I’m baffled! I had no idea people didn’t like hydrangeas! I’ve loved them since I was a little girl, they remind me of my nan’s Devonshire garden. Just beautiful.
I have over 20 hydrangeas, and I love them! They have survived total neglect when my children were babies and I had no time to garden, being chewed almost to the ground by rabbits and our incredibly harsh (-40C) Canadian winters. They come back reliably and look amazing every year. Thanks for another great video ☺️
You just need to know the category of hydrangea you have, then you will know how and when to prune. There are many videos on youtube on the subject. If you are not sure, just don’t prune and you will be safe.
One of mine has yarrow and lavendar around it and it's leaves look perfect, the hydrangea across the lawn has no yarrow or lavender near and is getting sadly bug eaten. A real eye opener for me on useful insects. So appreciate your videos and referrals. Very helpful in getting a handle on my rather overwhelming yard and garden!
Yes! Thank you, love these big beautiful flower heads and generous fo,image with good colour. Thank you for the fight back against the hydrangea snobs.
It lives 50 years and had more flowers than leaves! They are a bargain considering other plants that put on a great show suffer in lifespan for the energy they put in to it, I'm looking at you Gaillardia. 6 years is a good return a lot of the time.
Just setting up a new garden. I put two white ones in my all green and white area, two in large pots by the conservatory door. And two cuttings that I took from a friend's plant that are doing well. I did not know about Hydrangea being unpopular, I chose them because they have so much to offer. I choose plants, like good friends, I am happy to see every day and the hydrangea I am very happy to share a morning coffee with. Thank you Alexandra always lovely to hear your enthusiasm.
I love hydrangeas, especially lace caps....we have a huge one entwined with an old apple tree...not the best spot, but impossible to move it! So we just enjoy it!
I've always liked them. My first ever job was sharing a free paper round with my friend, when I was about 12, the type where you have to deliver to every house. I remember there was one front garden on my route, that rather than have the typical lawn, was completely full of large Hydrangeas, with a small paved area. It looked fantastic and I must have took notice because I knew my grandparents had one of these plants in their garden so I asked them what it was, and told them about this garden that was full of them. You are right about them offering so much colour for so long, I think local councils, supermarket car parks, business parks etc should plant them, instead of the drab bushes landscapers always seem to use.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden So true! Perfect example where I live there was two large, healthy Elder bushes near steps down to the river, so lovely in flower and full of berries for birds in autumn. Then one day last year a great big empty space and two freshly chainsawed tree stumps.
Loved this.! Here in the States I'm not sure there's a garden around me that doesn't have at least one. Mine, 4 now with a few more planned. We had a terribly cold winter several yrs ago, very uncommon here on Maryland's eastern shore, one didn't bloom at all that spring/summer, 1 huge bloom the following yr and the same since. I chopped it almost to the ground planning to replace it last yr, never got around to it, this yr, some 4 - 5 yrs later it's loaded. Really enjoyed watching this, Thanks for sharing about the book too.
Same here on the eastern seaboard of Australia! So glad you didn’t dig it up, and that you have enjoyed your blooms!! 😊. Hydrangeas benefit from pruning at the end of winter, be sure only to prune stems that have NOT flowered, and prune the stems that have flowered to 2 plump eyes or leaf buds and you will be rewarded with more blooms! Good wishes 😊 🇦🇺
I can't imagine a garden without a hydrangea. I have nine at present and will plant more in the fall. I am gardening in Tennessee and our southern summers are very hot. Our Pyrenees love to lay under the hydrangeas during the hottest part of summer. I thoroughly enjoy your garden videos.
Hi Alexandra. Iv just bought two hydrangeas! For years I didn't really want them in y garden, but doing a bit of research I found that they like shade, which I have quite a lot of in my garden from a giant walnut tree. I am quite excited now to receive them! Loving your YT channel. It's always so informative. Take care
Great post! Very informative. Like lace-cap macrophylla, here in the states, our "wild hydrangea" (the pure species of Hydrangea arborescens) have few to none of the showy bracts and the flowers are fertile and extremely pollen rich. Sadly most of the nurseries don't stock the pure species as most customers are looking for the big impact of Incrediball, etc. I planted three of the pure species after seeing them positively covered in bees at some of the local nature reserves / habitat reconstruction sites and they are thriving in the shade of the two mature oaks and two massive pines we have in our backyard.
Thank you as the information provided is new and I appreciate understanding how the various plants interact with nature and the environment. 🌸🇨🇦 I love hydrangeas and started a small collection of the various types.
Love Hydrangeas. I live in Suffolk UK and they do really well for me. Need loads of water, esp in the first few years to get established, I have also managed to turn one of them blue. It was bought blue and grown as a house plant, then the following year planted out with LOADS of Hydrangea coulorant added. Hey presto - result! Thanks for such an interesting You Tube channel!
