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Home , Hydrangea, Hydrangeaceae, Hydrangea arborescens, Hydrangea aspera, Hydrangea macrophylla, Hydrangea paniculata

Feature Article Managing in the Delaware Valley By Michael Bowell

olks who visit my garden in native to Japan) were at the FMalvern (Charlestown Twp), Chester Jersey Shore and or as potted County, PA, know that I love and flowering on Easter and grow several and Mother’s Day, complete with of . I enjoy them for their foiled pots. I remember the varied colors and forms and often drive through Margate City use them as cut and branches when the hydrangeas were at for weddings, party work, and vases. their July peak in the central We also dry them to use in fall and traffic islands of the main winter arrangements for our Create A thoroughfare, and abutting the Scene clients, frequently embellishing guesthouses of Ocean City photo ©Simple their faded blossoms with floral paint ‘Limelight’ flowering in and Cape May, NJ. Like many matching their original colors. At early August. The green open to white folks, I also recall hydrangeas Christmas, we spray some with gold and eventually color up to shades of pink , green planted from those foiled holi- paint for decorating mantles, wreaths, and burgundy in late summer, persisting well day pots growing to great size and , or as I say, “We grow past frost. They are available in both and in our gardens, with their vigor- standard form. ‘em, guild ‘em, and sell them to the ous green growth and sparse goyem!” next, followed by the arborescens and flowering, foiling our dreams I am frequenty asked for advice macrophylla types in the garden, and of -laden . It made no about their care, from pruning to color finally thepaniculata cultivars, which sense to me at that time, but I learned change, and for the most reliable vari- last through October. If you count later that those plants were potted up eties for the Delaware Valley. macrocephalum1 (Chinese in the greenhouse and, like the plants Hydrangeas, at least the four Snowball Viburnum), which many we carry over in the cold frames each major groups discussed in this article, think of as hydrangea, I have hydran- winter, had already gone through a generally begin their show here in late gea-like flowers from April through period of dormancy. They are destined May when the containerized hydran- October, and dried flowers through the to flower when they break dormancy geas (all macrophylla types that have winter holiday season and beyond. as the weather warms and the days been protected in cold frames over Like most locals, my first memo- grow longer. winter) commence flowering.The ries of hydrangea (Hydrangea macro- Many of the cultivars that are used oakleaf (quercifolia) varieties are phylla, aka the mophead hydrangeas, in hothouse production are bred for flower size, style, and color and are Michael's Tips for Painting 1 Be wary of the confusion of common not reliably winter hardy in our gar- Use floral paint, many colors available at names...hydrangea and viburnum are both dens. Their wood dies to the ground craft stores. shrubs. The snowball hydran- in our winters, which are more severe gea () belongs to Dip in paint if trying to highlight edges. than the coast and its beaches. Al- the family, while Spray outdoors, be sure flower surface is though they recover quickly from their dry. the Chinese snowball viburnum (Vibur- base each spring, the older wood from Use multiple colors and layers for a more num macrocephalum) and the Japanese natural effect, start with green or blue, then snowball viburnum () the previous season is gone, along softly highlight with cranberry, pink, or bur- are in the (formerly classified with all of the current season’s flower gundy. Experiment! in ). buds. Even if the winter is mild, a late Vol. 27, No. 3 Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group 3 cold snap, with temperatures dipping temperatures of about 26ºF or less. below the mid-20sºF, can kill actively The 8' deer fence and four dogs deter growing woody stems or damage their Bambi. Vigorous, well established burgeoning buds. Shy blooming might plants overwinter better than the newly also be caused by the gardener who planted. Varieties such as ‘Penny Mac’ tidies up the garden, removing all of tend to give some flowers on newer the bare (but budded) wood in fall or wood and the Endless Summer® brand spring cleanups. Also, the deer love of hydrangea flowers on old and new them and they might chew the canes to wood, especially after they have been the point that the buds are destroyed. established for three or four years. Do Again, no flowers are produced. be patient with varieties such as End- less Summer® and ‘Big Daddy’

