I purchased a potted hydrangea from the florist shop this winter, can I plant it in my garden?

Question:

I purchased a potted hydrangea from the florist shop this winter, can I plant it in my garden?

Answer:

The hydrangeas found in flower shops are bigleaf hydrangeas forced into bloom out of season. These plants are intended to be enjoyed as a temporary potted plant indoors, much like poinsettia, and are not intended for planting in the landscape. They are typically cultivars that are not reliably winter hardy in Iowa. Even if they survive the winter, they will not reliably flower since they only set flowers on stems from last year and all the stems die to the ground over winter.