I’m in the process of getting all types except for the climbing. I’m one purchase away from reaching my goal. My most recent purchase has been an Little Honey Oakleaf. ❤️ hydrangeas.
Lovely video. I always thought of Hydrangeas as a bit 'common or garden' but now having grown a couple myself, I have totally changed my mind. They are strong and sturdy plants. Very interesting.
I think you are correct in saying that hydrangeas are having a moment, a real comeback. It is easy to find mopheads here in Spain but not so easy to find ones that bloom on new wood or sun resistant ones. Very informative video Alexandra.
I was a little surprised--I don't know of anyone here in America that I've ever heard hate hydrangeas! I've lived in the north & now down in the southern US, & I'm 66, so I've heard a bit of flower opinions. Perhaps it's just an English thing? Anyway I learned so much as usual, thank you!
I have always loved hydrangeas and have several varieties, mostly in pots, in which they do very well. Their showy flower heads bring a lot of colour to the garden, and I love their bare winter stems! Thank you for your video and I hope more English gardeners find a place for one ...or more in their gardens. Oh and by the way, they are so easy to propagate from cuttings....so a lovely plant to share! From another gardener “down under” 🇦🇺💖🇦🇺
I live in Virginia and hydrangeas are my favorite. The video was very good; beautiful pictures. I did notice your sweater-it is 102 degrees with the humidity right now. Too hot for being in the garden.
I remember as a child not liking hydrangeas! Now I’ve got 2 climbing ones, 1 in a pot and 2 others in the garden. I love them as they are so forgiving and disease resistant. I’m getting a Little Lime to go in a shady spot too and Ayesha is on my list with its lilac like flowers. I’m a convert!! 😊
🌻Hello Alexandra, very good Video again. Very well explaint. I like my Hydrangias a lot, they are in pots at the Moment and because we have had late frost in the Münsterland in germany, where I live, I lost most of the flowers this year. But there is next year, so its ok. I do like to use the flowers for Arrangements and decorations. And I do think there is a Place for every flower and plant. Not ererybody has to like the same, that would be boring. Different minds bring different wonderful looks on what can be done in gardens. 🌻 take care till next week. 👍
I so enjoy your videos, even though we are in a completely different climate. I live on a small, limestone island called Gasparee, 10 degrees north of the Equator. We have two seasons, six months each: wet and dry. Our plants may be quite different but the basics remain the same. If only I could find a mentor using plants I can grow here. Keep up the great work!
Thank you! What a beautiful sounding place to live! I lived in the Caribbean for a while when I was a child and remember those two seasons. The rain was incredible when it arrived.
I'm new to gardening and I'm in love with the lace cap hydrangeas. Some look like they have glitter as the inner little balls shoot up little follicles. (This may not be correct terminology... I'm sure it's not)...I went off on a search after seeing a lace cap in a client's garden. When visiting each garden center, explaining the glitter effect must've made me sound a little off in the head, but I couldn't get that beautiful image of her lace cap out of my head. I finally found one! I planted it at the end of the summer last year and it's doing fantastic. It has multiple colors on it this year. It's my favorite plant on my property!
I have struggled to grow these successfully but I now have my hydrangeas in large lots by a North facing wall. They get limited sunshine in the early morning and late afternoon and they are now really happy. They do get very thirsty though.
Mine thrive against our south facing wall here in Australia, also in pots as they are protected from the hot summer sun! In the summer we save the cold water when running the hot tap, both in the kitchen and our showers, this all helps with saving a valuable resource. Good wishes 😊 🇦🇺
I read a comment once that hydrangeas in their country grow like weeds by the sides of roads. I wish those weeds would grow here in California. I was finally able to grow a lace cap in a protected are in zone 9B.
Hydrangeas are my favorite shrub, and my favorite hydrangea is annabelle (arborescese, sp?). I live in a cold climate and it is very hardy and tough and flower so reliably (unlike mopheads in my climate). It’s blooms are beautiful all summer long and it’s so unfussy. The only downside is the floppiness of it’s blooms and branches which require support. Well worth the effort in my opinion. I have 2 oak-leaved hydrangeas that get quite a bit of shade and they are doing very well. However, their bloom heads tend to droop and so next year I’m going to figure out support. I live in an area with a lot of deer, and deer love to eat hydrangeas. I spray mine with a repellant and it works pretty well. I can’t imagine a garden being complete without hydrangeas! I also have a lace-cap, climbing, and a number of ‘Little Limes”, the dwarf version of Limelight. They are fantastic, every one. Also, hydrangeas are very easy to propagate with softwood cuttings. They grow to blooming size very quickly.
My mother's mother hated them. They were a highlight for me in the garden as a child and I agree they are valuable underplanted with bulbs. They are easy to prune and shape, I have an exquisite blue-flowered one and an oakleaf variety.
