_edited_edited.png)
Guide to Hydrangeas
- Hollie Call
- Aug 3
- 10 min read
I have many, many clients come to me and say that they love love love hydrangeas. And why wouldn't you? They are a summer staple in the landscape! But did you know there are many types of hydrangeas to choose from?
Let's start with the cut flower industry:
The Hydrangeas you see all year round in florist shops and supermarket bouquets. These are called Bigleaf Hydrangea or Hydrangea macrophylla. These gorgeous mophead blossoms are most normally in either white or blue. You may have also seen one that is a light green, these are actually just immature blue hydrangeas that have been cut before they pop!
Most likely, cut hydrangeas that you purchase are a dutch product, shipped overseas for your enjoyment. Grown in a greenhouse as a year round staple for floral bouquets and arrangements. They of course have started coming in other beautiful colors, some may be dyed, and others may be natural. Deep, dark purples and pinks, reds, dark blue, they even grow a gorgeous 'antique' mophead variety that's dark green with purple edges (pictured in arrangement below).
Did You Know:
Bigleaf Hydrangeas in the landscape get their color from the acidity of the soil. An acidic soil makes the flowers blue, a neutral soil creates a purple or lighter blue, and an alkaline soil acidity makes the flowers pink.
On to Landscape Hydrangeas:
Not to get all technical, but the word Hydrangea is latin for water-loving, but this word also constitutes a scientific Genus. For example, in Hydrangea macrophylla, Hydrangea is the Genus and macrophylla is the species.
Hydrangea arborescens - One of my landscape favorites, this is the Smooth Hydrangea.
Most garden centers in the area sell the straight species, as well as the variety 'Annabelle' and 'Incrediball' (a Proven Winner). All three have dainty white flowers that arrive in mid-summer. When the flowers begin to pass bloom, they begin turning a green color and then arrive at brown as we enter fall. The straight species tends to be a little more leggy and untamed, if you will, than the other two varieties.
I absolutely love Annabelle, but this shrub is not for small spaces! It can get up to 5 feet wide and usually stands at around 3-4+ tall at maturity. The Incrediball Proven Winner variety boasts a slightly smaller stature, larger bloom and has sturdier stems so the weight of the flowers don't make the stems droop, especially after they get wet. They have come out with a couple soft pink varieties as well, but I haven't found them to be spectacular enough to buy.
Some other things to keep in mind:
- They do not like full sun! These adorable shrubs love being shaded half the day by a building or some upper story trees.
- They do not bloom based on how you trim them. You can maintain the shape of these each year without fear of affecting the bloom cycle for the following year.
- They make amazing hedges! Sometimes I get the client dilemma of they have an ugly neighboring fence or a row of ugly trees that they would rather not look at. These hydrangeas, given their low maintenance sun requirements, make an excellent hedge to hide something that you either have no control over or that would be cost-ineffective to remove.
- These hydrangeas, once established are pretty self-sufficient. So as long you're willing to water freshly planted shrubs throughout the growing season you've planted them in, they should have no problem taking care of themselves the following year and years to come.
- These Hydrangeas are hardy to Zone 3. If you are unsure abut what zone you live in, click here for a link! https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/
- One more line item, I promise! This plant is a US native!
Hydrangea macrophylla - The Bigleaf Hydrangea, the most popular amongst florists and landscapers alike.
And for good reason! They are such a versatile plant as well as a cut flower. Unfortunately, not all varieties make a good cut flower. They cultivate specific varieties and cultivars to be used in the floral industry, so if you're looking to create a cut flower garden at your home, be sure to look on each label for something that symbolizes the plant for that use or you may be disappointed.
I don't even think I could fit the amount of varieties and cultivars of Bigleaf Hydrangeas on this page. They have come out with many many beautiful and unique styles, colors and sizes. We will start though with style.
They have a regular 'mophead' which is often the epitome of the cape in summer. These are usually blue in color, and the most famous variety is likely the 'Nantucket Blue'. This Garden Debut is a winner in my book, although this Hydrangea is a little more susceptible to the cold weather temps north of Boston as well as being an original variety that you cannot just cut down at the end of summer to maintain the size, as you'll be cutting down all the 'old wood' that hold the buds for next year on it! So don't do that. The Nantucket Blue Hydrangea is also not a small variety by any means, so if you are looking for a spin on the classic blue mophead variety, but want to skip the giant size, there is hope for you yet!
