Hydrangea plants will multiply with gardener's easy method but act fast

You could have a garden full of beautiful hydrangeas as early as next year if you plant them now.

bushes produce vibrant and long-lasting flowers that can brighten up any during their flowering season between mid and late summer. The plants are suited to most gardens as they love light shade and moist soil, and they're relatively beginner-friendly as they are hardy to UK weather, so don't require special care in the winter.

If you've got a hydrangea bush in your garden and you're looking to get even more flowers from your plant, you can propagate it to grow more bushes from just a few cuttings.

The process might seem complicated, but experts on have claimed it's easy to do and could net you even more flowers within just a couple of years once your new plant has grown.

A video shared by Garden Tips on highlighted that May and June are the best months to cut your hydrangea bushes to start propagating, so if you're planning on trying it, you should do so within the next couple of weeks.

In the video, the expert detailed two methods for propagating plants: soil propagation and vermiculite propagation.

To prepare your cuttings, the gardener said you should choose strong stems with full, healthy buds, avoiding ones that are too old or too tender. You should make a straight cut about 1cm above a bud, and another cut at a 45-degree angle about 4-5cm below the same bud. This should leave you with a small stem that has two leaves.

Then, cut the leaves themselves in half, and your cutting will be ready to propagate using either of the methods the gardener then went on to explain in her video.

She said: "Let's start with the vermiculite method. Take a transparent cup and cut some drainage holes in the bottom. Add moistened vermiculite and insert the cutting along the edge of the cup. The clear cup lets you monitor root growth without pulling the cutting out.

Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral that is sold for horticulture as lightweight, absorbent flakes. It can be used for propagation and for potting plants that do well in moist compost, including house plants.

Alternatively, you can use soil to propagate your hydrangeas. The gardener shared: "Use sterile, fresh soil and water it thoroughly. Insert the cutting directly into the soil. After two to three weeks, gently move the cutting. If it feels firm and the soil lifts with it, it means roots have successfully formed."

Once your roots have taken hold, you can then transplant your new hydrangea plants into small individual pots that will help them grow. From there, you can start regularly feeding the plants to encourage new leaves and, eventually, flowers.

How to grow hydrangeas

According to the (RHS), full hydrangea plants should be planted in the spring or autumn. If keeping them in containers, they can be planted all year round as long as the soil isn't frozen, too wet, or too dry.

Cultivars with blue flowers will only remain blue if the soil they are planted in is acidic with a pH level of 4.5-5. If your soil is not acidic, you may end up with purple or pink flowers instead.

Hydrangeas thrive best in light shade, but they can be planted in a sunny spot if the soil stays moist. New plants should be watered regularly during the first growing season from spring to summer when we've had no significant rain for a week.

After planting, the plants should be fed with seaweed feed or fish, blood, and bone feed, but regular feeding of established plants is not generally needed.