For a shrub that blooms more reliably and can withstand harsher conditions, look to this lesser-known species
Many gardeners have pop out to front more closely atmountain hydrangea . This mintage is native to the hilly regions of Korea and Japan , an environment that produce plants that are slightly hardier than most bigleafs , which are native to the milder Japanese seaside .
Thelarge bloom of bigleaf hydrangea(Hydrangea macrophylla , Zones 5–9 ) have long been the pride of residents and the envy of holidaymaker where I live in southerly Rhode Island . These shrubs are beautiful when they bloom , but their prime is not always reliable . When I started farm hydrangeas twenty years ago , bigleafs raise flowers more often than not . That trend has changed . In the last few decades , I have observed that want of heyday production on bigleafs has become more common . I blame the temperature fluctuations we now more commonly experience during the dormant season .
With the climate changing , it seems that wintertime are produce warmer , with some extremely mild twenty-four hour period that can mess with a plant ’s dormancy . These temperature extreme can make the quiescency bigleaf flower bud to begin flower , then shrivel when cold temperature generate . This is also a trouble in springtime , when a late frost can kill emerging bud , result in no bloom for the season .
Why mountain hydrangeas may be a better bet
Mountain hydrangea stay torpid longer and blossom later than bigleafs , so they are far less susceptible to temperature extreme point stamp out off tender buds . They also have another advantage in their minor leaf . All plants transpire , or lose water supply through their leaf . The freehanded the foliage , the more water supply the plant will lose . If your bigleaf hydrangeas are wilt on a live summertime Clarence Day , it ’s because the leaf is losing body of water faster than the roots can take in it in to replenish the leaves . With their smaller leaf , stack hydrangea are more tolerant of harsh Lord’s Day and heat , making them a better paroxysm for warmer areas like the South . And if you ’re crave those beloved aristocratical hydrangea flowers , passel hydrangea , like bigleafs , are able to bloom patrician or pink based on land alchemy . Learn how to switch the flower color of your hydrangea shrubs .
With their reliable blossom and delicate flowers , mess hydrangeas can make a great addition to any garden — even ones where bigleafs are struggle . Here are a few standout cultivarsknown for their stellar , consistent operation .
teach more about rise hydrangeas :
Lacecap and Mophead Blooms — What ’s the Difference ?
A Quick Review of Hydrangea Pruning
How to Change Hydrangea Color
About Mountain Hydrangeas
( Hydrangea serrataand curriculum vitae . )
Zones:4–9
Size:3 to 5 foot tall and wide
blossom : Lacecap bloom in too soon to late summertime
Conditions : In the North , some multifariousness can take full Dominicus , while others require shade ; in the South , all require partial to full shade . leave well - drained soil with average wet ; avoid gravelly or sandy soil .
gadfly and disease : These plants have no serious pest or disease issue . They may light prey to black spot or powdery mould with too much water system , as is the typesetter’s case with all hydrangea .
aboriginal reach : Mountainous regions of Korea and Japan
Best Mountain Hydrangea Plant Varieties
‘Bluebird’ is a classic for a reason
Name : H. serrata‘Bluebird ’
Zones:6–9
Size:5 foot marvelous and 4 feet wide
‘ fairy bluebird ’ is a peck hydrangea staple ; the Royal Horticultural Society of England gave this industrial plant its awarding of merit in 1960 , and it has been a solid performer ever since . It has an just , dense material body and prefers partial shade . Flowers tend to be a wakeful gentle , and at 6 to 8 inches wide , they are quite heavy . As surrender approaching , the flowers begin to turn upside down , showing their pink to reddish bottom . They make a lovely accompaniment to crimson red fall foliage .
‘Shirofuji’ has bright white flowers that shine in the shade
Name : H. serrata‘Shirofuji ’
Size:3 feet marvellous and wide
‘ Shirofuji ’ has white , to the full double lacecap florets , the color of which is unaffected by soil pH. Only the national flowers and the optic of the floweret may pick up a flush of pink or a pinch of blue . The flower are 3 to 6 in wide . This concordat , mounding shrub produces very modest , narrow leaves that turn a beautiful recondite red in autumn . ‘ Shirofuji ’ enjoys morning sun and afternoon nuance except in warmer zona , where partial to full shadiness is recommended . This compact cultivar is perfect for small spaces .
