Planting flowers in your garden is a fun hobby that tons of people enjoy. Not only does this make your house look attractive but some benefits can be derived from these plants. Some of these can be used to harvest fruits and vegetables whereas, others can be planted for their looks or scents. Depending on your preferences, people can select plants and fill up their gardens using them. While there are tons of options that you can select from, one thing that people should understand is that there are also some quite similar plants.
When it comes to these, it is quite common that you will see people getting confused between them. Talking about this, Viburnum and Hydrangea are both similar plants that are often mixed up. Considering this, we will be using this article to provide you with a comparison between the two plants. Going through it should teach people how the flowers are different from each other and how people can distinguish between them.
Viburnum vs Hydrangea
Viburnum
Viburnum is a popular genus that has over 175 species of flowering plants. These fall under the Adoxaceae family and the classification made for them is based on their molecular phylogeny. The main reason why these are confused with hydrangea flowers is because of how similar the two plants look from a distance. However, people should understand that these two flowers are from different families and there are several additional differences between them.
Most species of viburnum plants prefer being placed under long hours of sunlight. This usually ranges from about 6 to 8 hours every day and helps the flowers in staying healthy. While the plant can tolerate partial shade as well it is mostly better that you avoid it unless necessary. The flowers don’t have any soil requirements, but it can always be better if you keep them in a place where they can get tons of nutrients. When it comes to this, keeping the soil around your viburnum moist can be important.
This is because wet soil helps the plant better absorb nutrients from its fertile surroundings. Having a drainage system can also be essential as too much water can suffocate the plant. With that being said, viburnum flowers usually bloom during spring or fall and spread their roots deep inside the ground. This is why it is recommended that people dig a deep hole when planting the seeds as it prevents them from invading other nearby flowers. Keeping the growth of these flowers in control is also necessary for the same reason. You can usually create small shrubs out of it if proper cutting techniques are used.
Hydrangea
Hydrangea flowers or also known as hortensia flowers have about 75 species. These are almost as half as viburnum but there are still several options that you can select from. Most of the species from these two plants look similar which is why people often get confused between them. Though, a major difference that you can notice is the bloom time for these plants.
Hydrangea usually has a longer bloom period as the shrubs can last you as long as 2 months easily. These start blooming around spring but the plants can start growing new flowers around fall as well. The unique thing about the plant is that the color on its petals changes once they rebloom. On the other hand, viburnum flowers only bloom during summer and the plant stays dormant the rest of the year.
The flowers on hydrangea are fairly smaller in size as these can only go up to 8 inches in diameter. Whereas viburnum flowers can go up to 12 inches depending on the species that you have planted. Other than this, the rest of the differences include the steps required to keep the flowers maintained. Hydrangea prefers a colder environment and the sunlight requirements on them are only around 4 hours.
Hydrangea flowers also require a lot more moisture as the plants start decaying if left in a dry spot for too long. Although viburnum flowers are drought resistant, they can easily withstand long periods of dry soil without any issues. With that being said, people should easily be able to understand how the two flowers are different from each by going through the information provided above.