The hydrangea is a beautiful, deciduous flowering shrub. It is the abundance of long-lasting blooms that make it a popular choice for many local landscapes.
When I first moved to Prince George in 1980 the only hydrangea that was hardy enough for our Zone 3 climate was the late-blooming 'PeeGee' hydrangea. Now, 35 years later, the list of hardy hydrangeas has greatly expanded. We will have more than 25 different varieties available at the garden centres this season.
There are varieties that bloom early such as Quick Fire and the new Little Quick Fire (paniculata type). They will bloom a month earlier than other varieties. Both of these have colourful flowers that change from white to pink as they mature. Little Quick Fire's size is ideal for smaller-sized landscapes as it only grows 90 centimetres to 1.5 metres tall and wide, while Quick Fire can reach sizes of 1.8 to 2.5m.
FireLight paniculata is another new variety ideal for smaller-sized yards. The flower heads grow upright on thick, sturdy stems and change from white to pomegranate pink as they mature.
Confetti will give you summer-long blooms that are slightly scented and airy. They begin white and mature to a soft pink. This small-sized compact plant is ideal for summer containers.
Plants cannot over-winter in containers. The container needs to be brought into a space that is just above freezing, or the hydrangea needs to be taken out of the container in the fall and planted in the landscape in order to survive the winter.
Another option for small-sized yards is the new variety Baby Lace that only grows 1m tall and wide and is covered in petite, lacy white blooms.
A great contrast to Baby Lace is Diamant Rouge (80 to 120cm), which claims to have the reddest blooms of all the hydrangeas. Flowers start as white and mature into a purple/red by the end of the season.
For the larger landscape there are the new Zinfin Doll and Phantom varieties that will grow 1.8 to 2.5m tall and wide. Phantom's blooms start off slightly green, turn white and mature to pink. Zinfin blooms start as white and turn bright pink from the bottom up, creating a beautiful look, and mature to dark pink by the end of the season.
Hydrangeas are easy to grow and rarely bothered by pests or disease. They should be planted in a moist, well-drained soil that is slightly acidic. Plant them in a sunny location, but they will tolerate some shade. It is important to keep them well-watered, especially during the first year after being planted as they do not tolerate drought.
Hydrangeas are a low maintenance shrub. Both the arborescens and paniculata types (hardy types for our Zone 3 area) bloom on new wood and so they are pruned in the spring when the buds begin to swell. A nice feature about a flowering shrub that blooms on new wood is that the plant can be severely cut back in the spring and will produce new stems full of new blooms that same summer. It is recommended that every few years the oldest stems are removed to rejuvenate new growth.
Hydrangeas can add year-round interest to the landscape by leaving the finished flowers on the plant for the fall and winter months.
During the summer, the plant adds beautiful long lasting colour.
