What to Do With Hydrangeas in June for Big, Billowy Blooms This Summer – 5 Simple Tasks to Help Shrubs Thrive

Hydrangeas are nature’s come-back-kids. Their look goes from bundles-of-dried-stems to luxurious plants with lush foliage and showy blossoms in just a matter of weeks. By June, here in southwestern France, all my shrubs are overflowing with flowers. One is white, one pink, and one the deepest blue.

Because these bushes are such workhorses in the garden, it’s easy to take them for granted. And, frankly, mine survive with very little care. But if you want to be sure your shrubs are in tip-top shape for the duration of summer, you’ll want to make time for hydrangea care in June. But don’t worry, it’s not difficult or time-consuming.

Here are the top tasks you need to do to hydrangeas this month to keep shrubs looking lush and lovely this month for the rest of summer.

1. Give Shrubs a Drink

Yes, hydrangeas are pretty self-sufficient and drought-tolerant. But every plant needs hydration from time to time. A hydrangea’s large leaves and billowy blooms require regular deep watering during June.

How often should you water hydrangeas? I recommend that you pick a weekly irrigation day and get the hose out to your hydrangeas early in the morning each time that day comes around. Watering hydrangeas in the morning means that the foliage will be dry by nightfall. Wet plants are vulnerable to fungal issues.

Don’t just dash off a strong jet of water. Water slowly for longer to allow the water to sink deep into the soil. You want it to get down to the roots and even below the roots. That encourages the roots to sink even further down into the soil. This gives the hydrangea more resilience when the weather turns bad. Add a layer of mulch to hold that moisture in – an organic wood mulch, like this one from Amazon, works well here.

2. Deadhead for Summer

It may seem early in the season for deadheading hydrangeas, but depending on where you live, blooms may have already begun to fade by the end of the month. This is one of the easiest ways to keep your hydrangeas looking their best throughout the rest of summer.

I use pruners, but you can also use scissors or these handy thumb knives from Amazon. Whatever tool you use for deadheading, be sure that the cutting blades are clean and sharp. Make each cut just under the blossom you are removing.

I restrict deadheading to summer, but you can deadhead into fall if you like. I love the look of dried hydrangea flowers on my shrubs in winter, so I stop deadheading in early fall.

3. Feed Hungry Shrubs

May wraps up the springtime and June ushers in the summer. That means that hydrangeas – and many other shrubs – start actively growing and producing more flowers. Just like teenagers, hydrangeas get hungry when they are growing. It’s up to you to provide them with nutrients.

Use a balanced fertilizer (8-8-8 or 10-10-10) to avoid any chance of burning the roots. This slow-release granular fertilizer from Amazon suits this purpose well.

Look at the fertilizer package for application directions. Fertilize hydrangeas once in early June, following the package directions for the amount. Avoid piling it right against the stems. Too much fertilizer – especially nitrogen – can make plants push out more leaves than flowers, which isn’t what you’re going for.

4. Monitor for Pests & Diseases

Trouble comes to the garden in many forms in June. Insect pests hatch or come flocking in from elsewhere. Those tasty hydrangea leaves are tempting to many common garden pests, so monitor your plants for unwanted bugs.

What pests bother hydrangeas the most? The four big ones to watch for are aphids, spider mites, black vine weevils, and rose chafers. All of these feed on the hydrangea sap and leaves. Then there are hydrangea diseases like powdery mildew, which is a fungal issue, that show up as the temperatures rise.

Regular monitoring means you can catch the problems early, which makes treatment easier. Try a powerful hose spray first to blast off pests. Often, water alone is sufficient.

For minor diseases and insect pests, use a neem oil spray, which you can get on Amazon. If the diseases are fungal, create additional air circulation by trimming the stems and water at the base of plants to prevent wet leaves where diseases can fester.

5. Provide Some Shade

Many gardeners think hydrangeas are sun-loving plants, but they only do well in full summer sun in regions that never get scorching rays. If your summer sun gets hot in the afternoon, think about that before you plant. The best location for a typical hydrangea is a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade.

If you already have shrubs in a spot that gets direct hot sun in the afternoon, provide some supplemental shade protection. You can plant taller shrubs to block your hydrangeas from the sun in the hottest hours or use a shade cloth, which you can get on Amazon.

When I have to leave my hydrangeas in France during the summer, I put up the picnic table parasol in a location that protects the bush. If you decide to use this trick, be sure to weigh down the base of the umbrella to hold it in place in case of wind.