Hydrangeas belong to the plant family Hydrangeaceae. The varieties have names like Mopheads, Lacecaps, Oakleaf, and PeeGee. I spent some time reading the information offered on a site called Pete's Hydrangeas. Boy, there's more to Hydrangea culture than I ever imagined. One reason this site this great for novices is this gardener provides a first-person history on his passion for hydrangeas. He offers some photos of his plants and tells a delightful story about how he got started with hydrangeas. The zone he lives in is 7b and that covers parts of northern Florida. Another good source for botanical information on hydrangeas is the University of Vermont Hydrangea Page.
Hydrangeas as Shrub
As I mentioned, this is a marvelous shrub to raise. Because they like shade, Hydrangeas are excellent for the northern part of your garden or under a leafy canopy. The brightly colored flowers will brighten the area. Plant them with other shade-loving plants like hosta and impatiens. One caution: be aware of the PH of the soil that your hydrangeas are enjoying. If it's too high or low you run the risk of damaging other plants nearby. As always choose companion plants that will thrive in similar conditions. If you want blue-toned hydrangeas, be sure your soil is more acidic; pink-toned hydrangeas come from soil that's more alkaline. Once again, the University of Florida's Master Gardener Notebook has an excellent resource on Soil pH which even explains what you need to alter the pH of your soil.
The Fanciful Names
Hydrangeas are divided into many species. The four most common are: macrophylla, arborescens, paniculata, and quercifolia. H. arborescens is called the "smooth hydrangea". Michigan State University offers a concise breakdown of the attributes of this particular variety of hydrangea.
H. macrophylla, or "French hydrangea" is usually the shrub people think of when hydrangeas are mentioned. Floridata provides details about this variety.
H. paniculata is also called "PeeGee" which stands for H. paniculata Grandiflora. This variety of hydrangea takes a more tree-form shape and can reach heights of 10' or more.
H. quercifolia is also known as the "oak leaf hydrangea". A gentleman named Michael A. Dirr has compiled some amazing facts and photos about the Oak Leaf Hydrangea. He provides information on suggested growing conditions and pests. What I found especially helpful were the photos of what the shrub looks like at various stages of development. This is very handy for me because I have a tendency to lop off new growth on plants by accident!
Go To Page: 1 2