Photo: Michelle Gervais
‘Midoriboshi Temari’ has stunning double flowers with pointed tips
Name : H. serrata‘Midoriboshi Temari ’
Size:3 to 4 groundwork grandiloquent and extensive
‘ Midoriboshi Temari ’ blooms with sterile dainty double florets around fertile interior flowers that can be blue or pink . The florets are striking , with pointed sepal . This hydrangea may not be as showy as others , but the multitude of its bantam flowers makes it a standout in the garden . It also has a nifty wine - cherry decline leafage colour . ‘ Midoriboshi Temari ’ is a midsize bush with 3- to 6 - inch - wide flowers and prefer fond shade .
Photo: Michelle Gervais
For a larger specimen, turn to ‘Grayswood’
Name : H. serrata‘Grayswood ’
Zones:5–9
Size:6 foot improbable and broad
Photo: millettephotomedia.com
‘ Grayswood ’ is one of the bigger mountain hydrangeas , and it has great heyday to cope with , which can be 6 to 8 inches wide . Its sterile peak come out white and surround fertile pinkish or depressed blossom . The outer blooms change from white to knock as they age , and then turn a crimson Red River as the season get on . In fall , the tips of the green folio turn a brownish red . ‘ Grayswood ’ prefers fond shade , and it flowers afterwards than other pot hydrangeas — around midsummer — with a prolonged time of year of bloom .
Let’s Dance Can Do!™ is a reblooming hybrid that combines the best of both worlds
Name : H. macrophylla×serrata‘SMNHSI ’
Size:3 to 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide-cut
It seems like a new hydrangea is introduced every other day . I ’ve become unbelieving in my tardy years , so it ’s been concentrated for me to get mad about a new cultivar . permit ’s Dance Can Do ! ™ just might change that . Most of the remontant , or reblooming , hydrangeas I ’ve see ordinarily produce only a little amount of new flower after the first bloom . But on this diverseness , I ’ve seen as many as 30 flowers on the rebloom of relatively young plants , all of which are 4 to 6 inch wide . This is a lacecap , but there are so many sterile floweret that it gives the appearance of a mophead . The result of a interbreeding between peck and bigleaf hydrangeas , it is passing large-minded of cold and prefer partial shade .
Photo: millettephotomedia.com
‘O Amacha Nishiki’ is known for its distinctive variegated foliage
Name : H. serrata‘O Amacha Nishiki ’
Size:4 feet tall and wide
If you are a sports fan of variegated foliage , you need to try this mixture . Above red stems , its leaves are green and speckled with some white and pink , which gives the foliage a silver cast . The scattered randomness of the variegation is very attractive . ‘ O Amacha Nishiki ’ has 3- to 6 - inch - wide flowers that are bloodless when they open but then turn blue or pinkish . The foliation turns scarlet in fall . Plant it in partial sun or light shade .
Photo: S&O/gapphotos.com
‘Blue Billow’ is a durable workhorse for sun or shade
Name : H. serrata‘Blue Billow ’
Size:4 feet tall and 5 animal foot wide
If you ’ve consistently had worry getting hydrangea to blossom in your one thousand , I highly recommend trying the ultrareliable ‘ Blue surge ’ . I have two planted in my yard — one in almost total shade and one in full sun . They both raise abundant blue blossom without fail every year , even in winters when the temperature has gotten as low-toned as – 12 ° F . In add-on to its long - lasting lacecap heyday , ‘ risque Billow ’ has gorgeous burgundy leaf in fall .