as they definitely just get better photo ©Linda Guy ® and better with age. Hydrangea Magical Ruby Red Michael's Personal Favorites (Bigleaf Hydrangea) comes in Hydrangea macrophylla—blue to pink white and also in shades from flowers, pH dependent, salt tolerant. rich pink to purples, mauves, ‘Penny Mac’—blue to pink flowers, reli- and blues. The colored forms able, medium-sized flowers, reblooming. Endless Summer®—medium flowers, can be altered by soil pH and extremely reliable, reblooming. aluminum levels in the soil. The ‘Big Daddy’—large flowers, reliable whites mostly turn to greens or bloomer, long lasting. age to soft pinks and greens and ‘Lemon Daddy’—tends to pink, me- photo ©Simple dium flowers, chartreuse foliage. Hydrangea paniculata standards give a can only be changed with floral ‘Nikko Blue’—medium flowers, reliable. freshness to the late summer garden. paint directly sprayed onto the ‘Tokyo Delight’—blue and white lacecap. blossoms. We have many times Hydrangea arborescens—mostly green To encourage these types of embellished fading blooms in the buds to white flowers, aging to green, salt Hydrangea macrophylla to flower garden with floral paint, especially for tolerant. ‘Annabelle’—old favorite, reliable, col- well, you can start by planting hardier garden parties, just as we do with the onizer, excellent for drying. varieties (see sidebar) that withstand fading blooms of giant alliums in late Incrediball®—large upright flowers, ex- our winters. Pruning before mid-July, June or the white flowers ofViburnum cellent for drying. Invincibelle® Spirit—pink flowers, re- and then not again until after flowering macrocephalum, which make for early bloomer. the following season, will ensure that ‘hydrangea-like’ pink or blue flowers —excellent in the canes go into the winter as viable, in April and May, well before the mop- shade, great for drying, fall color, exfoliat- budded wood. Planting them out of the heads bloom. Lacecap hydrangeas can ing cinnamon bark. I like the species more way of the cold and dessicating north than most of the selections, widespreading be treated in the same manner to adjust and open habit. and west winds; using antidessicants, color with pH and aluminum levels. ® Hydrangea paniculata—mostly whites such as WILT-PRUF ; covering stems For pink hydrangeas, maintain the fading to green with pink touches, sun in- with Reemay®, burlap, or even sheets pH at 6.0 to 6.2. Raising the pH to tensifies color. in early spring, to protect emerging about 6.5 produces the most pink but ‘Tardiva’—large and open growing, shade tolerant, excellent for drying. buds from late freezes; and guard- avoid raising pH above 6.5 because ‘Limelight’—lime green aging to white, ing against deer with sprays or other iron deficiency can be a problem. Fer- then pink, reliable. repellants can all help to give you a ‘Phantom’—huge flowers, ivory to white tilizers relatively high in phosphorus ® good crop of flowers. Since I live on Quick Fire —earlier bloomer, white ag- (the middle number) help to produce ing to deep pink. the north side of a hill (plants there are stronger pinks. First Editions® Vanilla Strawberry™— less likely to out early) and most Blue hydrangeas require a pH huge flowers, white to rose to bright rose. of my garden is protected from the under 6.0, the bluest at 5.2 to 5.5. Best —climbing (cling- west and north winds, that me fertilizers include aluminum sulfate to ing) woody to 60' in my woodlands, white lacy flowers. with just deer and late spring freezes. raise the level of aluminum and lower ® Villosa Group—tall I use Reemay to cover plants if the the pH. Adding organic matter also shrub to small , lavender and white buds have emerged and are grow- lowers the pH. Fertilizers relatively lacecap flowers, best in shade and- pro ing, and we are expecting freezing high in potassium (last number in tected areas. Native to . 4 Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group May 2013 fertilizer ratio) and low in phosphorus H. quercifolia (both native to North range from clear whites overall aging are recommended. America) have traditionally been to pinks and burgundies. Overall plant I have naturally occurring acidic white or shades of green, frequently size, summer foliage color, and fall soil and a wood- with pink and color are also variable and worth not- land setting. burgundy ing. I rarely fertil- highlights Both Hydrangea arborescens (cul- ize, but I do use that intensify tivar ‘Annabelle’ is an old time favor- ample compost with the age ite, recently upstaged by the large and and pine straw of the flow- less floppy Incrediball®) and Hydran- as mulch. Com- ers. The new- gea paniculata flower on new wood post helps in est varieties and thus can be pruned in autumn or maintaining soil include pinks spring. Hydrangea paniculata ‘Gran- moisture and and burgun- diflora’ (Pee Gee Hydrangea) sports leads to vibrant, dies. fully sterile snowball-type flowers that