Thank you for yet another informative video. I love hydrangeas & have several in my garden but growing with various degrees of success. I will be watching this video several times over in the hope of reviving one that I planted just this year that seems to be struggling. I have one quite old hydrangea that produces beautiful flowers that I use in cut flower arrangements in the house. They are a popular garden plant here in Ireland but I think suffered from a sort of “ fuddled daddy” image for a time. Thanks as always. This one of my favourite channels. tear
I just planted 6 beautiful white wedding hydrangeas paniculata in between azaleas in the front of my property. They are gorgeous and create a stunning moon garden.
I bought 6 hydrangea (in 2 litre pots) and planted them in my garden. I live in Scotland, my garden is partially shaded and we get lots of rain. But all 6 of them have really struggled. In just a few days they were ravaged by slugs. After I got rid of the slugs they all started to wilt and the leaves turned a deep red/brown. I’ve been giving them lots of water, and trying to protect them from the wind. I doubt they will perform this summer, but I’m hoping they spring back to life next summer. (I’m not too hopeful)
Alexandra, can you tell me the name of the pale pink hydrangeas in the background behind you? I have to watch your videos everyday ❤! Thanks so much for doing this. Chloe, Virginia, USA
I’m going to buy a climbing one for a north facing wall and narrow side alley, between houses which is in deep shade; with the intention of screening off a neighbour’s 1st floor window which overlooks my potting bench. Hopefully along with other climbers it will create a long, covered, arched walkway. I understand that they’re slow getting started, but then really take off. Do you have suggestions of other climbers I could grow alongside it? I’m tempted to plant a passiflora if only for it’s vigorous growth - if not flowers. It’s a beautiful thug and would hold it’s own with the hydrangea, I think. Thug
At 9:06 do you know the cultivar of the Hydrangea macrophylla in front of the blue shed, the one with the darker pink flowers on the left hand side of the video ?
I absolutely love hydrangeas! I grew up in Australia where they grew very well and then move to Colorado, and they also grow well here.... with the right amount of shade and water. Of course it's the hydrangea paniculata and the hydrangea arborescens that do the best here. Such a shame that the English shun the hydrangea! They certainly do offer months, and even years of interest when you dry the flowers.
I'm in Colorado, too. Curious what kind is working for you. I have a spot that gets 2-3 hours of sun each day and have been thinking hydrangea or rhododendron.
@@earuption what part of Colorado are you in? I am in the Denver metro area. Annabelle or another in that family would be great for the big white flowers. Talk to your local garden centre for the best choice in your area. Regular and consistent watering is what makes them grow best.
@@bluesky7226 I'm near DU. I have a sunken courtyard and the wall is in the east side so it the area only gets sun from 9 until noon or so. The wall of the building gets a lot more sun.I just planted lilacs there and they're very happy!
@@earuption I believe the Annabelle hydrangea will do well in the 9-noon or so sunshine. The fact that you live near DU gives you a huge micro climate advantage.
I have 3 in my garden but they didn't bloom last year. I don't know what variety they are as they were here when I bought the house. I am told some bloom on old wood so I did not cut back the dead stems last Fall. They look healthy so am hoping to see some bloom soon. They may be in a too sunny area but I don't have a shady spot for them. Anyway, I'm crossing my fingers for them as I do love them.
I planted a blue hydrangea this year after seeing someone nearby had one that had the most spectacular two tone colour. I'm just going to let it settle into what it wants to be. I've placed it next to an Azalea. My biggest concern is the size its going to get.
Hydrangeas can get to different sizes according to the cultivar. Some remain quite compact. The final size also depends on the pruning. More vigorous pruning helps keeping the dimensions in check. If you don’t know how to prune hydrangeas look it up because if you do it wrong you can lose the flowers.
It's a hydrangea - a lacecap macrophylla, but I don't know its exact name as it was in this garden when we moved in, so planted by a predecessor. She had very good taste in plants though.
How do I make mine flower? The bloom it came with from the nursery is the only one so far. It dried and I deadheaded it. No bud since then.. the edges of leaves look a bit burnt by sun but new leaves are normal.. i water deep daily. It gets sun from 11 am to 1 pm or so next to the house in a shady and NW part of the garden. Zone 8b, with significant hot weather, in Texas. I fertilized it with rose bloom fertilizer by Epsoma when I planted it. It is called Hydrangea Red Hot.
I'm not sure but I think it would be a good idea to discuss it with the nursery you bought it from, as they will understand your climate and weather better, and how that's affecting the plant.
