Hydrangea

Everyone is familiar with Hydrangeas. The first ones were introduced into American gardens in 1736 and they've been one of the most popular group of flowering shrubs ever since. That popularity continues unabated today as American gardening trends go “retro.”

Hydrangeas are easy to grow. And, they can bloom profusely from early spring to late autumn; depending on the cultivar, sometimes with huge colorful blooms. The blooms are arranged in panicles or corymbs -- which is the botanical description of the branching structure to create the large globes of many, many flowers that create the hydrangea “mophead” flower.

No plant could remain so popular for so long if it weren't spectacular and easy.

It is a huge genus with about 75 species with some varieties, such as macrophylla, having as many as 600 named cultivars!

So, you begin to see that there is a huge array of hydrangeas to choose from. Some hydrangeas are responsive to changes in the pH of the soil and will reflect that chemistry in the color of the flower heads. Some hydrangeas flower only on “old wood” and some only on “new wood,” so please understand what you want and what you are purchasing before you leave the nursery.

Here is some information on one of the most popular types of hydrangea. Additional information is available on other Growing Guides from Hoerr Nursery

Hydrangea arborescens, Smooth hydrangea is a deciduous shrub which typically occurs on wooded hillsides, ravines, along streams or riverbeds and at the base of bluffs. In the wild, this shrub has a rounded shape and may reach 10' in height. When grown in landscapes, it is often cut back in late winter, but can then grow 3-5' in the next growing season.
Smooth Hydrangea, is hardy in our area and is typically adaptable to a wide range of soil and light conditions. A key consideration is that it produces summer flowers on new wood. That is why it is often pruned aggressively to generate more NEW wood for blooms. (Also to avoid “legginess” and wood that bends so far that it snaps.)

Those attributes make it popular (It's been a mainstay in American gardens for over 250 years!) and very easy to grow.

Growing it
Treat Smooth Hydrangea as an herbaceous perennial in our area. Cut it to the ground in the fall or early spring. Plant it in a rich, well-drained soil with some light to medium shade from the afternoon sun to prevent leaf scorch. It can tolerate full sun if it gets extra water during dry spells to keep from looking crispy by late July.

When growth begins in the spring it's a good idea to provide a strong support. The unbranched stems are usually weak and the weight of the flowers bend them to the ground. Not attractive and impossible to mow around.

Annabelle
The most popular and familiar cultivar and the one we offer is 'Annabelle'. She reaches 3 to 4', in a wet year 6', tall and at least as wide. The 8 week flower show begins in July when the erect, one foot across flowers begin as light green turning pure white, later maturing to brown. As the white color fades, cut them off, remove the leaves and hang them to dry. They are wonderful in natural indoor arrangements.