Blooming White Hydrangeas and Other Lush Plantings
There's always something beautiful blooming at my farm - this time of year, it's the big, white hydrangeas.
I love hydrangeas and have been growing them for a long time. Hydrangeas are popular ornamental plants, grown for their large flower heads, which are excellent in cut arrangements and for drying. I have lots of hydrangeas growing in a border located across from my vegetable garden and chicken coops. I also have hydrangeas blooming on one side of my tennis court - the flowers are so big, they can be seen from the carriage road. Nearby, I also have a variety of lush plants and trees that are also looking so spectacular this year - the Styrax japonicus, the Osage orange, the hostas, and the crepe myrtles.
Enjoy these photos.
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- It’s hard to pass by these stunning white flower heads and not stop to admire their beauty. Hydrangea is a genus of at least 70-species of flowering plants native to southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. The Hydrangea “flower” is really a cluster of flowers called a corymb.
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- From a distance, one can see all the stunning white hydrangeas growing behind my tennis court. I started planting hydrangea shrubs many years ago and they’ve always bloomed so profusely from year to year.
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- The name hydrangea originates from two Greek words – “hydro” meaning “water” and “angeion” meaning “vessel” or “container.” Together, the rough translation is “water vessel” which refers to their exceptional thirst for water.
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- Most hydrangeas are shrubs, but some are small trees. They can be either deciduous or evergreen, though the widely cultivated temperate species are all deciduous.
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- Hydrangeas are long-lived, and extremely vigorous specimens that offer lavish and varied blooms.
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- In general, mophead and lacecap leaves are relatively thick and crisp, shiny, and often heart-shaped. They range in size from four to six inches long by three to five inches wide.
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- Here is a hydrangea that blooms with lovely lacecaps. The lacecap is very similar to the mophead, but instead of growing round clusters of showy blossoms, this hydrangea grows flowers that resemble flat caps with frilly edges.
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- Panicle hydrangeas are known for their cone shaped flower heads. These large blooms typically start white and may turn a slight pink. All the paniculatas are very cold hardy.
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- Other plants growing in this area include the crepe myrtle. Lagerstroemia, commonly known as crape myrtle, is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia, and other parts of Oceania.
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- Here’s a white crepe myrtle. Crepe myrtles range in size from dwarf, growing less than three feet tall, to several that reach upwards of 30 feet. They also come in many different colors, including white, lilac, and purple, many shades of pink and different shades of red.
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- Here is a medium pink variety. Crapes love the sun and are extremely heat tolerant. They should be planted in an area with at least six hours of sunlight per day. Some partial shade during the day is fine, but may result in fewer blooms – more sun, more blooms. They aren’t picky about their soil, but also prefer good drainage.
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- You probably recognize this – it’s pachysandra. Also known as Japanese spurge, this easy-to-grow plant reaches less than a foot tall and spreads quickly via underground roots. Pachysandra flowers with tiny white blooms every spring, but the plant’s evergreen, dark leaves that grow in whorls around their stems make it very popular in gardens.
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- Flanking both sides of the narrow road to the tennis court are these Styrax japonicus ‘Marley’s Pink Parasol’ Japanese Snowbells. These bloom in early summer with lustrous pink flowers and sweet, cotton candy fragrance.
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- White bell-shaped flowers cover the tight form from early spring through summer. The deciduous dark green leaves turn gold in the fall before dropping off. This tree is low maintenance and pest and disease resistant. It grows in full sun to part shade and enjoys moist, well-drained soil.
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- Behind the Styrax japonicus ‘Marley’s Pink Parasol’ Japanese Snowbells on both sides are Styrax japonicus ‘Evening Light’ – purple trees with fragrant, white, bell-shaped flowers.
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- The leaves are alternate, simple, broad-elliptic to elliptic oblong, and about three inches long.
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- Nearby is a row of Osage orange trees. These trees have grown so much over the years. The Osage orange, Macular pomifera, is more commonly known as a hedge apple, bow wood, or bodark.
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- And just in front of the tennis court is one of the many apple trees growing here at the farm. This one is a crew favorite with its juicy, tart green apples.
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- Hosta plants flower in summer, offering spikes of blossoms that look like lilies, in shades of lavender or white. The bell-shaped blooms can be showy and exceptionally fragrant, attracting hummingbirds and bees. Hundreds of hosta plants are growing in a bed just down the road from the tennis court.
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- Hostas love shade, so these are planted under a grove of dawn redwoods, Metasequoia. This variety is called ‘Francee’ with dark green, heart-shaped leaves and narrow, white margins. A vigorous grower, this hosta blooms in mid to late summer.
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- In all, about 700 hostas in a variety of cultivars including ‘Wide Brim,’ ‘Francee,’ ‘Regal Splendor,’ ‘Elegans,’ and ‘Blue Angel’ are growing here in this bed. Everything is looking so green this season. What plants are looking lush in your gardens? Share your comments with me below.
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