty, too! Nikko Blue and many other blue hydrangeas depend on soil acidity to maintain their blue color. While they will bloom in alkaline soil, the bloom will be pink to purplish.

The main reason my hydrangeas didn't bloom last summer was the WINTER drought. I water them plenty in the summer, but I didn't water at all during the winter. Never had to before. So, consequently, they didn't bloom, although they did put up foliage. Looks like I won't get bloom again this year, because I think it was the cold and ice this year last winter that apparently got the blooms. My 'Nikko Blue' will bloom, but my lace cap won't. My oakleaf will bloom as well. I highly recommend the oakleaf to all Oklahomans. It is much more care free than other hydrangeas, although I love them, too.

I'm glad you joined in the discussion and look forward to hearing more from you, Lilosmom!

Susan

I have seven hydrangea macrophylla in deep shade on the north side of my house. My mother planted them at least 20 years ago and they are still going strong! They get naturally mulched by the oak trees that provide their shade. Mom always said to bury a nail by each plant if you want blue flowers - don't know what that chemistry is! She often had flowers that were half pink and half blue and really pretty! I now water them about once a week in the summer, but even so their blooms were meager last year. Hoping for better luck this year with a little more normal spring rains. I bought a couple of red ones in boxes at a box store (!) a couple of years ago and they have yet to come out very strong, but seem to be doing better this third year. I love hydrangeas also, and feel they add an old-fashioned aspect to my yard. Good luck with yours Bessie! Carolyn

I bought 3 blushing bride hydrangea and got them in the ground this morning they should get plenty of shade but plenty of light got my fingers crossed that these will do good
Thanks for all the advice
This is always been the one plant I have wanted in my yard

Thank
Bessie

I received a "New Wine" hydrangea yesterday (h.macrophylia). I've never tried to grow this plant in Oklahoma City. My question is, will it be ok in all day shade on the north side of my house?