Hydrangea Macrophylla

If you want to place Forever&Ever in a pot, then make sure you have a large enough pot that has a drainage hole underneath to allow any excess water to run out, which helps to prevent root rot. Submerge the plant in water for a while, so the root ball becomes saturated. Then remove the old pot and place the hydrangea in a new pot, so that the root ball is a few centimetres below the edge. Fill the pot with compost or peat and press down firmly. It is useful to keep the soil about 1 to 2 centimetres below the edge of the pot, then the pot won’t overflow when you water the hydrangea. A hydrangea in a pot or in a tub needs lots of water!

Dig a hole which is twice the size of the root ball. Sprinkle plenty of potting compost or peat into the planting hole. Remove the plant from the old pot. Wake up the root system by deliberately damaging the root ball here and there (to stimulate the regrowth of roots), and set the hydrangea in the hole. Fill the hole with soil and press down firmly. Give it plenty of water after planting.

Fertilise Forever&Ever lightly every spring for optimum growth and flowers. An organic, slow-release fertiliser is the best option. Depending on the temperature, these fertilisers gradually release a controlled amount of fertiliser throughout the season (Osmocote, for example). Use fertilisers with an N-P-K ratio of around 7-6-12. That’s the most eco-friendly mix! Follow the instructions on the packet for the best results.
You can find hydrangea plant food in our webshop.

If you want to transplant the hydrangea, make sure you choose a new pot which is quite a lot bigger. Use fresh potting compost and add a slow-release fertiliser if possible. Remove the plant from the old pot, waking up the root system by purposely damaging the root ball here and there. This stimulates root re-growth. Place the plant in the new pot and carefully fill the sides with potting compost. Press down gently and give the plant plenty of water. Maintenance is otherwise the same as plants in open ground.

Forever&Ever hydrangeas are ideal as cut flowers. You can cut flowers from the hydrangea freely throughout the season and put them in a vase or dry them. Even the dried flowers are very decorative.
To encourage extra flowering indoors, cut the stems deep in the plant, just above two buds. These buds will then sprout in spring, giving a wonderful display of flowers again.

Forever&Ever remains a compact hydrangea that does not grow larger than 90 cm. So, you don’t need to prune it. Even after years in the garden, the plant retains its limited height. If pruning is required after all, then the Forever&Ever hydrangea is very easy to prune.
The best time to prune Forever&Ever is from mid to late February, just before the new growing season begins. We recommend not pruning any later than March 1st. To maintain a compact, full plant, cut all stems 20-25 cm above the ground.
In contrast to other hydrangeas, Forever&Ever will flower in the same year it has been pruned. This is because Forever&Ever is cultivated on so-called ‘annual wood’. This means that Forever&Ever provides new flowers every year. Most ‘ordinary’ hydrangeas only flower on biennial wood, which means they will only flower a full year after you’ve pruned them.

Hydrangeas are thirsty plants, especially in warm weather. The plant loves plenty of water. If the leaves wilt, this is a sure sign that the plant needs more water. It will recover fully once it has been watered heavily. Of course, it’s better to avoid this situation by making sure that the plants always have enough water, especially when they are in pots. You can water the plant whenever the soil feels dry. However, potted plants must not stand in a pool of water. You can avoid this by potting the plant in a pot with a drain at the bottom, so that any excess water can run out.

The pink hydrangea blossoms can be turned blue. And the blue Forever&Ever blossoms can be turned pink.
Blue hydrangea
An acidic soil (with a low pH) makes blue flowers. You can make pink flowers turn blue by adding aluminium sulphate or hydrangea colourant to the soil. This increases the acidity (lowering the pH). The flowers react by turning blue. You can find hydrangea colourant in our webshop.
Pink hydrangea
Flowers can change from blue to pink by decreasing the soil acidity (higher pH). This can be done by adding lime, for example. Take note, these are only general guidelines and each situation is different. Lime can be purchased at any garden centre.
To determine the exact acidity of your soil, we suggest you have it tested by an expert, or at a garden centre. They can provide you with advice tailored to your situation. Watch the instruction video with Jurgen Smits on VTWonen.nl
At the end of each season, the flowers discolour slightly. This depends on the weather. White hydrangeas might turn slightly pink, and blue ones may turn light purple. But there’s no need to worry, next year they’ll look just as fantastic as ever!

Forever&Ever is hardy to -25 degrees Celsius. They are pretty robust plants! If your hydrangea is in a pot, then we do recommend covering it when temperatures reach -3 degrees.