Proven Winners and Endless Summer have come out with countless series of petite, low maintenance blue (color-changeable by soil acidity) mophead Hydrangeas. A few of my favorites include Endless Summer's new Bloomstruck, and Proven Winner's 'Let's Dance' Series, Moonlight and Rhythmic Blue being my top picks. Both series also have bragging rights to creating a Bigleaf that blooms on both old and new wood, so that trimming isn't as much as an issue.
Lacecap is another style of Hydrangea macrophylla that is sometimes underutilized in the landscape. These beauties have a different texture than the mopheads do and tend to blend in better with an English type garden. Same goes for the lace cap in terms of new varieties. Classics like Bluebird still exist and Endless Summer and Proven Winners have come out with their own version of this classic. One of my lace cap favorites is 'Blue Cassel', this shrub maintains a compact branching structure, making this a very 'neat' shrub in appearance within the landscape and it has large, dark blue unique Lacey florets. Being a repeat bloomer, this one gets my vote.
Some other facts about Bigleaf Hydrangeas:
- Most are hardy to Zone 5, but anywhere above Southern NH or west of Worcester, MA should use caution while planting these lovely shrubs. Sometimes it's beneficial to add a layer of mulch before snowfall to help insulate the root system against the damaging cold, as long as you remember to remove that layer of mulch on the spring. Too much mulch around the base of any root system can be very damaging and may lead to the decline of a tree or shrub. Something to keep in mind!
- Often times I get asked why someone's Hydrangeas didn't flower this year, and it's usually because of a few factors. The lack of insulation to the root system, as I mentioned above, can be extremely damaging. In these past few years, we have had an excessive amount of cold temperatures and not a lot of snow lingering on the ground. When the snow falls in Late December and is there for the duration of the winter, it acts as an insulation to the root system of shrubs and trees. Believe it or not, the freezing and unfreezing of the ground over and over again in the winter is not beneficial to the trees. It's best if they freeze and stay frozen until spring. Another reason that Hydrangeas may not bloom is improper trimming habits. Cutting shrubs to the ground if your hydrangea is newly planted or blooms on old wood only is not a good idea! This will take away the blooms for next year, as well as adding stress to a newly planted shrub.
- These Hydrangeas benefit from overhead irrigation. Bigleaf hydrangeas have the ability to absorb water not only through the roots, but through the flower and leaves as well. Although, be sure not to water your plants in direct sun! This acts like you frying a plastic action figure with a magnifying glass. It will literally burn holes in the leaves and scorch the flowers.
- These shrubs don't love full sun all day long. Despite some tags saying that the Bigleaf Hydrangea can be planted in full sun, that doesn't mean that is what the shrub prefers. Hydrangeas tend to be happier in a spot where they get 4-6 hours of direct sun. West or East side up against your house is usually the best spot for them, or in a garden where they may be shaded for part of the day by canopy trees.
Hydrangea paniculata - The Panicle Hydrangea, my go to landscape favorite.
This is an amazing shrub. Another one underutilized in the landscape. This Hydrangea is nothing like it's family members. Monstrous conical blooms that usually come out white or pale cream in color and mature to either lime green or pink, then all fading to pink and then to brown. This is a late summer favorite of mine in all its varieties. This shrub had sturdy stems, is very low maintenance, tends to grow upward versus sprawling like the other Hydrangeas and can be cut to the ground every year without affecting growth or bloom. These blooms also make excellent cut flowers that can be dried and enjoyed throughout the year.
Let's start out with the larger varieties, the ones that also come in a tree form, such as Pink Diamond, Limelight, and PeeGee. These three varieties each have unique flower color, size, and branching attributes to offer. Pink Diamond stands very upright with massive pointed blooms that are half white, half deep rosy pink. Gets to be about 12+ feet tall and will kind of just grow indefinitely. A lovely specimen tree for the front yard that will never get too tall (but will definitely get wide!) Limelight flowers tend to be large in size but have a lime colored hue to them versus the PeeGee or 'Grandiflora' which is more white. The Limelights tend to have stronger, upright branches whereas the PeeGee have weaker, drooping stems, which is nice when in full bloom, they look like a lovely umbrella.