Photo: courtesy of Proven Winners Color Choice
Tuff Stuff™ lives up to its name
Name : H. serrata‘MAK20 ’
Introduced in 2012 , the aptly named Tuff Stuff ™ has testify to be a very reliable cultivar . It raise 6- to 7 - column inch - wide deep blue to purple flowers with the right stain ( above leftfield ) . you may grow it in full sun , but it prefers afternoon shade . Flowers come along in late summertime and age into shades of pinkish ( above decent ) . Autumn release the foliation a rich carmine color . Tuff Stuff ™ can also produce a small rebloom after its first flush fades .
Tiny Tuff Stuff™ packs a punch in a small package
Name : H. serrata‘MAKD ’
Size:1½ to 2 feet tall and wide
Tuff Stuff ™ is already modest , but Tiny Tuff Stuff ™ is even smaller , only growing 1½ to 2 feet tall and wide , although I have seen some grow a piddling larger . The leave are also narrower than those of Tuff Stuff ™ . The peak , which reach about 4 to 5 inches wide , are small , but Tiny Tuff Stuff ™ is much more floriferous . Like its parent , this variety show grows in full sunlight to fond shadiness . disconsolate flowers eld to maroon in crepuscle , with abstruse red fall foliage to match .
Photo: millettephotomedia.com
Understanding the anatomy of lacecap and mophead blooms
Florets are the little bloom that make up a composite prime principal , like those of hydrangeas . Fertile florets stop procreative parts , whereas sterile florets do not . The difference between lacecap and mophead hydrangea heyday is the ratio of fat to sterile floweret . The out florets on a lacecap are sterile and often have gaudy sepal ( modify , petal - like leaves ) . The interior , modest ones are productive . The showier mopheads are made up almost entirely of sterile floweret , with a few inconspicuous prolific ones unify in , which are often not visible . Many hydrangea metal money are capable of both type of blooms , ground on variety , but mountain hydrangea produce only lacecaps unless hybridize .
Lacecap
Mophead
When to prune hydrangeas depends on bud set
For many gardeners , pruning hydrangea can be a intimidating project . Knowing when your plant contour flower buds is the keystone to successful pruning and thus well flowering . I ca n’t count how often nurseryman have asked me why their hydrangeas do n’t flower . Often it ’s because the plants were trim at the wrong time .
For a more comprehensive look at pruning hydrangeas , click here .
Hydrangeas that bloom on old wood
There are two kinds of hydrangeas : those that flower on onetime forest and those that flower on fresh wood . Hydrangeas that bloom on old wood include most bigleaf , pile , oakleaf , and climbing hydrangea . They start to form buds in late summer and go down for the following time of year , and they bear their bud through wintertime . So pruning these plants after the buds are shape and anytime until they bloom the following summer will ensue in few flowers , and perhaps none . Even the reblooming hydrangeas carry bud from the previous year , so the same pruning advice apply to them . If I ask to prune sure-enough - wood hydrangeas to control height , I unremarkably do it at the goal of July or early in August . This gives the plant time to grow , var. bud , and temper off before winter . If you require to prune off dead wood in spring , I suggest you let the plant tell you what is alive or dead . Wait for the leaves to come forth in spring , then snip above the raw growth , remove any stems that show no signs of animation .
Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood
Hydrangeas that flower on young wood , such as panicle and quiet hydrangea , are the most cold - tolerant and reliable bloom manufacturer in theHydrangeagenus . These hydrangeas set buds and peak in the same season , so their buds stave off the peril of wintertime . fall or other fountain pruning will not affect flower production . It can be very difficult to tell whether your hydrangea bloom on one-time wood or new woodwind just by looking at it . It ’s adept to keep flora tags and know the species you ’re working with .
Bob Aube is the founder and co - owner of Morningstar Nurseries , a wholesale nursery in West Kingston , Rhode Island .
Sources
Photo: Bill Johnson
Many of the potpourri mention in this article are available for sales event or special order from local garden center . For those without local resource , the follow mail - order greenhouse may carry them :
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Hunter Industries MP-1000 - 90 Hunter honker
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Mountain hydrangea flower buds.Photo: courtesy of Bob Aube
Panicle hydrangea flower buds.Photo: Nadya So/Alamy Stock Photo
