My Hydrangea Border
Are the hydrangeas blooming where you are? Here at the farm, my hydrangeas are putting on quite a show.
My hydrangea border is located down the carriage road from my tropical hoop houses and across from my chicken coops. It is home to a selection of colorful hydrangeas including mature mopheads transplanted from my former Lily Pond home in East Hampton. Over the years, I've added several more hydrangea varieties and other plantings, such as irises, ligularia, phlox, Aruncus, Euonymus, catnip, and more. And earlier this week, I added Hydrangea 'Twist-n-Shout' a reblooming lacecap variety of the Endless Summer series of bigleaf hydrangeas and Hydrangea 'Eclipse®,' a dark-leaved Bigleaf Hydrangea from First Editions.
Enjoy these photos.
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- My hydrangeas thrive in this border. Hydrangeas are one of the most popular ornamental garden plants because of their large spherical bloom heads that come in shades of pink, purple, and blue.
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- I love hydrangeas and have been collecting them for quite a long time. Hydrangea is a genus of at least 70-species of flowering plants native to southern and eastern Asia and the Americas. By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia, notably China, Japan, and Korea.
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- Hydrangeas are long-lived, and extremely vigorous specimens that offer lavish and varied blooms. The most common garden hydrangea shrub is the bigleaf mophead variety, Hydrangea macrophylla. 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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- The secret to the hydrangea’s color is in the soil, or more specifically, the soil’s pH level. Adjusting the measure of acidity or alkalinity in the soil can influence the color of the hydrangea blossoms. Acidic soils tend to deepen blue shades, while alkaline environments tend to brighten pinks. The Hydrangea “flower” is really a cluster of flowers called a corymb.
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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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- In addition to the mopheads, there are also hydrangeas that bloom in lovely lacecaps in this garden.
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- 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 more cone shaped flower heads. This is a dwarf Little Lime® Panicle Hydrangea shrub, loved for its light green summer flowers that transition to pink in the fall.
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- Most hydrangea leaves are relatively thick, somewhat shiny, and often heart-shaped with coarsely toothed edges.
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- Recently, we received a selection of pretty hydrangea varieties from First Edition and Endless Summer.
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- Here’s Ryan holding a potted Hydrangea ‘Twist-n-Shout’ – a lacecap variety from the Endless Summer bigleaf hydrangea series. This variety features deep pink or periwinkle blue flowers
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- Ryan places the pots where they should be planted – for these, about three to four feet apart. Always consider the mature size of a plant when selecting where to put it.
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- This is Hydrangea ‘Eclipse®,’ a dark-leaved Bigleaf Hydrangea from First Editions.
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- This variety is a true dark-leaf mophead hydrangea. It has intense, dark purple leaves that hold their color, even in warmer climates.
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- Its blooms are bold cranberry or amethyst depending on the soil ph.
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- Sod is removed from the areas to be planted.
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- Holes are dug about twice the size of the original pots.
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- Fertilizer is sprinkled into the hole and the surrounding soil.
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- As with all our transplants, the root ball is teased before planting. Here, the soil is soft, so Chhiring uses his hands to scarify the roots and stimulate growth.
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- In the ground, the plant should sit at the same depth it was in the pot. All these hydrangeas will flourish in this garden and make nice additions to the beds. How are your hydrangeas this year?
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