I dont seem to be doing well with my hydrangeas. I have 2 Marcro 's 1 pink mophead and a glam rock. The pink Mophead is underplanted near a hedge of lilac and buddelija and only feels the sun for the first several hours of the morning. I havent had flowers on it for several years. I don't prune it and its hardly any leaf. Not happy at all. Glam rock was in the full sun and I moved it late last year as during the summer ( it was a young plant barely in its first year) it was wilting by mid afternoon. This is the same side as the Pink Mop head however it has more sun as its not under a hedge ( not yet ..as the Red Robin to the side of it is not shading it just yet) The Glam rock has leaf this year but again no flowers and I am so keen to see its flowers...I dont prune old wood is that right ? What is the science on pruning on different plant types as a whole? Once I know this it would be much easier to remember this theory opposed to remembering how to plant each individual plant. Love your programs - Thank you middle size Garden.
Thank you. Here is my general advice video on growing hydangeas so I hope that helps: ruclips.net/video/kCt4LOnTm2E/видео.html Very occasionally there are plants that simply don't flower, so if you are following all the advice in the video, then it may be a question of getting rid of the hydrangeas and buying new, from a reputable grower. It's always a good idea to buy from a plant nursery which grows plants rather than a general garden centre which buys them in, so you can talk to the grower about the best plant for your situation. Hope that helps.
I really enjoy the middle size garden channel. Thank you for producing them. I can't remember which video you recently mentioned Michael Marriott suggesting not planting six hills giant with roses. Is there a video where you talk with him? I want seem to find it. I'm curious to know why. Thank you.
I absolutely adore hydrangeas, and I remember being on holiday in the Chilean town of Pucón, mophead hydrangeas were everywhere, lush and gorgeous, even used as hedges, as they were easily six or seven ft tall. I recently happened to suggest hydrangeas for my sister's new garden; turns out she hates them. An old superstition in Argentina, from the times you either married or became 'an old maid', was that you never had a hydrangea in your garden if you had daughters or they'd never get married. And here's a question: did you say 'a pet goat' in the story about the plant hunter in Japan? I can't think how buying a goat could justify his activities, so probably I've heard wrong. Sorry about that.
It was a pet goat! Foreigners were very, very restricted on where they could go, so he bought the goat in order to say that he had to look for plants to feed it on. I'm slightly surprised they swallowed that excuse but apparently they did.
Dear Alexandra, I would very much love to have hydrangeas, but I do not think they like it here in Miami where I leave, I actually have never seen them in gardens around me.
Love your videos. Something is eating my hydrangea leaves? I’ve looked for snails, slugs etc maybe ants? But no signs!! In the U.K. and young plants in large pots, and idea please?
We recently moved to Scotland. Would love to know what I do with the plants in winter? Do I just leave them outside uncovered or must I do something specific?
It depends which hydrangea you have but many are hardy down to the equivalent of Zone 4 or even 3 and even the coldest parts of Scotland are only equivalent to a Zone 6 or 7 (warmer). So they should be fine outside.
I hope you have another try Mona, I have mine mostly in pots on a south facing wall, here in the Blue Mountains, NSW Australia, where they are protected from the hot summer sun! It is essential to keep them watered throughout the hot weather!! Good luck, 😊 🇦🇺
Many panicle-type hydrangeas are bred to be cold-resistant down to Zone 4 (they are called Hydrangea paniculata. There is a pink one called Pinky Winky, but it's also worth checking with local nurseries and suppliers as they will be able to advise you.
I think this strongly depends on who you talk to, not where you are located ... Many hydrangeas are dismissed by people in plant circles as too ordinary -- and just not garden worthy... gravitating instead H. serrata or H angustifolia. But I think this is beginning to change due to the introduction of plants with refined form/foliage (e.g. Miss Saori) and Piet Oudolf's influence - to create 4 season spaces, particularly during the winter months.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I think one of the most important contributions Piet Oudolf has made is to encourage people to think about their gardens - regardless of nature, formality, or style - in the winter months --- leveraging seed heads, dried flowers and exfoliating bark. It is this thinking of plants - their four season nature - that I think has encouraged even the most experienced plant people to take another look at the oakleaf hydrangea - particularly ones with large inflorescences.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden BTW People *hate* forsythias. I do not know anyone that hates hydrangeas. I think the reason some people look to serratas is that to them they are the "real" hydrangeas - shrubs that have their season. (Think lilacs vs. bloomerangs) The love for smooth and panicle hydrangeas in the US IMO stems from its more informal, yet traditional nature - that enables for example, the creation of sweeping hedges that lead up to the house that provide definition yet drift in the breeze...
I really need your help. I cut off back my hydrangea 5 years ago and haven't had any blooms on it since Is there anything I can do? Otherwise it's going away. Thank you in advance.
