Can hydrangeas grow in full sun?
Absolutely! Whether your garden bed is in full sun, partial sun/shade, or full shade, there is a hydrangea out there for you. Some great full sun options would be most panicle hydrangeas including: limelight hydrangea, little lime hydrangea, vanilla strawberry hydrangea, quickfire hydrangea, bobo hydrea, and pinky winky hydrangea. Hydrangeas are not considered drought tolerant, however. Make sure your hydrangeas are watered properly at establishment and during dry periods, and apply a layer of mulch or groundcover plantings to help retain soil moisture.
Which hydrangeas bloom on new wood?
Smooth hydrangeas and panicle hydrangeas. “New wood” means that the flowers emerge on stems that grew during the current season.
When should hydrangeas be pruned?
The best time to prune your hydrangea depends on if it blooms on new or old wood. Panicle and smooth hydrangeas (which bloom on new wood) should be pruned late winter/early summer before the new growth emerges. Most bigleaf and oakleaf hydrangeas should be pruned after they flower, if necessary. A great option would be to leave the spent flower heads over winter, but deadheading the spent flowers instead of giving your plant a heavy pruning each year if it doesn't need reshaping.
How large will hydrangeas get?
Size will depend on which specific cultivar. This can vary from 1-3 feet to over 10’ tall. Dwarf Hydrangeas include Bobo, Little Lime, and Little Quickfire. Most smooth hydrangeas stay in the 3-5’ range, and larger panicle hydrangeas can get 6-10’ tall. When selecting which hydrangea to plant, it is important to look at the mature size, not what size the plant is at the garden center. Hydrangeas will quickly grow to maturity, and you don't want your shrubs to outgrow their location, especially if used for a foundation planting. A few examples include:
|
VARIETY |
MATURE HEIGHT |
MATURE WIDTH |
FLOWER COLOR |
|
Bobo |
3’ |
3-4’ |
White → Pink |
|
Little Lime |
3-5’ |
3-5’ |
Lime→White→Pink |
|
Endless Summer |
3-5’ |
3-5’ |
Blue, Pink, or Purple |
|
Annabelle |
3-5’ |
4-6’ |
White → Green |
|
Incrediball |
5’ |
6’ |
White → Pink |
|
Limelight |
6-8’ |
6-8’ |
Lime→White→Pink |
|
Quickfire |
6-8’ |
6-8’ |
White → Pink |
|
Vanilla Strawberry |
6-8’ |
5’ |
White → Strawberry Pink |
|
Pinky Winky |
6-8’ |
6-8’ |
White → Pink→ Deep Pink |
|
PeeGee |
12-18’ |
8’ |
White → Pink/Bronze |
Which hydrangeas are the most cold hardy?
The best hydrangeas to withstand harsh winters would be smooth or panicle hydrangeas. Smooth hydrangeas are often cold hardy to zone 3, and panicle hydrangeas to zones 3 or 4. .
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