• Home
• About
• Henry on Public Radio
• Contact
• Donate/Store
  • Organic Gardening (not just) in the Northeast
  • Shopping Cart
• Presentations
  • Past Events
• Recent Gardening Articles
• Archives
  • Henry’s Travel Articles
  • Henry’s Blog
• Links & Resources
• Gardener’s Basic Library
• Sources and Venues
  • Local Vendors
• Recipes & Gardening Tips

Hydrangeas: You Always Win

Posted on Wednesday, August 23, 2023 · Leave a Comment 

Unlike the games of chance at our local fair, you always win when you buy a hydrangea. They generally bloom their fool heads off every year, even if you have poor soil and a poor track record in the garden. When I was a boy I noticed that every cemetery had hydrangeas, so I called them cemetery bushes (my parents knew few names of plants).  Now is the time they are blooming so it is time to go to your local, family-owned garden center and buy one – or more than one.

 

If you want a tall plant with instant curb appeal, buy what is called a hydrangea “standard”. A standard is a shrub that has been grafted onto a tall stem, usually about 5-feet tall. Hydrangeas start out low and often wide, but if you get a standard, you get something that looks a bit like a lollipop – or an instant small tree.

 

I have six different hydrangeas, each differing in bloom time, color, size of blossom and shape of blossom. Two of mine are standards and are about 25 years old. Each is 15 to 20 feet tall and wide.

 

My PeeGee Hydrangea always puts pn a good show

The first standard I planted is what’s called a “PeeGee” hydrangea. PeeGee is shortened from the Latin name, Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora (which means large flower head). This is the classic cemetery plant, one that has been around since it was imported from Japan in 1862.

 

My PeeGee hydrangea has blossoms of various sizes, from 5 inches across to 8 inches or more across. Most blossoms are roughly globular, but some are a bit elongated, especially towards the top of the plant. The panicles are a mixture of fertile and showy, infertile florets. The blossoms start out a green-tinged white, transforming to white, then pinkish, and finally brown after frost. If you pick the blossoms before frost and put them in a dry vase, they will stay looking pinkish all winter and beyond.

 

I love my “Pink Diamond” hydrangea; it is also a H. paniculata grandiflora, and lives up to its name even better than a PeeGee. Its uppermost flower panicles can reach 12 inches long and 8 inches wide. The woody stems are thicker and stronger than on most hydrangeas, so they do not flop the way some others do when wet from rain. The pink panicles are a delight to behold.

 

There is one native hydrangea, called smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens). It stays small, only 3-to 6-feet tall and wide. It does well in partial shade, but is intolerant of dry soils. It will tolerate full sun only if the soil stays moist. ‘Annabelle’ is commonly sold in the nursery trade but I can’t imagine why. Yes, it does have huge panicles, but it has flimsy stems so the panicles droop or flop onto the ground.

 

According to the Mt. Cuba research station, the best hydrangea for pollinators is the smooth hydrangea called ‘Haas Halo’, a native  one. I planted several for a client one fall and they were immediately consumed by deer. But they came back the following spring and I surrounded them with wire fencing to keep the deer away. In year three they are blooming nicely. The center of each flat flower head is full of small, fertile flowers surrounded by larger white flat, infertile florets.

 

‘Quick Fire’ has a nice mix of pink and white florets right now

Another favorite of mine is called ‘Quick Fire’. Now in year five for me, it is a shrub about four feet tall and wide; it is loaded with 4- to 5- inch flower heads. It opens greenish white, then turn white, then pink. The pink color comes on earlier than most others, hence the name. What I like about it is that it keeps a nice mix of white and pink panicles. I am now pruning it yearly to keep it at its current size. It blooms on new wood, so I won’t lose any blossoms if I prune it now – or even in the early spring.

 

Many New England gardeners would like to be able to grow blue hydrangeas, so they buy them and find they really only perform well for one year. A variety called ‘Endless Summer’ came out in the nineties with much fanfare, claiming it would do as well here as it does in the mid-Atlantic region. But it didn’t do well. Most buds are set the year before and winter tends to kill them.

