Every spring some of Payne's most popular blooming gift plants are bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla). With  big, bold leaves and large clusters of white, pink, red, or blue flowers, they are the a great choice for long-lasting color. While hydrangeas are not reliably hardy outdoors in Northern New Mexico, they look great in containers on the summer patio if they’re given partial shade protection from the full afternoon sun.

To keep hydrangeas indoors, place them in a bright spot out of full sun and feed regularly with a water-soluble acid fertilizer, such as Miracid™ (available at Payne’s). Watch for the white dusty look of powdery mildew on the broad, oval leaves, and treat with one of Payne’s fungicides, such as Bonide Bon Neem™, Consan™, or Green Light Rose Defense™ with Neem Oil.

In more temperate climates, these natives of Japan and Taiwan are rounded, deciduous, summer-blooming shrubs that are  hardy from USDA Zones 5 (with protection) through 9.

Outdoors hydrangeas prefer a moist, deep, compost- and manure-enriched soil in partial to full shade. When first setting the shrub into the ground or tub, dig into the planting hole cottonseed meal, Peace of Mind™ Acid Loving Plant Food 6-4-4, or Happy Frog™ Japanese Maple Food, all available at Payne’s. then, once a month, dig a cup of the same fertilizer into the top several inches of the soil around the hydrangea, watering thoroughly. Mulch year-round with shredded leaves or straw, and water 3 times weekly until the plants are well established.If planted in areas north of Santa fe, hydrangeas' hardiness may be in question in late fall. In winter, wrap them in a cone of chicken wire filled with straw, then covered with a layer of burlap.