No flowers in 5 years? That’s strange. If you prune hydrangeas the wrong way it’s easy to lose the flowers but they should recover in a year or two if you stop cutting it. I didn’t touch my hydrangea this winter and it has produced plenty of flowers, a few big like dinner plates. Unlike American hydrangeas (paniculata, arborescens, quercifolia) that can be cut back very hard each year because they produce flowers on new year growth, hydrangeas hortensis (mophead, lacecap) flowers from buds (on top) of previous year growth. If you have pruned your hydrangea in these years stop it because you are doing it wrong. If you didn’t prune it something else is damaging the flowering buds either late frost or insects. If this doesn’t help and you decide to remove it consider that nowadays there’s plenty of compact varieties that remain small and don’t need “dangerous” pruning. Best of luck! 👍
Depending on where you live, wait until spring as the old flowers give some frost protection. You may cut off next year's flowers, so perhaps only prune out some of the bigger stems, then cut the others immediately after they flower.
I never see any insects or bees on lacecaps...Can anyone please tell me if they have? My mother bought me a pretty white lacecap (wedding gown) but no pollinators yet
Great video, but just thought I'd point out that you might confuse your audience when you say that pH doesn't actually make a difference to the colour changes in hydrangeas. The pH of soil influences whether elements like aluminium are held or released and that plays a part in the overall composition of soil in a particular location. In more simple terms, pH is the power of hydrogen, and in low pH environments, aluminium is loose and free, and able to be taken up by plants, whereas in high pH environments, they are bound up to something else in a form that cannot be utilised by plants. So pH does influence the colour changes albeit in an indirect but still relevant way.
"I've just bought a hydrangea. Is there something terribly wrong with me?" Hahaha what? I mean, I get it; there are fashions in gardening too. I just think they are ridiculous.
I live on Cape Cod in the US. Hydrangeas are "The Plant" here. We hold week long hydrangea festivals, visiting many gardens featuring hydrangeas.
I've planted 12 in the last two years. I absolutely love hydrangeas
I have 17 Hydrangeas just in my front garden!!
I’m baffled! I had no idea people didn’t like hydrangeas! I’ve loved them since I was a little girl, they remind me of my nan’s Devonshire garden. Just beautiful.
Thank you, yes, it does seem odd to dislike them.
Love hydrangeas of all kinds. Thanks for sharing 👍❤️😊
I have over 20 hydrangeas, and I love them! They have survived total neglect when my children were babies and I had no time to garden, being chewed almost to the ground by rabbits and our incredibly harsh (-40C) Canadian winters. They come back reliably and look amazing every year. Thanks for another great video ☺️
Thank you!
Lovely and clear, thank you. Maybe later on in the season you could mention something about pruning, which many of us are still confused about.
You just need to know the category of hydrangea you have, then you will know how and when to prune. There are many videos on youtube on the subject. If you are not sure, just don’t prune and you will be safe.
I love hydrangeas! I have three in my garden and am planning more. Fab video - thanks!
One of mine has yarrow and lavendar around it and it's leaves look perfect, the hydrangea across the lawn has no yarrow or lavender near and is getting sadly bug eaten. A real eye opener for me on useful insects. So appreciate your videos and referrals. Very helpful in getting a handle on my rather overwhelming yard and garden!
Yes! Thank you, love these big beautiful flower heads and generous fo,image with good colour. Thank you for the fight back against the hydrangea snobs.
It lives 50 years and had more flowers than leaves! They are a bargain considering other plants that put on a great show suffer in lifespan for the energy they put in to it, I'm looking at you Gaillardia. 6 years is a good return a lot of the time.
Just setting up a new garden. I put two white ones in my all green and white area, two in large pots by the conservatory door. And two cuttings that I took from a friend's plant that are doing well. I did not know about Hydrangea being unpopular, I chose them because they have so much to offer. I choose plants, like good friends, I am happy to see every day and the hydrangea I am very happy to share a morning coffee with. Thank you Alexandra always lovely to hear your enthusiasm.
I live in Chicago. We love hydrangeas here. 👌👌👌❤️😘
Funnily enough after years of not liking hydrangeas I’ve just decided to put a mophead in! Just waiting for spring in Melbourne
I love hydrangeas, especially lace caps....we have a huge one entwined with an old apple tree...not the best spot, but impossible to move it! So we just enjoy it!
I've always liked them. My first ever job was sharing a free paper round with my friend, when I was about 12, the type where you have to deliver to every house. I remember there was one front garden on my route, that rather than have the typical lawn, was completely full of large Hydrangeas, with a small paved area. It looked fantastic and I must have took notice because I knew my grandparents had one of these plants in their garden so I asked them what it was, and told them about this garden that was full of them. You are right about them offering so much colour for so long, I think local councils, supermarket car parks, business parks etc should plant them, instead of the drab bushes landscapers always seem to use.
You're so right. Although councils are in the habit of shearing everything down to three feet off the ground with chain saws round here.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden So true! Perfect example where I live there was two large, healthy Elder bushes near steps down to the river, so lovely in flower and full of berries for birds in autumn. Then one day last year a great big empty space and two freshly chainsawed tree stumps.
