Hydrangeas

[rubyslippers]

In many of my gardening catalogs this year, it appears various forms of hydrangeas are the hit flower. I know roses need at least six hours of sun a day. Can anyone give me a good rule of thumb for how much shade hydrangeas can tolerate? I was also wondering, if like roses, they could spend their first year from the nursery in a very large container for the sake of finding a home for them. A large portion of this year will be spent cleaning out the yard and identifying what I own. Some of my own container-creations seem like nice ways to bridge the gap (especially if I can find some sunny locations). Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks! Jenny

[Gigi]

Forgive me, but there is no rule of thumb here--just about the hydrangeas I planted three years ago.

I purchased the three plants from QVC- they came small in white containers. They were planted along a fence that receives some morning sun and a little bit of shade during the day. They are doing VERY WELL~ and I will take a picture of them when they are bloomed...

I just LOVE LOVE hydrangeas in any color. And they dry out beautifully for arrangements after the season is over. Mine were pink and lavender color and they dried out to a lovely linen color.

[CohenCottage]

Oakleaf hydrangeas LOVE the shade!

[annielinz]

I heart hydrangeas! I received one as a gift last year and over the winter it died back. I'm am thrilled to see it covered with green leaves. I hope to transplant it this weekend into a pot and find a nice shady spot it'll thrive in.

[rubyslippers]

I'm going to keep investigating sunny spots. (I have been outside sitting on the patio and decking this morning just looking around and mentally rearranging things.) It got a little stressful so I just closed my eyes and soaked in some sun - - Vitamin D right?

Anyway, I'll check out the Oak Leaf Hydrangeas. I am interested in some of the new ever bloom varieties. The limelights look very cool. Does anyone have one of those?

Thanks,

Jenny

[CohenCottage]

We have the "Alice" oakleafs and they were Gold Medal winners...very, very pretty!

[ChapterTwo]

Oh, wow...I've never seen (or even heard of) oak leaf hydrangeas...my Mom always had the "ordinary" blue ones. These are gorgeous, according to an image I saw online, especially the deep pink ones.

[CohenCottage]

They are my favorites and they are native in my area too, so that's an added bonus. I'm not sure how large their native range is, but I'll check the USDA plant database and let y'all know.

[ChapterTwo]

Is anyone familiar with Endless Summer Hydrangeas? I just saw an ad for them on the back cover of Better Homes and Gardens "Country Gardens" Special Publication (which, by the way, has a spotlight on cottage style!)
Anyway, the hydrangeas rebloom all season long - they're very pretty!

[Suz]

I really enjoy my lacecap and my oakleaf hydrangeas,. I've not had success with the mopheads for some reason. There is a website that I really like--it has everything you want to know about hydrangeas:

http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/

She also has a blog where you can ask her questions. :)

[ChapterTwo]

That's a great website, Suz! All I ever knew about hydrangeas was the three blue flowered bushes that grew in my parents' yard forever (we moved there in 1953 and they were there then)! It never even occurred to me that there were different varieties, so I really appreciate all this information. Even in the plainest variety, they've always been an old-fashioned favorite of mine - I recall my mother drying them and having a bouquet in the living room vase!

[shabbychick]

Thanks for posting that link to the hydrangea site. I got all kinds of information from it that I hadn't been able to find elsewhere. My hydrangea, which has been tended by the gardeners my condo association hires, hasn't put out more than one bloom per year since I moved in four years ago. I'm hoping this is the year that it blooms again so I can dry some for arrangements.

[Suz]

Well, I am glad you liked the website as much as I do. I LOVE mopheads!! I have a potted one that blooms--with very small flowers, but I want to have the really big plants with the ginormous blooms...we'll see how the ones I planted in the winter do this summer...**cross fingers**

[rubyslippers]

Silly question ... Do hydrangeas have any foliage in winter months. (i.e. Rhodedendrons tend to keep their leaves even though they don't bloom ... or, are hydrangeas deciduous ... i.e. just twiggy). I am trying to find shrubs to fill in the base of my home along the foundation where the siding stops. Financially, bricking this area is not really feasible right now. I have seen a lot of people do varying things with this area. Some do a feaux paint spackle job on the bottom. Others simply brick or flagstone the bottom. I saw something kind of quirky the other day. Someone had painted the bottom of their home with the third color used in their color scheme ... I think it was a green. Then, they used the basketweave white rick-rack-y looking trellis stuff to put over it. I have this trellis stuff under some of my decking in my backyard; so, I started to get inspired that this could look really pretty (assuming the house was kept simple khaki and white) with hydrangeas and azaleas along the foundation. This is merely an idea - - one of many - - it is not an active project at this time, but isn't half the fun imagining and tossing out all the random fleeting thoughts?

[CohenCottage]

Hydrangeas are deciduous, so they are twiggy during the winter. They still have a pretty shape, though. We planted dwarf wax myrtles as our evergreen screen shrubs, but they get pretty tall I think.

[yarborough house]

They do make evergreen gardenias..we have those. They stay green all year and when blooming in the summer smell so good. They would be nice as a base shrub. They make them in regular sized (up to about 6 feet) and dwarf.
Just make sure you get ones marked evergreen as they have both.
They also have evergreen azealas since you have shade.

[Suz]

My Oakleaf hydrangeas kept their leaves during the winter but my other hydrangeas--the lacecaps and mopheads lost all of their leaves. I'm in zone 8b. I have my lacecaps and mopheads behind some azaleas just so I always some greenery in the front of the house all year long.

[rubyslippers]

I am still waiting for things to "bloom" outside; so, I have to see what is out there first. I am going to print the last couple of posts here when I head off to the nursery for planning purposes. This is great advice!

[Lisa S]

I have five mophead and one lacecap. I also have a climbing hydrangea. They are getting big beautiful leaves... I can't wait! It's like getting excited to see a long lost friend.

[ChapterTwo]

I have five mophead and one lacecap. I also have a climbing hydrangea. They are getting big beautiful leaves... I can't wait! It's like getting excited to see a long lost friend.

CLIMBING hydrangea?? I've got to find one of those for my garden!
I have that same feeling, Lisa, when my wonderful perennials poke their heads through the soil after their looooong winter's nap! :D

[Zuzu's Garden]

Another great hydrangea (and rose) site is Vintage Gardens (http://www.vintagegardens.com/hydro.aspx). Great information and such a beautiful site to visit.
:)
Zu