 

Readers often write me asking how to get the numerous blue panicles in years two, three and beyond. I tell them to treat them as expensive annuals. Dig them up and throw them on the compost if they don’t succeed. Instead of Endless Summer, I call them Endless Disappointment. There are now other blue hydrangeas sold, and some may be okay for our climate.

 

Climbing Hydrangea on the north side of my barn

My favorite hydrangea is the climbing hydrangea, H. anomola subspecies petiolaris. Climbing hydrangea is usually sold as a small vine in a one-gallon pot. It takes a long time to get to blooming size – often five or six years. Then it takes off and grows rapidly.

 

The great thing about this vine is that it will bloom in full shade – I have it on the north side of my barn. It will attach to stone or brick surfaces but not wood, though it can climb trees. As it started growing it up my barn I attached it to the barn with a special plastic chain designed for staking young trees. Then later it grew through cracks in the boards and now needs no support – and usually blooms inside my barn! Like all hydrangeas, its flowers stay on and look interesting most of the winter.

 

So if you like the look of hydrangeas, go get one. I think most are wonderful.

 

Henry is the author of four gardening books. Reach him at henry.homeyer@comcast.net or at PO Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746.

Filed under Article · Tagged with climbing hydrangea, pee gee hydrangea, quick fire hydrangea

Glorious Hydrangeas Are in Full Beauty Now

Posted on Monday, August 24, 2020 · Leave a Comment 

When I was a boy, I always took note of cemeteries as we drove by them. I’d lost a beloved grandfather, the original Henry Homeyer, and my mother’s mom. I was taken with a shrub or small tree in cemeteries that I called either “the snowball bush” or the “cemetery bush”.

 

Back in the day what I now call the PeeGee Hydrangea

(Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’) was present in every cemetery. They bloom for months, require no work other than planting, and will grow anywhere. Now there are dozens of species and varieties of Hydrangeas, offering a great choice for small gardens – these never get huge, like a maple or an elm.

 

My PeeGee hydrangea after 25 years

In the nursery trade the PeeGee hydrangea has fallen out of favor, mostly. Now ‘Limelight’, ‘Pinky Winky’ and others with jazzy names and bigger flowers are more popular. But I love my PeeGee that I planted some 25 years ago. It is blooming with over a hundred large white flowers now. It’s about 9 feet wide and 8-feet tall.  Like most hydrangeas, if I wait until just before frost and cut some flower stems to put in a dry vase, they will look good all winter – and longer.

 

Most hydrangeas like full sun or part shade, good soil, and adequate moisture. Some, like the panicle hydrangeas, bloom on new wood, while others – those that bloom early in the summer – bloom on buds developed the summer before, also called “old wood”.

 

The blue hydrangeas (H. macrophylla or big leaf hydrangeas) generally bloom on old wood, and for those of us in the northern part of New England, that is unfortunate. Our tough winters ruin the flower buds, so the plants don’t bloom in June as desired. Nurseries in the south grow them, ship them to us in full bloom, but after Year One we are lucky to get three blossoms in September. Period.

 

Then along came ‘Endless Summer’, a bigleaf hydrangea that promised to bloom all summer long. I tried it, and called it Endless Disappointment. It died back in the winter, grew, but rarely flowered. Newer varieties are out there, and may be tougher, but in Zone 3 or 4, I say buy them in bloom and use as annuals. Not only that, blue hydrangeas produce pink or insipid colors if the soil pH is not acidic enough. ‘Nuff said.

 

Pink Diamond blossoms are well spaced and not as heavy as many others

I like my ‘Pink Diamond’, a panicle hydrangea with strong stems and fewer florets per flower head than the PeeGee. That means it doesn’t get weighed down by rain, and droop to the ground like many other hydrangeas. It starts out white, then gradually turns pink. It is an excellent cut flower, too.

