Hydrangea

One of the classic blue shrubs (in more acid soils) is the Hydrangea macrophylla, or common hydrangea. This has become almost a signature plant of gardens in the U.K. and it's easy to see why, because it provides endless Summer Hydrangea. Hardy and requiring little maintenance, it delivers year after year, over a long flowering period from midsummer to late autumn. Hydrangea macrophylla is in fact divided into two categories. The most frequently encountered are the 'mopheads' or 'Hortensias'. These are the ones producing big, confident, dome-shaped blooms. 'Blue Bonnet' or 'Goliath' are examples. If you are looking for something more unusual, the 'Lacecap' ... Read Full Story

Caring for hydrangeas can seem a bit daunting because different species require different maintenance. If you mistake one type for another, you'll end up with a blossom-less season, or worse. It's really not that bad, as long as you keep the plant tag that came with the plant and use the handy guide I've prepared for you: Hydrangea macrophylla : Prune in late summer, as soon as the flowers fade, but never after September. Remove weaker stems from the base of the plant, being careful to retain several stems of old wood, which will produce buds for next year's flowers. You can prune now, ... Read Full Story

In Part 13 we had finished planing the six Yews and are now on to the next task in our garden make over. The garden plan we obtained from the professional garden planner (remember, for the cost of $100 for which we received a $100 store credit) called for a climbing hydrangea at each end of the garage wall against which the front garden was located. This would accomplish several things: this is a slow growing perennial plant that will return year after year (i.e. low maintenance for us) it produces white flowers which will add colour to our garden amongst all of the ... Read Full Story

In Part 14 we talked about the climbing hydrangea we purchased according to the garden plan from the professional planner. These plants are climbers and will attach themselves to the brick of a house. They will also provide nice white (so we are told) flowers. Here is the garden plan for our front garden. See if you can spot on the plan where the climbing hydrangea are supposed to go. They are represented on the plan below by the letter A . Yes, one climbing hydrangea is supposed to go at either end of the garage wall to give some height to the front ... Read Full Story

In Part 14 we talked about the climbing hydrangea we purchased according to the garden plan from the professional planner. These plants are climbers and will attach themselves to the brick of a house. They will also provide nice white (so we are told) flowers. Here is the garden plan for our front garden. See if you can spot on the plan where the climbing hydrangea are supposed to go. They are represented on the plan below by the letter A . Yes, one climbing hydrangea is supposed to go at either end of the garage wall to give some height to the front ... Read Full Story