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Hydrangeas Demystified Soares Flower Garden Nursery 1021 Sandwich Road East Falmouth, MA 02536 508-548-5288
Identify your hydrangeas.There are six main types of hydrangeas commonly grown in North American gardens.
All hydrangeas have similar cultural needs, requiring:• Moistbutwell-drainedsoil(hydrangeaswillnottoleratewetfeet–ever!)• Somesuneachday.Mostpeoplethinkofhydrangeasasshadeplants,buttheylookandflowerbestwithatleast4hoursofsun,ideallyinthemorning.Paniclehydrangeasarethemostsuntolerant,andcantakefullsuninnorthernclimates.
• Plentyofwater,especiallyastheyaregettingestablished.Hydrangeashaveshallowroots,sotheydryoutquickly.A2-3”thicklayerofshreddedbarkmulchisauseful addition to any hydrangea planting.
Hydrangea Fun FactThereareabout49speciesofhydrangeas.FourspeciesarenativetoNorthAmerica,includingsmoothhydrangeaandoakleafhydrangea.
Climbing Hydrangea petiolaris
HardytoUSDAzone4
Hydrangea Fun FactHydrangeasarenotoriouslywater-needy,butthe “hydra” part of their name actually refers
totheseedcapsules’resemblancetoancientGreekwater-carryingvessels.
Big-leaf (alsoknownasflorist’shydrangea,hortensia,mophead,orlacecap)Hydrangea macrophylla HardytoUSDAzone5ProvenWinners®varieties:
Abracadabra® series, Cityline® series, Edgy® series,Let’sDance® series,
Paraplu™,PinkShira™
Panicle(alsoknownaspeegeehydrangea)
Hydrangea paniculata HardytoUSDAzone3ProvenWinners®varieties:
Bobo®, Fire Light™, ‘Limelight,’ Little Lime™, ‘LittleLamb,’PinkyWinky®,QuickFire®
Mountain Hydrangea serrata
HardytoUSDAzone5ProvenWinners®varieties:Tuff Stuff™, Tiny Tuff Stuff™
Oakleaf Hydrangea quercifolia HardytoUSDAzone5ProvenWinners®varieties:
Gatsby™ series
Smooth (alsoknownasAnnabellehydrangea)
Hydrangea arborescens HardytoUSDAzone3ProvenWinners®varieties:
Incrediball®,Invincibelle® Spirit, WhiteDome®
City
line®RioHydrangea
Bobo®Hydrangea
Incrediball®Hydrangea
Gatsby’sMoon™Hydrangea
Tuff
Stu
ff™Hydrangea
Hyd
rang
ea p
etio
laris
FloweringThetrickiestthingabouthydrangeas is that different typeshavedifferentfloweringhabits:Panicle and smooth hydrangeasfloweronnewwood(growthcreatedinthecurrentseason).Flowerbudsonthesehydrangeasform after the plant leafs out in spring, and open a few months later in summer. As aresult,theseplantsflowerreliablyeachyear,nomatterhow cold the winter was.Big leaf, mountain, oakleaf, and climbing hydrangeas floweronoldwood(growthcreatedinthepreviousseason).Flowerbudsonthesehydrangeasbeginto form in late summer and mustremainundisturbedall through the fall, winter, spring,inordertoflowerthefollowing summer. As a result, theseplantswillnotflowerif:• Theyarepruned.Pruningatanytimewillremovepotentialflowerbuds.
• Theyarebrowsedbydeer,whichwilleattheflowerbuds.
• Theyaredamagedbyweather.Winterweatherisn’tactuallytheproblem;rather, it is in spring, whenseveraldaysofwarmtemperatures are followedbyasuddenfreeze,thatflowerbudsaremostlikelytobedamaged.
Reblooming hydrangeas, alsoknownasremontanthydrangeas,aretypesofbigleaf and mountain hydrangeas thathavetheuniqueabilitytofloweronbotholdandnewwood.Evenifthebudsaredamaged in winter weather, theplantcanstillfloweronwood it produces that season. RebloominghydrangeavarietiesincludetheLet’sDanceseries,andTuffStuff.
It is the ways in which these six hydrangeas differ that make them confusing.
You are always welcome to contactuswithquestions–visit www.provenwinners.com/feedback. We’llgetbacktoyourightaway.
ColorAll hydrangeas undergo some color change as their flowersage,butonlybig-leafand mountain hydrangeas can change their color in a predictable,controllableway.ItisnotthepHofthesoilthatisresponsibleforthischange–itisactuallythepresence of aluminum in the soil that does it. • Certainvarietiesofbig-
leaf hydrangeas cannotexperience color change– generallyspeaking,themore intense the color, the lesslikelyitcanchange(Cityline®Parishydrangeaisagoodexample).Similarly,whitevarietiesofbig-leafhydrangeawillnotchange color.
• Itiseasiertochangeahydrangeafrompinktobluethanfrombluetopink,butbothendeavorsinvolvefrequent,well-timedapplications of aluminumsulfateorthatcanbecometoxic to the plant, so arenot recommended.
• Penniesornailsinthesoilwillnotchangetheflowercolor!
Hydrangea Fun FactBig-leaf hydrangeas and mountain hydrangeas are closelyrelatedandnativetothesameregionofJapan,butmountainhydrangeashavebetterbudhardiness becausetheyoccur in the mountains where conditions are harsher.
Hydrangea Fun FactAhydrangeaflowerconsistsoftwodifferenttypesofflorets:theshowy,paperyflowersareknownassterilefloretsandserveonlytoattractpollinators;thetinyfertilefloretsarewherepollinationandseed-settakeplace.Mopheadhydrangeas are comprised mostly ofsterileflorets;lacecapsmostlyoffertileflorets.
Pruning• Avoidpruningrebloominghydrangeasandthosethatflower
on old wood, altogether. Instead, site these hydrangeasappropriatelysotheydonotneedtobepruned,andchoosevarietiesthatdonotgettoobigfortheirspace.
• New-woodfloweringhydrangeascanbeprunedeachearlyspring,justasthenewgrowthbeginstoemerge.Removeuptoone-thirdoftheheighteachyearifdesiredtoencouragevigorousnewgrowthandstrongstemstosupporttheflowers.
• Hydrangeasdonotstrictlyrequireregularpruning.Theywillgrowandflowerwellwithnothingmorethanremovalofspentflowersandanydeadwoodeachearlyspring.