Gardeners are said to be making one "big mistake" when it comes to hydrangeas. Anyone who has done some gardening will know that plants need certain requirements to flourish and several mistakes can be made. Hydrangeas are deciduous hardy shrubs with striking flowerheads in various shades, including white, blue and pink.

There are different types of hydrangea, such as climbers, mopheads and lacecaps, as well as compact varieties and those that are double flowered or bicolored, according to GardenersWorld.com. Hydrangeas are thought to be “very easy to grow” but Laura, who has a beginner gardening page on TikTok, has shared one mistake she sees new gardeners making “all the time.”

In a short video on TikTok, she demonstrated this "rookie error" by planting a row of hydrangeas in her garden in the same place and claimed that beginner gardeners assume that “all hydrangeas can be treated equally.” Laura claimed that some varieties “need more sun to bloom while others prefer more shade.”

According to her, panicle hydrangeas are best to plant in full sun areas as they are the “most sun tolerant type”. Common varieties she listed include limelights, fire light, pinky winky and quick fire.

Laura, who enjoys gardening on the weekends, added: “This is the best type for handling hot sun in the afternoon.” Next, she moved onto smooth hydrangeas which she said bloom best in part sun to part shade, such as anabelle, incrediball and invinciball.

She noted that this type of hydrangea “typically prefers morning sun with some afternoon shade.” After this, the gardening fan highlighted which kind of hydrangeas are best in places where there is mostly shade but she pointed out that all hydrangeas need at least a little bit of sun.

Laura put oakleaf, including ruby slippers, alice and snowflake, and big leaf/French hydrangeas, including endless summer, big daddy, bloomstruck and cityline, in the shade-loving category. She further mentioned: “There is some nuance to this as your growing zone also needs to be factories in i.e. in warmer zones you might need more afternoon shade than others.”

PlantingTree.com agrees with the advice given by Laura as on its website. It states: “Many hydrangea bushes prefer some shade, especially in warmer climates, however, there are cultivars that can not only tolerate sun but also thrive in it.” The plant company points out that the majority of hydrangeas need some filtered light or a couple of hours of full sun to bloom at their best.

It advises that the “best place to plant the majority of hydrangeas is going to be in a spot that has good drainage, morning sun and afternoon shade”. The gardening resource explains that most hydrangeas bloom in spring and summer depending on your growing zone and some can “reach heights of 15 feet or higher”.

It suggests growing them in pots to decorate your patio or apartment balcony. Climbing hydrangeas can be planted to “creep over a trellis or fence”, and larger varieties of hydrangeas “can be used as a hedge or privacy screen”.