Loved this.! Here in the States I'm not sure there's a garden around me that doesn't have at least one. Mine, 4 now with a few more planned. We had a terribly cold winter several yrs ago, very uncommon here on Maryland's eastern shore, one didn't bloom at all that spring/summer, 1 huge bloom the following yr and the same since. I chopped it almost to the ground planning to replace it last yr, never got around to it, this yr, some 4 - 5 yrs later it's loaded. Really enjoyed watching this, Thanks for sharing about the book too.
Wende I am on the eastern shore of Maryland as well. I went from 1 to 3 to 7 to about 20 now. So excited and so beautiful. 😍
Same here on the eastern seaboard of Australia! So glad you didn’t dig it up, and that you have enjoyed your blooms!! 😊. Hydrangeas benefit from pruning at the end of winter, be sure only to prune stems that have NOT flowered, and prune the stems that have flowered to 2 plump eyes or leaf buds and you will be rewarded with more blooms! Good wishes 😊 🇦🇺
I love hydrangeas and have added 5 more this year. Love all the information shared in this posting.
Thank you!
I can't imagine a garden without a hydrangea. I have nine at present and will plant more in the fall. I am gardening in Tennessee and our southern summers are very hot. Our Pyrenees love to lay under the hydrangeas during the hottest part of summer. I thoroughly enjoy your garden videos.
Hi Alexandra. Iv just bought two hydrangeas! For years I didn't really want them in y garden, but doing a bit of research I found that they like shade, which I have quite a lot of in my garden from a giant walnut tree. I am quite excited now to receive them! Loving your YT channel. It's always so informative. Take care
Thank you - I hope you'll enjoy your hydrangeas, they give so many months of flowers.
Have always loved hydrangeas. Have several including “bobo” a small white one, limelight and little
Iime, And oak leaf one try to add more very year
Great post! Very informative. Like lace-cap macrophylla, here in the states, our "wild hydrangea" (the pure species of Hydrangea arborescens) have few to none of the showy bracts and the flowers are fertile and extremely pollen rich. Sadly most of the nurseries don't stock the pure species as most customers are looking for the big impact of Incrediball, etc. I planted three of the pure species after seeing them positively covered in bees at some of the local nature reserves / habitat reconstruction sites and they are thriving in the shade of the two mature oaks and two massive pines we have in our backyard.
Thank you as the information provided is new and I appreciate understanding how the various plants interact with nature and the environment. 🌸🇨🇦 I love hydrangeas and started a small collection of the various types.
Thank you!
Love Hydrangeas. I live in Suffolk UK and they do really well for me. Need loads of water, esp in the first few years to get established, I have also managed to turn one of them blue. It was bought blue and grown as a house plant, then the following year planted out with LOADS of Hydrangea coulorant added. Hey presto - result! Thanks for such an interesting You Tube channel!
Thank you, interesting.
I’m in the process of getting all types except for the climbing. I’m one purchase away from reaching my goal. My most recent purchase has been an Little Honey Oakleaf. ❤️ hydrangeas.
Lovely video. I always thought of Hydrangeas as a bit 'common or garden' but now having grown a couple myself, I have totally changed my mind. They are strong and sturdy plants. Very interesting.
Thanks ... Hydrangeas are my next acquisition! I enjoy your vids very much 👍!
I have no idea how someone could hate hydrangeas. I have several and adore them.
me, too.
I think you are correct in saying that hydrangeas are having a moment, a real comeback. It is easy to find mopheads here in Spain but not so easy to find ones that bloom on new wood or sun resistant ones. Very informative video Alexandra.
I was a little surprised--I don't know of anyone here in America that I've ever heard hate hydrangeas! I've lived in the north & now down in the southern US, & I'm 66, so I've heard a bit of flower opinions. Perhaps it's just an English thing? Anyway I learned so much as usual, thank you!
Thank you. I think it is a British thing, although definitely changing now.
Seems to be a hydrangist thing. Hydrangeas are flowers too! 😉
No it's not an English thing😊
I have always loved hydrangeas and have several varieties, mostly in pots, in which they do very well. Their showy flower heads bring a lot of colour to the garden, and I love their bare winter stems! Thank you for your video and I hope more English gardeners find a place for one ...or more in their gardens. Oh and by the way, they are so easy to propagate from cuttings....so a lovely plant to share! From another gardener “down under” 🇦🇺💖🇦🇺
Thank you! Propagating is interesting.
I live in Virginia and hydrangeas are my favorite. The video was very good; beautiful pictures. I did notice your sweater-it is 102 degrees with the humidity right now. Too hot for being in the garden.
