Whether it's color, easy care or year-round interest that your garden needs--hydrangeas are the answer.
Mix them with perennials to extend the color, increase texture and add year-round interest to the garden. Use tree forms as focal points and accent plants, taller shrub forms as a screen or hedge and cultivars with colorful flowers, bark or fall color to help create interest in any corner of your landscape. Here are a few traditional and new favorites to consider:
Smooth, Hills of Snow, Snowball (Annabelle type) Hydrangeas
Hydrangea arborescens
- Shade garden, mixed border, dried flowers
- Grows 3 to 5’ tall and wider
- Prefers Partial shade, full sun if soil is kept moist
- Moist, Well-drained soil preferred
- Fertilize with low nitrogen/ organic fertilizer early spring to improve flowering
- Soil pH (acidity) does not influence flower color
- Blooms on new growth – prune during dormant season
- Varieties
- Annabelle – large white flowers, 4’ tall x 5’ wide, tolerates full shade
- Invincibelle® Spirit – Large pink, no matter the pH flowers
- Incrediball® – Large round white flowers. 5’ tall and wide
- Pruning Tips
- Prune late winter after the worst of winter has passed /early spring before growth begins (You’ll enjoy the winter interest & increased hardiness
- OR prune in fall for a neater appearance over winter
- Prune all stems back to 12 to 15” above the ground, then prune half of these back to ground level for less floppy growth
- OR All stems back to several inches above the ground – results in floppier growth
- Prune late winter after the worst of winter has passed /early spring before growth begins (You’ll enjoy the winter interest & increased hardiness
Panicle Hydrangea
Hydrangea paniculata
- Screen, hedge, specimen, mixed border
- Dwarf varieties: 3 to 6’ tall & wide, Larger varieties: 10’+ tall & wide
- Performs best in full sun will tolerate partial shade
- Moist, Well-drained soil preferred
- Soil pH (acidity) does not influence flower color
- Blooms on new growth – prune during dormant season if needed
- Varieties
- Bobo® - 30 to 36” tall x 3 to 4’ wide, compact mounded plant with lots of long lasting large white flowers that eventually fade to a purplish pink
- Fire Light® - 6 to 8’ tall and wide, flowers emerge creamy-white age to vivid red
- Limelight – 6 to 10’ x 5 to 6’ wide, lime green flowers fading to rose
- Little Lime® – 3 to 5’ tall and wide. Lime green flowers fading to rose
- Little Lime Punch® - 3-5’ tall and wide, flowers emerge lime green and change from white to light pink to Hawaiian Punch red from the bottom to the top
- Little Lamb – 6 to 8’ x 4 to 6’ wide, large fluffy white flowers
- Pink Winky® –6 to 8’ x 5 to 6’ wide, large, white & pink flowers fade to dk pink
- Quick Fire® – 6 to 8’ tall and wide – earlier bloom, white to pink to rosy red
- Little Quick Fire® - 3 – 5’ tall and wide, early blooming, white flowers mature to pinky-red as summer progresses
- Quick Fire Fab® - 6 -8” tall x 5-6’ wide, early blooming, showy white flowers age to blush pink, bright pink and red from the bottom up
- Tardiva – 8 to 12’ x 5 to 7’ wide – late bloom, lacy white flowers fades to purplish- pink
- Vanilla Strawberry - 6 to 8’ x 4 to 5’ wide – large white flowers fade to pink and then a strawberry red
- Pruning Tips
- Minimal Pruning Needed
- Thinning plants to 5 to 10 primary shoots will encourage larger flowers
- Pruning to ground level will result in weak floppy growth Prune in late winter after the worst of winter has passed /early spring before growth begins
- Minimal Pruning Needed
Bigleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla
- Shrub or mixed border
- Grows 3 to 6’ tall & wide
- Grow in full sun with moist soil, afternoon shade
- Moist, Well-drained soil preferred
- Soil pH (acidity) influences flower color
- Blue flowers in acidic soil
- Aluminum sulfate (per label directions spring through July)
- Pink flowers in alkaline soil
- Blue flowers in acidic soil
- Blooms on old growth – Those at Pasquesi bloom on old and new growth
- Improve Flowering on Endless Summer® & Twist-n-Shout®
- Moist, not wet soil spring through summer
- One application of Milorganite fertilizer in spring. It contains plant available – non leaching phosphorous (P). Plus, as the microorganisms release the nutrients from Milorganite, they also release some of the P bound to our soil – P promotes flowering
- Improve Flowering on Endless Summer® & Twist-n-Shout®
- Varieties
- Blushing Bride® – 3-6’ tall & wide, pure white semi-double flowers that mature to blush pink in high pH soils, flowers on old and new wood
- Bloomstruck® - 3-4’ tall x 4-5’ wide, vivid rose-pink flowers in high pH soils, red-purple stems, red leaf stems and veins, blooms on old and new wood
- Endless Summer® – 3 to 4’ tall & wide, spherical blooms on old and new wood
- Nantucket Blue® – 4 to 6’ tall & wide. Pink flowers in high pH soil, blooms on old and repeatedly on new wood
- Summer Crush® - 18-36” tall & wide, raspberry red flowers in high pH soils, blooms on old and new wood
- Twist-n-Shout® – 3 to 4’ tall & wide, lace cap flowers on old and new wood
- Pruning
- Allow plants to stand for winter
- Remove winter damage back to healthy buds
- Remove winter-killed stems (this may be all of them) to the ground
- No further pruning is usually needed in our area
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
- Shade garden, four season interest, hedge, mixed border
- Deep green oak shaped leaves
- Bronze, maroon, and purple fall foliage
- Cinnamon colored exfoliating bark
- Grows up to 8 feet tall and wide
- Grow in partial shade or sun
- Moist, Well-drained soil preferred
- Blooms on old wood
- Varieties
- Alice – 5 to 8’ tall & wide, large 10-14” white flowers fading to pink then brown Bronze, maroon, purple fall foliage & orange exfoliating bark
- Pee Wee – 3 to 4’ x 2.5 to 3’ wide, compact, less suckering, flowers white, fade to pink, then brown - Bronze, maroon, purple fall foliage & orange exfoliating bark
- Pruning – Minimal
- Remove deadwood
- Prune after flowering if need/want to control the size
Written by gardening expert, Melinda Myers. Melinda Myers is a nationally recognized gardening expert with more than 30 years of horticulture experience. She is a wealth of knowledge and we are pleased to share Melinda’s gardening tips with you!