For the smaller spaces, Proven Winners came has 'Little Lime', 'Little Lamb' and 'Bobo'. All smaller versions of the parent plant. Little Lime gets to be about 4-5' tall and wide, with that same lime colored hue (pictured above) and Little Lamb is a bit smaller, and Bobo is even smaller, but each not losing their blooming ability! I absolutely love using Bobo for the client looking for illustrious blooms in the summer near the pool or patio to enjoy without taking over the space.
There are a few other varieties that have come out such as Vanilla Strawberry- white and pink blooms on a slightly smaller plant and Quickfire, starting out white and maturing to deep red. Of course there are ,many other varieties that are wonderful too, too many to list!
Some other facts to note about Panicle Hydrangeas:
- They are drought tolerant once established. They can handle the stress of not enough water in the summer, especially when we get those expected watering bans throughout Massachusetts' north shore.
- They are hardy to zone 3 or 4, variety dependent.
- They can be planted in full sun! These gorgeous shrubs can handle most of what you throw at them, including hot full sun, think traffic island on a main road, and they still look good!
Hydrangea quercifolia - Oakleaf Hydrangea, a shade loving favorite.
The Oakleaf Hydrangeas are very unique with their conical, lace-like blooms and their oak leaf look alike foliage. The same thing applies here as with all Hydrangeas in that the original species is a very very large, US native shrub that has been bred for the landscape industry to better help those with smaller yards enjoy the immense beauty this shrub has to offer.
Some of the larger varieties include Alice, with beautiful white blooms and its 8-10' stature (tall and wide) and Snow Queen, only a bit smaller at 4-6' tall and wide. Both are great for a wooded edge border to a larger yard, but again, most of our clients don't have the luxury of yard space. So instead we opt for the newer, smaller, improved varieties.
Pee Wee is a small white variety, getting only 2-4 feat tall and wide. Munchkin, a newer variety with pink blooms, staying even smaller at 2-3 feet tall and wide. And Ruby Slippers, a slightly larger shrub at 3-4 feet tall and wide, makes for a lovely deep reddish burgundy addition to a shade garden.
- All new varieties are improved natives that are hardy to Zone 5
- Can withstand part shade, which is around 3-4 hours of direct sun, or a full day in indirect or dappled sunlight.
- They bloom summer into fall and you can keep the blooms on the shrub as added winter interest.
Hydrangea serrata - The Mountain Hydrangea.
The Mountain Hydrangea is sometimes a little of an unknown Hydrangea, but not because it's not available, but because it looks so similar to a Bigleaf Hydrangea (it used to be listed as a H. macrophylla varietal) that many do not know the difference. The Mountain Hydrangea has been marketed by Proven Winner as 'Tuff Stuff' and with the recent addition of 'Tiny Tuff Stuff' and 'Tuff Stuff A-Ha'. These adorable little additions to the landscape are truly wonderful. They have more drought tolerance, they are much smaller of a plant, and their leaves have this gorgeous deep reddish tint that really makes them pop against other landscape plants in the garden. They do however appreciate a bit more shade than the Bigleaf Hydrangeas do. They have a lacecap flower and the plants maintain a lovely compact shape and are truly low maintenance in the landscape.
Hydrangea anomala subspecies petiolaris - The Climbing Hydrangea
I think I will post more about this plant when I do a post all about vines, but a few facts about the lovely climbing Hydrangea:
- Spring bloomer, cute little white lace caps sprawled over dense green foliage
- Great for covering ugly chain link fences, running along stone wall or up the side of a building, please note this vine will attach to anything!
- Vigorous grower, can get 20-30 feet long per shoot!
- If you are planning on growing one of these, make sure whatever you are letting up grow up/over/across can handle the weight of this vine. It has large, woody stems, which means it is very heavy, even in winter. I have seen this vine break weak fences and archways before!
Comments