I remember as a child not liking hydrangeas! Now I’ve got 2 climbing ones, 1 in a pot and 2 others in the garden. I love them as they are so forgiving and disease resistant. I’m getting a Little Lime to go in a shady spot too and Ayesha is on my list with its lilac like flowers. I’m a convert!! 😊
I don't think I liked them much as a child either, but they add so much to the garden and ask so little of the gardener.
The Middle-Sized Garden I totally agree.
Thank-you, very helpful. I discovered lacecaps recently. They are to die for . Must get one . ! K
😍 I love them beautiful plant for so many years!
🌻Hello Alexandra, very good Video again. Very well explaint. I like my Hydrangias a lot, they are in pots at the Moment and because we have had late frost in the Münsterland in germany, where I live, I lost most of the flowers this year. But there is next year, so its ok. I do like to use the flowers for Arrangements and decorations. And I do think there is a Place for every flower and plant. Not ererybody has to like the same, that would be boring. Different minds bring different wonderful looks on what can be done in gardens. 🌻 take care till next week. 👍
I so enjoy your videos, even though we are in a completely different climate. I live on a small, limestone island called Gasparee, 10 degrees north of the Equator. We have two seasons, six months each: wet and dry. Our plants may be quite different but the basics remain the same. If only I could find a mentor using plants I can grow here. Keep up the great work!
Thank you! What a beautiful sounding place to live! I lived in the Caribbean for a while when I was a child and remember those two seasons. The rain was incredible when it arrived.
I'm new to gardening and I'm in love with the lace cap hydrangeas. Some look like they have glitter as the inner little balls shoot up little follicles. (This may not be correct terminology... I'm sure it's not)...I went off on a search after seeing a lace cap in a client's garden. When visiting each garden center, explaining the glitter effect must've made me sound a little off in the head, but I couldn't get that beautiful image of her lace cap out of my head. I finally found one! I planted it at the end of the summer last year and it's doing fantastic. It has multiple colors on it this year. It's my favorite plant on my property!
So glad to hear!
I have struggled to grow these successfully but I now have my hydrangeas in large lots by a North facing wall. They get limited sunshine in the early morning and late afternoon and they are now really happy. They do get very thirsty though.
They do get very thirsty, I agree.
Mine thrive against our south facing wall here in Australia, also in pots as they are protected from the hot summer sun! In the summer we save the cold water when running the hot tap, both in the kitchen and our showers, this all helps with saving a valuable resource. Good wishes 😊 🇦🇺
My front garden has three different hydrangeas and am loving it.
I read a comment once that hydrangeas in their country grow like weeds by the sides of roads. I wish those weeds would grow here in California. I was finally able to grow a lace cap in a protected are in zone 9B.
Glad you succeeded!
Hydrangeas are my favorite shrub, and my favorite hydrangea is annabelle (arborescese, sp?). I live in a cold climate and it is very hardy and tough and flower so reliably (unlike mopheads in my climate). It’s blooms are beautiful all summer long and it’s so unfussy. The only downside is the floppiness of it’s blooms and branches which require support. Well worth the effort in my opinion. I have 2 oak-leaved hydrangeas that get quite a bit of shade and they are doing very well. However, their bloom heads tend to droop and so next year I’m going to figure out support. I live in an area with a lot of deer, and deer love to eat hydrangeas. I spray mine with a repellant and it works pretty well. I can’t imagine a garden being complete without hydrangeas! I also have a lace-cap, climbing, and a number of ‘Little Limes”, the dwarf version of Limelight. They are fantastic, every one. Also, hydrangeas are very easy to propagate with softwood cuttings. They grow to blooming size very quickly.
I've discovered that some deer do absolutely eat hydrangeas. And I love Annabelle too.
I planted 9 this year and so far so good. Keeping my fingers crossed for the Mountain Tuff Stuff though...hoping it's going to bloom!
My mother's mother hated them. They were a highlight for me in the garden as a child and I agree they are valuable underplanted with bulbs. They are easy to prune and shape, I have an exquisite blue-flowered one and an oakleaf variety.
Thank you for yet another informative video. I love hydrangeas & have several in my garden but growing with various degrees of success. I will be watching this video several times over in the hope of reviving one that I planted just this year that seems to be struggling. I have one quite old hydrangea that produces beautiful flowers that I use in cut flower arrangements in the house. They are a popular garden plant here in Ireland but I think suffered from a sort of “ fuddled daddy” image for a time. Thanks as always. This one of my favourite channels.
tear
Thank you so much!
I started loving them and still do! Just coming up to their best in my garden in NW England. Nice informative video Alexandra.
Thank you!
I just planted 6 beautiful white wedding hydrangeas paniculata in between azaleas in the front of my property. They are gorgeous and create a stunning moon garden.
A F wow, that sounds spectacular!
Here we have only 2 types ... but I like it very much ... ur knowledge about that is great ... from kerala
When do you prune runaway bride hydrangea and when is the best time to plant in the garden from pot.
