Hydrangea arborescens (Smooth/Woodland)
HYDRANGEA SPRING CHORES – DO THIS, NOT THAT
The recent warm spring temps seem to be waking up the garden and gardeners. When it comes to hydrangea spring chores, however, there are things you should do. Most importantly, there are things you should NOT do. TOOLS Clean up your tools, especially anything you use for cutting (loppers, pruning shears, snips, handsaws, etc.). Wash…
Read MoreNEW HYDRANGEAS FOR 2025
Despite the warmer temps we are having, my Connecticut garden is still snow- and ice-covered: way too early to start any spring chores. But it’s not too early to dream about what’s to come. And the breeders and growers are obliging us with many new hydrangeas for 2025 to drool over. BIG LEAF (MACROPHYLLA) HYDRANGEAS…
Read MoreHYDRANGEA SPRING PRUNING
Thinking about hydrangea spring pruning? I know we all get itchy fingers right about now, but take a deep breath and refresh your pruning chops.
Read MoreHYDRANGEAS: WHAT KIND DO YOU HAVE
I am often asked to help someone identify what kind of hydrangea they have. Many people have plants that they inherited when they bought their home, or someone gave it to them, or they lost the tag, etc. You may wonder why this matters. It matters ‘cause in hydrangea-land you treat different kinds of hydrangeas…
Read MoreDEADHEADING HYDRANGEAS: THE DETAILS
This is the time of year when many gardeners wonder about deadheading their hydrangeas. Like everything else about this shrub, what you do depends on the type of hydrangea you have and what you want to achieve. Let’s dig down into the details.
Read MoreHYDRANGEA PRUNING IN LATE WINTER
Thinking about hydrangea pruning in later winter? I know we all get itchy fingers about now, but take a deep breath and step back.
Read MoreNEW HYDRANGEAS, PART 3
My last two posts covered several new hydrangeas you are likely to meet this year. Here is part 3 with details on a few more. I also provide some links: one is for a new study on woodland/smooth hydrangeas that you may find useful. The second link will take you to an excellent article on…
Read MoreTransplanting Hydrangeas in Autumn
Autumn is the best time for transplanting your hydrangeas (that means now), unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere.
Read MoreBEAUTIFUL LATE SEASON HYDRANGEAS
You have probably heard hydrangeas described as having a beautiful “antique” season of color, the late season. In most cases, the plants being discussed are big leaf (macrophylla) and mountain (serrata) hydrangeas. But don’t discount the oakleaf (quercifolia) and woodland/smooth (arborescens) hydrangeas. Their flowers also change into other colors. More about them later…
Read MoreHYDRANGEA PRUNING
My apologies for being absent for so long. I have been working on a new hydrangea book about pruning to the exclusion of just about everything else. But I am seeing lots of questions in a variety of formats asking about hydrangea pruning. Clearly, it’s time to open the hydrangea pruning discussion for 2021.
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