Friday, August 16, 2013

Hydrangeas: Amazing Color for the Shade


I have to admit that I'm a diehard hydrangea fan.  Not because they're the easiest plant to grow but because I'm mesmerized by their fluffy ball of petals and their unique and intense colors...they really can be a show stopper.

If you live in the right location, they also can be a beautiful plant for the shade.  Their deep green foliage and intense shades of pink or blue captivate you quickly and make you look more than once. 


There are different varieties of hydrangeas and they look quite different from each other.  I'm going to be talking about the mophead/bigleaf (Hydrangea macrophylla) and lacecap varieties in this post although the oak leaf hydrangeas are gorgeous in a more understated way. 

There are two main colors in the mopheads and lace caps being the pinks and blues but I often see light purple flowers and different shades of blues on some bushes.  If the soil ph varies too much this can cause the flowers to change in shade although pink varieties will stay pink and blues won't necessarily turn pink.  That being said, it's best to buy the color hydrangea you would like and don't worry about changing the colors around by amending the soil.


Hydrangeas are not made for deep shade, but I've found that planted on the east side of our house, they do much better in the shaded areas.  They grow beautifully if they are in rich moist soil and I actually lost a few plants last summer because it was so hot and it was relatively dry.  My hydrangeas will often wilt during this kind of weather so I would water them as much as possible to keep them healthy.  

They also bloom in early summer for weeks at a time taking over the blooming from your spring bulbs and perennials.  They really fill in the gap for extended blooms in your perennial bed.

They also didn't put out leaves or bloom well during the last dry summer.  That means I'll need to put down extra mulch and be dilligent about watering the next time our summer is hot and dry.

A photo of one of my own hydrangeas in early bloom
They will do better in warm climates if planted on the north side of the house or at the edge of a woods.  Hydrangeas are not shy about letting you know if they aren't happy where they're planted.  Their drooping leaves and lack of blooms will let you know right away what they need.


I told you they can be fussy.  But in the right spot, in rich moist soil in indirect sun, they are a thing of beauty.  I snapped all these photos taken on one of my walks along the lakefront.  We have four bushes at home too. 


This lace cap variety had fertile flowers on the inside surrounded by large showy flowers on the outside.


What I also love about these mophead/lacecap hydrangeas is that they are only 4-6 feet tall and perfect as a landscaping plant.  It's one of the reasons I picked it to put in our front flower beds.

This is a neighbor's bush and I LOVE the blue color.  I have pink myself but the blues always draw me too.

I've even cut the flower heads off when they get close to being done blooming (the flowers begin to fade a bit) and just bring them inside in a vase (no water) and let them air dry.  You'll want to do this NOT on a humid day so the petals don't wilt.  You may want to try one flower and see how it drys to make sure you don't lose them all.  I would make a wreath completely out of the blooms...gorgeous!


If you haven't grown these beautiful plants before, you may just want to check them out and see how much they can brighten the loneliest spot in your garden!  Blessings!

Do you grow hydrangeas?  Which is your favorite color?



Check out this link for more info...
http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/hydrangeafaq2.html 


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19 comments:

  1. Nancy, I love Hydrangeas as well but we don't have any in our garden simply because I worry that our summer can be too hot and dry...but perhaps I should grow them anyway with a bit more extra care:) Your photos looks so lovely:)

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    1. That's a great point as they don't like hot dry weather. However, if you can find a shaded (maybe some morning sun) north location with plenty of mulch to keep in the moisture, they may do just fine for you... :)

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  2. I had never heard of lace cap hydrangeas before!

    I planted a hydrangea in our small garden last year - I very much enjoy its blooms :-)

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    1. I never did either, but my next door neighbor has a blue one and I really like it...glad you have one in your garden too - these plants really get compliments from so many people!

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  3. There's one more hydrangea you didn't mention that is a favorite of mine....Oak Leaf Hydrangea. I love it's flowers as it colors up and matures and dries. The leaves are gorgeous as they turn color in the fall as well.
    Your hydrangeas are stunning!! Enjoy them for me. Right now...mine were moved and didn't bloom this summer. :-/

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    1. I would love to see a photo of yours! I love Oak Leaf Hydrangeas too and ran out of room from this post to show them! I would love to have one if we didn't have such a small backyard...thanks for mentioning them as they are a beautiful plant as well. :)

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  4. Hi Nancy! Your hydrangea photos are really beautiful. Love all of them.
    I'm kind of a newbie with hydrangeas - just got my first ones last year. Mine are the endless summer variety and are growing well. When I planted them the blooms were blue, but they are pink this year. I want them to be blue without putting chemicals on them. Any ideas of how to do that? I've tried coffee grounds and vinegar, but they're still pink.

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    1. That's a great question and the link I shared after this post had info about the soil PH levels. Aluminum is needed in the soil to make the color blue and the ph has to be the right level to receive it. Also, I was reading that just planting or transplanting your hydrangeas can cause the color to be affected for a few years until the plant becomes settled in. You can read more at this link...hope it helps!

      http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/colorchange.html

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  5. Oh my gosh, I have never seen such gorgeous hydrangeas! You make me want to plant them all over my garden! I actually used to not like them very much (I don't know why!) but lately I have really been falling in love with them. I like the colored variety, but I also really love plain white ones as well. I think I'm going to have to buy some hydrangeas for my garden! :)

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    1. I love the plain ones as well too...I started with the Mop heads because they were considered a dwarf size and perfect for the front of our landscape but that was over 15 years ago and they have some great new varieties now. :)

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  6. They are my favorites too and do really well in my yard. I love them all but I think the new one I planted last year - the Limelight hydrangea - that one is really spectacular! The blooms are so huge!

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    1. Limelight sounds beautiful!! Would love to see a picture of that variety!

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  7. Over 50 years ago, my Papa would let me whitewash the trees and put the rusty nails in the ground around the "snowballs", hydrangea plants. The number of nails and how rusty they were determined the color of the blooms each year. I am not sure of his formula, but he had it down to a science.
    You have some beautiful plants.

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    1. That sounds so interesting! Wonder if there's some reason behind the rusty nails too...thanks for sharing the story! :)

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  8. The hydrangeas are beautiful and it's amazing how beautiful they are and HUGE!!

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    1. This was a great year for them because of the cooler temps and all the rain we had...

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  9. This post is timely for me. I recently cleared out a section on the west side of our house, but in a part shaded area. A friend of mine is letting me dig up some of her extras, and I did not know much about them, outside of them needing more acidic soil. I will keep mine well watered and see how they go!

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    1. That sounds great...hope yours turn out beautiful!

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