Looking for summer flowers in your garden? Think Hydrangeas.
While you are sure to have found an old-fashioned, blue-pink, snowball-type hydrangea in your Grandmother’s garden, today there are many different varieties of Hydrangea available to consider — all with flowers ALL SUMMER LONG!
Hydrangea varieties to consider for your garden
There are four common varieties of Hydrangeas grown in our area.
1. Bigleaf (Hydrangea macrophylla)
• Have two types of flowers: Mopheads which are large snowball shaped or Lacecaps which have a flattened head of smaller flowers surrounded by larger flowers
• Old varieties bloom on old wood; prune immediately after flowering — no later than July
• Newer varieties bloom on new and old wood so there are no issues with pruning at the wrong time of year.
• Needs part shade, preferably morning sun with afternoon shade. Can be planted in full sun ONLY IF soil is consistently moist.
• Flower colors: blue, pink, purple (see Blue or Pink Flowers sidebar below), red, white
Some of our favorite Bigleaf Hydrangeas are:
The Endless Summer Series
• The gold standard for reblooming hydrangeas
• Blooms on new and old wood so there are no issues with pruning at the wrong time of year
The Seaside Serenade Series
• Compact Size (4 feet x 4 feet)
• Re-blooming ability — this helps with deer and pruning
• Sturdier stems don’t flop
• Tolerates heat and humidity better than standard species
Blue or Pink Flowers?
Bigleaf and Mountain Hydrangea flowers can change color depending on the pH of the soil and the soil composition. Generally, you can manipulate these plants to flower the color you prefer by either adding aluminum sulfate (like Espoma Soil Acidifier) to change your flowers to blue or you can make your soil more alkaline by adding lime to your soil (like Espoma Garden Lime) to change your flowers pink. Purple flowers are a result of a soil pH that falls somewhere in between.
2. Smooth (Hydrangea arborescens)
• Large rounded flower heads
• Blooms on new growth; prune in late winter to early spring just as leaves are beginning to show.
• Needs part sun, preferably morning sun with afternoon shade. Can be planted in full sun ONLY IF soil is consistently moist.
• Flower colors: white to light pink
Some of our favorite Smooth Hydrangeas are:
Incrediball
• Extra-large, white snowball flowers that age to jade green.
• Strong, sturdy stems that will not flop over
3. Panicle (Hydrangea paniculata)
• Cone-shaped flower heads
• Blooms on new growth; prune in late winter to early spring just as leaves are beginning to show.
• Full sun to part shade; most sun tolerant variety
• Flower colors: white, chartreuse, tinged with pink
• Most winter hardy
• Typically a large shrub, although newer compact varieties are being developed.
Some of our favorite Panicle Hydrangeas are:
Limelight and Little Lime Hydrangeas
• Large lime green flowers that fade to cream and then to pink in the fall
• Heat tolerant
• Strong sturdy stems
4. Oakleaf (Hydrangea quercifolia)
• Cone-shaped flower heads
• Flowers change from creamy white to dark pinkish-red
• Native plant
• Grows in shade conditions
• Good fall leaf color
• Interesting oak-leaf shaped foliage
• In some locations, deer will leave oakleaf hydrangea alone and it used to be considered a fairly deer-resistant plant selection. Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more deer browse in certain neighborhoods and so we recommend caution when planting in areas with deer problems.
Some of our favorite Oakleaf Hydrangeas are:
Snow Queen
• Large white blooms
• Deep red-bronze fall color
• 4 to 5 feet tall by 5 to 6 feet wide
Ruby Slippers
• Large white blooms that age to deep pink
• Bright Mahogany fall color
• Compact form 3.5 feet tall by 4 to 5 feet wide
Munchkin
• 2 to 3 feet tall by 3 to 4 feet wide
• Smaller leaves and flowers
• Good fall color
Why aren’t my Hydrangeas blooming?
There are four common reasons why you might not be seeing blooms on your hydrangeas.
1. You inadvertently cut off all the flower buds last time you pruned.
Many varieties of hydrangea bloom on old wood, which means they form the flower buds for summer, the previous fall. So if you prune these types of hydrangeas in the spring, you will cut off all the buds.
Things to try:
• Do not prune your plant for one whole year so that buds can set properly.
• If you must prune, prune immediately after flowering, no later than July.
• Try a newer variety that blooms on new and old wood.
2. We had a cold winter or an untimely hard frost.
Sometimes flower buds can be damaged by the cold. This often affects bigleaf varieties.
Things to try:
• Try a newer variety that blooms on new and old wood.
• Plant a more cold-hardy variety such as Panicle or Smooth hydrangea.
• Give your plant some winter protection such as extra mulch on the roots or a burlap wrap.
3. Deer are eating the flower buds before they can bloom.
Deer can be very frustrating in the garden. Often they eat the hydrangea buds over the winter when there is a lack of food. If your hydrangea is a type that blooms on only old wood, this can be a real problem.
Things to try:
• Try a newer variety that blooms on new and old wood. Hate to sound like a broken record, but sometimes this helps solve the winter deer problem because it gives the plant another chance to make new buds in the spring when the deer might have more things to eat than your hydrangeas. If deer browse is particularly heavy at your house this still might not help.
• Install a deer fence around your property. Deer fencing needs to be at least 8 feet high to prevent deer from jumping right over your fence. You can also try deer repellents, but they will need to be reapplied often to maintain effectiveness, which can be tiresome.
• Accept that under the circumstances, you might not be able to grow hydrangeas and try another flowering shrub that deer do not like, like butterfly bush.
4. Your plants are growing in too much shade.
While most hydrangeas do best grown in afternoon shade, they cannot tolerate shade all day long, with the exception being Oakleaf hydrangeas. Hydrangeas will be happiest with direct morning sun and afternoon shade.
Things to try:
• Move your hydrangea to a sunnier spot.
• Try a more shade-tolerant variety such as one of the oakleaf hydrangeas.
