Hydrangea Heaven
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I love the lush flowers of hydrangeas both in the garden and in bouquets for the house. As a novice gardener, I had mixed success with growing hydrangeas and getting them to bloom every year. There are dozens of tantalizing hydrangea varieties, and the key was finding the best ones for my mid-Massachusetts location.
Planting several types of hydrangeas ensures color in your garden from June through October. Here are the hydrangeas that are blooming in my garden right now:
Hydrangea 'Annabelle' has been in bloom since late June. This hedge is five years old, and has provided me with more than 20 new plants. Annabelles are very easy to propagate via layering.
Annabelle's flowers fade from pure white to a soft chartreuse.
Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' is the most reliable blue mophead for my area because it blooms on both old and new wood. It is lovely paired with blue hosta and blue shrubs such as Juniper 'Blue Star' above.
Hydrangea 'Pinky Winky' has loose panicles of flowers and is blooming well in the shade of two dogwood trees.
Pinky Winky's rosy flowers are highlighted by the pinkish new growth on Leucothoe 'Girard's Rainbow'.
Hydrangea 'Glowing Embers' is a new addition to my garden. I could not resist the deep pink and chartreause color combination of the flowers.
Hydrangea 'Fuji Waterfall' has white double florets tinged with pale blue and thick, shiny green foliage.
Hydrangea 'Wedding Gown' also has pure white double flowers that fade to a deep red in autumn.
Hydrangea 'Pink Diamond', in its second year in my garden, is a robust grower. Its flowers open in white and fade to a dark rose color by fall.
Hydrangea 'Little Lamb" was a rescue plant from Lowe's 50% off bin last year. It's growing well in a pot on the patio, and sports flowers that are similar to a PeeGee but much smaller.
Hydrangea 'Limelight' is just starting to open its buds. The flowers on this strong shrub will be close to 18" in diameter when they are fully open. They are a glorious contribution to the fall garden.
