1. Planting: Choose a location with morning sun and afternoon shade. If you live in zones 6 or lower, the more sun the better. Avoid planting your hydrangeas in a heavily shaded spot, and give your Hydrangeas plenty of room to grow.

Soil content is also important for Hydrangeas - soil should drain well yet also maintain sufficient moisture. For deep blue flowers, keep pH below 5.5. For purple-pink flowers, neutralize soil to pH 7.0 or higher.

When you're ready to plant, dig the planting hole 2 feet wider than the root ball and to a depth of the tip of the root ball. Set the Hydrangea in the hole, making sure it is not planted too deeply. Finally, water to settle the roots.

If you're container-planting your Hydrangea, choose a pot one to two times larger than its shipped container, leaving this fast grower room to expand.

2. Watering: Give your Hydrangea an inch of water each week. This includes any rainfall. If you're not sure when and how much to water, simply check the surrounding soil about 2 inches down. If the soil is dry here, it's time to water until it's moist.

3. Fertilizing: Fertilize your Hydrangeas once in the summer prior to August. Apply a good time-release fertilizer at this time, only one time during the year. Discontinue fertilizing if the plant appears wilted or unhealthy.

4. Pruning: Prune in the spring to remove dead tips from winter.

FGT Tip: Add lime to raise soil pH if you want to grow pink flowers. If you want blue flowers, add sulfur to lower the soil's pH.