What about shade-growing hydrangeas? There are two nice ones. H. arborescens ‘Grandiflora’, also known as ‘Hills of Snow’ does well in shade. Its pompoms are much smaller than those of Annabelle, another of the same species, so it does not flop much after a rain. I like it better. It gets to be 5 or 6 feet tall and wide if left to its own, but many people cut it to the ground in late winter. The vigorous new growth will be shorter, and the pruning invigorates the plant.

My PeeGee hydrangea after 25 years

My favorite shade hydrangea is the climbing hydrangea (H. anomala ssp. petiolaris). This tough vine will grow on the north side of a wall and can attach itself to brick or stone. It is slow-growing when young, but after 5 years or so becomes quite vigorous. I attached the stems of mine to the side of my barn when young, but later the stems slipped through cracks in the barn and hold on. Mine has even bloomed inside the barn!

Climbing hydrangea has showy white, sterile, petals on the outer rim of each flower panicle, and less showy, fertile flowers in the center. It blooms in June and the white petals stay white all year, so the flowers always look good. The vines have shaggy, exfoliating bark which is interesting in winter, too.

I recently attended a Hydrangea Walk at the home of Chris Wilson of Newbury, Vermont. Chris is a nursery professional, having worked at EC Brown Nursery in Thetford, VT for over 35 years. Chris collects hydrangeas, lilacs and daffodils and opens his gardens 3 times a year to view them. This time, we all wore masks and practiced social distancing. We didn’t want, as Chris said, “to die to see a hydrangea.” Chris has at least a couple of dozen different kinds of hydrangeas – and a good sense of humor.

 

Hydrangea Great Star

Chris had two hydrangeas I had not ever seen before that I like. The first, called “Great Star’ (H. paniculata ‘Great Star’) was first discovered in the gardens of Princess Greta Sturdza in Varengeville Sur Mer, Normandy, France. It appeared as a naturally occurring branch mutation of an unnamed seedling of Hydrangea paniculata. It has very prominent wide, strap-like sterile florets that are star-like. I hope to find a specimen and plant it in my garden.

 

The other hydrangea I saw there is another that does well in shade, H. paniculata ‘White Moth”. Chris had it tucked in near a large tree, and it was blooming nicely.  

 

Don’t have a Hydrangea? I highly recommend them. Most have blossoms now, when most flowering trees are done for the year. So go to your local family-run garden center and see what they have. I bet you’ll find something you like.

 

Henry is a UNH Master Gardener, the author or 4 gardening books and a gardening consultant. Reach him at henry.homeyer@comcast.net.

Filed under Article · Tagged with blue hydrangeas, Great Star hydrangea, paniculata, pee gee hydrangea

Hydrangeas

Although I think of August as the month for hydrangeas, there are many kinds and some have been blooming for weeks while others are still in bud. Coming on now for me is the PeeGee (from the scientific name, Hydrangea paniculata grandifolia).  I’ve had one for 20 years or so, and I love it.

Like all mid-and late-summer bloomers, PeeGee hydrangeas bloom on “new wood” – this year’s growth. Mine sends out perhaps a hundred 2 to 3-foot long stems, each with a big white panicle made up of hundreds of little flowers. Over time, the white changes to pink on many, and frost turns the panicles brown.

The flowers clusters on my PeeGee hydrangea are so big that their pencil-thick stems often cannot hold them up when they’re in full bloom. The flowers bend down the stems, particularly after a rain. Some years I snip off the tips of the panicles with pruning shears before they get to full size. This lessens the weight and the stems do not bend so much. The shrub is 8-10 feet tall and wide.

In one sense, the PeeGee hydrangeas are like daylilies: they will bloom every year, no matter what. They do best in full sun, but put will still on a good show in part shade. It prefers rich, moist, well drained soil – but will grow anywhere.

Another variety of hydrangea is the ‘Tardiva’ type. The flower panicles contain fewer florets and are a mix of fertile and infertile blossoms. The infertile ones have wider petals, and help to attract pollinators with their looks. The panicles are longer and more tapered than PeeGee hydrangeas, and rarely flop, even when wet. I have a cultivar named ‘Pink Diamond’ that I just love. It fades to a light pink. ‘Pinky Winky’ is another nice one that develops a deeper pink color.

