85 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy ~ Rt. 3A ~ Scituate, MA 02066 ~ 781-545-1266

 

Hydrangeas produce some of the biggest and most beautiful flowers in the garden. New England is probably the hydrangea capital of the world. Take a drive through Cape Cod on a summer day, and most likely, you will witness a fantastic array of show-stopping hydrangea blooms.

Lace Cap hydrangeas are large leafed varieties with flat flowers. The flowers are small in the middle and around the outside they have larger, ¾ of an inch size flowers with four petals. This is type of hydrangea often seen Cape Cod. They prefer morning sun and afternoon shade, but will tolerate full sun or as little as 3-4 hours of sun.

Popular Lace Cap varieties:

‘Lace Cap Improved’ – Large growing to about 4-5’ tall and 3-4 wide. Flowers range from pinkish-purple to blue.

‘Bluebird’ - Similar to above.

 

‘Blue Wave’ – Similar to above.

‘Variegata’ – Similar to the above. This variety does not flower as profusely, but has beautiful green leaves with a white edge. Perfect for a shadier spot.

‘Lemon Wave’ – new Variegated hydrangea with yellow, cream, white, and green leaves. Also does not flower as often, but the foliage rivals some of the nicest hostas.

‘Tokyo Delight’ – An attractive multi-colored flower of pink and white.

The Mopheads

Mophead hydrangeas also have large leaves, but have the large ball shaped flowers. Flower colors range from light blue to deep blue, to pink, to white. These hydrangeas flower from late June into the fall. The flowers may reach as much as 8" wide on mature plants. They prefer morning sun with afternoon shade, but will tolerate full sun or as little as 3-4 hours of sun.

Popular Mophead varieties:

‘Nikko Blue’ – The most popular. Noted for its large round blue flowers. Flower color can range from soft pink to light blue.

‘Compacta’ – A great substitute for ‘Nikko Blue’. Slightly smaller and more compact growth. Flowers are a little darker, ranging from pink, violet, to dark blue. Grows to about 4.5’ feet tall and wide.

‘Domotoi’ – Another compact growing hydrangea with flowers ranging from pink to blue.

‘All Summer Beauty’ – Similar to Nikko Blue, slightly more compact growth. Will supposedly flower with more reliability than other varieties.

‘Pia’ – A dwarf pink hydrangea. Grows to only 3’ tall and wide. Nice deep true pink flowers.

‘Glowing Embers’ – A nice deeper pink variety. Striking flowers can be seen from a distance.

‘Forever Pink’ – Similar to above.

‘Merrit Supreme’ – Another nice pink flowering type. Grows 4-5’ tall.

‘Nigra’ – dark stems contast nicely with green foliage and dusty pink blossoms.

‘Sister Therese’ – Large white flowers that fade to soft pink with age.

‘Pink Beauty’- Reddish stems and green leaves with a hint of maroon. Very attractive foliage and soft pink flowers.

‘Ayesa’ – Silver Slippers – A new one. Unusual pink flowers. Very pretty. Grows 4’.

Also know as the "P.G." hydrangeas. These types are known for their large white flowers in late summer and early fall. These flowers will also turn pink or red as they age. They make great cut or dried flowers. P.G. hydrangeas grow much larger than regular hydrangeas. They may reach up to 12-15’ in height and spread. However, with pruning, they can be kept to about 8’tall and wide. This plant is offered as a tree, with a single trunk, or as a shrub with several trunks.

Popular varieties:

paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ – Large creamy-white flowers. Often droop in full bloom giving the plant a weeping appearance. Flowers turn a beautiful rusty pink with age.

paniculata ‘Tardiva’ – Similar to above with large white lacy flowers. Panicle tends to stand up staighter than ‘Grandiflora’.

Other worthy hydrangeas:

arborescens ‘Annabelle’ – Large pure white ball-shaped flowers. Tolerant to pruning in early spring to control size.

anomala petiolares – Climbing Hydrangea – nice dark green foliage when grown in shade. Pretty white flowers in June. Can be grown as a groundcover or shrub, but usually used as a shady vine. Useful for covering walls or growing up trees.

quercifolia – Oak leaf Hydrangea - shade tolerant. Nice maroon fall color. Variety ‘Snow Queen’ – flowers slightly more reliably than others.

The general rule with pruning hydrangeas is "don’t touch them". Most mophead and lacecap hydrangeas flower off the old wood. This means the flower stems will come from the woody stems off last year’s growth. If these stems are cut back, you will also cut back your chances of seeing flowers. These hydrangeas can be "nipped and tucked" in late spring to clean up any stems that do not leaf out all of the way. Do not cut them way back if you want to see blooms. If the hydrangea is too big for the area it is planted you are better off moving it to another location and picking a smaller growing variety. There are a few exceptions to the no pruning rule. Panicle type hydrangeas like "Pee Gee" can be pruned in early spring to control the size or give it a better shape. Do not prune these after May. Do the same for ‘Annabelle’ hydrangeas. They can be pruned in early spring also. Sometimes an early to mid-spring pruning helps keep them from drooping when they are in full bloom.

Flower colors only vary on some lace cap and mophead hydrangeas. Many varieties are only one color such as ‘Forever Pink’ and ‘Sister Therese’. But most blue flowering varieties such as ‘Nikko Blue’ will produce blue flowers in acidic soil and pink flowers in alkaline soil. If your blue hydrangeas are flowering pink you can make your soil more acidic using Aluminum Sulphate fertilizer. This is the best way of turning your hydrangeas blue. Using an all-purpose fertilizer like MirAcid will maintain acidity but will not change the color very quickly. To turn your blue hydrangeas more pink, add lime to your soil. These techniques will work gradually. Lime, especially, take weeks or months to work in the soil.

Aluminum Sulphate is only useful for turning flowers of certain hydrangeas blue. This does not act as an all-purpose fertilizer. 5-10-5 Country Gardener is a good granular fertilizer that can be used every spring to give your hydrangeas a healthy start. Most liquid fertilizers are also helpful if you plan on doing it every two weeks. Do not use both a liquid fertilizer and a granular at the same time. Pick one or the other.

Getting hydrangeas to bloom:

We hear it often that hydrangeas have great foliage, but no blooms. How can this be corrected? 1. Do not prune your mophead and lace cap hydrangeas. See the pruning paragraph for details. 2. Fertilize them with Superphosphate 0-20-0. This will help promote flowering and nothing else. Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers that push heavy leaf growth. You want the plant to concentrate on flowering. 3. Plant hydrangeas in at least 3-4 hours of direct sun. If you have less than a half a day of sun you may want to move them to a sunnier spot. 4. Shock the root system. Take a shovel and push the blade straight down about 8-10" away from the edge of the plant. Do this all the way around the plant. This may trick the plant into to thinking it is going to die and it feels the need to flower in a hurry so it can produce seeds. 5. Insulate the roots and stems of the hydrangea with leaves or salt marsh hay. This will protect them from cold winter temperatures that can kill their flower stems.

[ Home ] [ Up ]

Last modified: October 30, 2004