vigorous plants. photo ©Simple The can be quite floppy due to the size of Irrigation dur- Hydrangea arborescens faithfully flowers for the many cul- its . Pinching helps to ing prolonged Fourth of July. This is a lacecap type that has tivars of produce a more upright flowering on both sterile and fertile flowers. It suckers freely drought also from its base. Hydrangea shorter branches. H. p. ‘Tardiva’ has keeps hydran- quercifolia both sterile and fertile flowers that are geas looking fresh. Part shade, espe- (Oakleaf Hydrangea), like H. macro- lighter in weight and therefore less cially afternoon shade, helps to main- phylla, flower on old wood only in late floppy. We pinchH. paniculata varie- tain color and avoid scorching during May through June, ties to encourage hot, dry weather. Garden selections of their flowers aging Michael's Tips for Cutting branching, but stop Sharp shears, early morning or evening, H. macrophylla have been made for gracefully and last- plunge directly into water as you cut. by July 4 to ensure overall plant size, flower size, and, ing until fall. They Wilting flowers can be revived with a fresh a good late sum- of course, color. Forms vary from the are reliably winter cut under water. mer show. Most of partially fertile lacecap types to fully hardy but are deer Mopheads should have most foliage re- the exciting new sterile, giant flowers. bait, lessening the moved to retain moisture. cultivars are com- Basically, all hydrangeas are amount of spring Plunging in boiling water for 30 seconds ing from this last can revive freshly recut stems—although I happy in part shade, especially the flowers. Oakleaf have rarely needed to resort to this. group of hydran- mopheads and oakleaf types. Hydran- hydrangea also fall geas, notably bred gea arborescens and H. paniculata prey to mistimed pruning and should for their flower size, color, and form, types can tolerate shade but are flower- not be pruned after July 1 in our area. to market in the cut flower trade. Since producing machines when given ample There are many selections of oakleaf they are fully winter hardy and flower amounts of sun and soil moisture. All hydrangea, most notably for flower reliably, these are the plants to search other hydrangeas including H. pan- size, shape, and stance. Flower colors out in your local nurseries. iculata (native to Asia) and its many Some more recent varieties cultivars, and H. arborescens and include First Editions® Vanilla Straw- ™, Quick Fire®, and Bloomtas- tic!™ Fire and Ice, all starting as white and maturing to shades of rose, deep pink, and burgundy reds. ‘Phantom’ progresses from white to creamy whites and yellow. Hold your breath for newly introduced Hydrangea paniculata Magical Candle™ from the breeding program of Peter Kolster of Boskoop, Holland. Peter, a third gen- eration nurseryman, has been breeding woody ornamentals for the European photo ©Linda Guy photo ©Linda Guy ™ Hydrangea paniculata Magical Candle Hydrangea paniculata Magical cut flower trade that includeHyperi - Candle™ , mature color cum spp., Ilex verticillata (Winterberry Vol. 27, No. 3 Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group 5 chine with wonderful substance, which seems to be in flower from June to a hard freeze. Hydrangea Everlasting™ Revolution, the leader of this new race of plants offered under the Everlasting™ brand, has been introduced in the US by Plants Nouveau, special-

photo ©Linda Guy ists in seeking out new plants for ® Hydrangea Magical Sunfields , early the US market. Stay tuned to hydrangeas photo ©Simple and keep those spray paints Hydrangea quercifolia blooms creamy white ready! in late May through June before coloring to greens & pinks.The dried flowers remain for the season and are accented by burgundy fall color. Michael Bowell, a New Jersey native and Rutgers graduate (’78), gardens with his partner Simple and four dogs on a wooded Michael's Gotta Have It Next hillside in Chester County, PA. He started his Selling at retail starting in 2014 and 2015:

photo ©Linda Guy garden business, Create a Scene, in 1986. Hydrangea macrophylla from the Everlast- ™ Hydrangea Magical Sunfields®, late Michael enjoys writing about his own gardening ing Series. experiences from orchids to container gardens, Coral, Amethyst—both can be treated to Holly), and Symphoricarpos spp. and regularly presents to garden clubs, be blue or pink. arboreta, etc. He is an accredited American (Snowberry), all berried branches used Garnet, Harmony, Jade, Noblesse and in flower bouquets. Kolster’s company Orchid Society judge and specializes in Ocean—all remontant varieties. epiphytic plants. has also been breeding Hydrangea Revolution—a compact, everblooming Author's Note: Special thanks to Linda Guy for photo machine with ‘everlasting’ flowers macrophylla in brilliant colors and use and for information on hydrangea history and the newest breeding. She and Angela Treadwell are the with flowers of such great substance force behind Plants Nouveau. that they can last for many months in An excellent source of information for hydrangeas and pristine condition. Next up for us from their care is at www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com. Editor's Note: For a full-color version of this article, go Kolster is a phenomenol remontant to the HPS/MAG web site, www.hardyplant.org. (reblooming) H. macrophylla variety, an incredible improvement over End- Brilliant color less Summer®, that is a blooming ma- & a compact rebloomer, for garden or containers— Hydrangea Everlasting™ Revolution is an upcoming Kolster introduction to photo ©Linda Guy photo ©Linda Guy watch for. photo ©Linda Guy photo ©Linda Guy Hydrangea macrophylla 'Hokomarevo' Everlasting™ Revolution PP#22260 6 Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group May 2013