‘Snow Hill’ Hydrangea arborescens

The smooth hydrangea (H. arborescens) is another popular hydrangea, and one that will bloom well in shade. I particularly like ‘Snow Hill,’ which flowers well even in deep shade, and which produces nice small to medium-sized panicles that rarely flop. More popular, however, is ‘Annabelle’ because it produces huge flower panicles. But this variety always flops, especially after a rain, and I think they look as messy as an unmade bed. Annabelle is often used in perennial beds, even in full sun. In full sun it may require regular watering. The flowers start green, then go to white, and finally to brown, putting on a nice show for 6-8 weeks. The smooth hydrangea can be cut to the ground each fall or early winter and allowed to start anew each spring. I cut back ‘Snow Hill’ each fall, but do not cut it to the ground.

For those of us in cold climates, the blue or pink hydrangeas are best considered as annuals. Yes, many will survive a Zone 4 winter, but most times they will not produce many flowers after the first year. They are called bigleaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) for their handsome foliage, but we buy them for the color.

Bigleaf hydrangeas need very acidic soil (pH of 5.0 to 5.8) to have blue flowers, and a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 to be pink. On planting, you can add soil acidifier to get the blue color or limestone to get pink. Most blue ones come with some acidifier –usually sulfur- in the soil, but it goes away after a while.

Several years ago there was a huge fuss made over a variety of bigleaf hydrangea called ‘Endless Summer’ that was promised to thrive in Zone 4 (despite winters of minus 30 degrees). I often refer to it as ‘Endless Disappointment’ as I have tried it twice, and after Year #1 have only gotten a few blossoms very late in the summer.

Twist and Shout

This year I was given a nice blue one called ‘Twist and Shout’ At the website, it noted that it is a hybrid developed by Michael Dirr, one of America’s most noted horticulturists, and the author of the book I depend on to learn about trees and shrubs: Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Propagation and Uses.

I have my Twist and Shout in a large self watering container by the front door, but now that I know it was developed by Professor Dirr, I shall acidify a spot in full sun and plant it in the ground in the fall. The website says it is a re-bloomer, so does not just bloom on buds set the summer before, but on new wood, too.

Climbing hydrangea

Another great hydrangea that I grow is the climbing hydrangea (H. anomala subspecies petiolaris). It can take up to six years for a small plant to get established and start growing, but then it takes off and grows like mad. It is a vine that will thrive in shade, though it also can grow in sun, if provided adequate moisture. The north or east side of a building is perfect. It easily attaches to brick, stone or trees, but needs help to grow on a wood building. Mine sends flower shoots out horizontally and can support its handsome flowers without flopping 3 feet or more from the barn.

Henry Homeyer can be reached at P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746 or at henry.homeyer@comcast.net. He is the author of 4 gardening books, and a children’s fantasy-adventure about a boy and a cougar called Wobar and the Quest for the Magic Calumet.

• “Organic Gardening – Not Just in the Northeast”

  Henry’s latest Book, Organic Gardening (not just) in the Northeast: A Hands-On Month-by-Month Guide is now available for $21.00 INCLUDING postage. To Learn more about this book click here: Organic Gardening (not just) in the Northeast: A Hands-On Month-by-Month Guide is organized around the calendar year, starting in March and continuing through the year with timely advice. The book is packed with useful information you won’t find elsewhere: how to sharpen your pruners, use a screwdriver to test for compaction in your lawn, and build a welcoming cedar arbor as an entrance to the garden. Learn how to grow ladyslipper orchids or Himalayan blue poppies, prune apple trees, grow giant pumpkins, and even how to start a date palm from a grocery store date or build a small stone igloo to delight the grandchildren. Eccentric, eclectic, and entertaining, whether you are a beginner or a veteran, this book has something more for you. To see what other garden writers have said about it click here