I bought 6 hydrangea (in 2 litre pots) and planted them in my garden. I live in Scotland, my garden is partially shaded and we get lots of rain. But all 6 of them have really struggled. In just a few days they were ravaged by slugs. After I got rid of the slugs they all started to wilt and the leaves turned a deep red/brown. I’ve been giving them lots of water, and trying to protect them from the wind. I doubt they will perform this summer, but I’m hoping they spring back to life next summer. (I’m not too hopeful)
Have they grown back? Mine are also being eaten by slugs.
Alexandra, can you tell me the name of the pale pink hydrangeas in the background behind you? I have to watch your videos everyday ❤! Thanks so much for doing this.
Chloe, Virginia, USA
I’m going to buy a climbing one for a north facing wall and narrow side alley, between houses which is in deep shade; with the intention of screening off a neighbour’s 1st floor window which overlooks my potting bench. Hopefully along with other climbers it will create a long, covered, arched walkway.
I understand that they’re slow getting started, but then really take off. Do you have suggestions of other climbers I could grow alongside it? I’m tempted to plant a passiflora if only for it’s vigorous growth - if not flowers. It’s a beautiful thug and would hold it’s own with the hydrangea, I think.
Thug
Here's a video on choosing climbers - passiflora is lovely, and here are some others: ruclips.net/video/rEsMlbdC1r8/видео.html
At 9:06 do you know the cultivar of the Hydrangea macrophylla in front of the blue shed, the one with the darker pink flowers on the left hand side of the video ?
I absolutely love hydrangeas! I grew up in Australia where they grew very well and then move to Colorado, and they also grow well here.... with the right amount of shade and water. Of course it's the hydrangea paniculata and the hydrangea arborescens that do the best here. Such a shame that the English shun the hydrangea! They certainly do offer months, and even years of interest when you dry the flowers.
The paniculatas and arborescens are getting popular here too, I love the way Australians and the US plant their hydrangeas.
I'm in Colorado, too. Curious what kind is working for you. I have a spot that gets 2-3 hours of sun each day and have been thinking hydrangea or rhododendron.
@@earuption what part of Colorado are you in? I am in the Denver metro area. Annabelle or another in that family would be great for the big white flowers. Talk to your local garden centre for the best choice in your area. Regular and consistent watering is what makes them grow best.
@@bluesky7226 I'm near DU. I have a sunken courtyard and the wall is in the east side so it the area only gets sun from 9 until noon or so. The wall of the building gets a lot more sun.I just planted lilacs there and they're very happy!
@@earuption I believe the Annabelle hydrangea will do well in the 9-noon or so sunshine. The fact that you live near DU gives you a huge micro climate advantage.
I have 3 in my garden but they didn't bloom last year. I don't know what variety they are as they were here when I bought the house. I am told some bloom on old wood so I did not cut back the dead stems last Fall. They look healthy so am hoping to see some bloom soon. They may be in a too sunny area but I don't have a shady spot for them. Anyway, I'm crossing my fingers for them as I do love them.
I planted a blue hydrangea this year after seeing someone nearby had one that had the most spectacular two tone colour. I'm just going to let it settle into what it wants to be. I've placed it next to an Azalea. My biggest concern is the size its going to get.
Hydrangeas can get to different sizes according to the cultivar. Some remain quite compact. The final size also depends on the pruning. More vigorous pruning helps keeping the dimensions in check. If you don’t know how to prune hydrangeas look it up because if you do it wrong you can lose the flowers.
Love all your Videos.. Its so informativ. Could you please please tell the name of the variegated plant benind you in this video? Thank you
It's a hydrangea - a lacecap macrophylla, but I don't know its exact name as it was in this garden when we moved in, so planted by a predecessor. She had very good taste in plants though.
How do I make mine flower? The bloom it came with from the nursery is the only one so far. It dried and I deadheaded it. No bud since then.. the edges of leaves look a bit burnt by sun but new leaves are normal.. i water deep daily. It gets sun from 11 am to 1 pm or so next to the house in a shady and NW part of the garden. Zone 8b, with significant hot weather, in Texas. I fertilized it with rose bloom fertilizer by Epsoma when I planted it. It is called Hydrangea Red Hot.
I'm not sure but I think it would be a good idea to discuss it with the nursery you bought it from, as they will understand your climate and weather better, and how that's affecting the plant.
I dont seem to be doing well with my hydrangeas. I have 2 Marcro 's 1 pink mophead and a glam rock. The pink Mophead is underplanted near a hedge of lilac and buddelija and only feels the sun for the first several hours of the morning. I havent had flowers on it for several years. I don't prune it and its hardly any leaf. Not happy at all. Glam rock was in the full sun and I moved it late last year as during the summer ( it was a young plant barely in its first year) it was wilting by mid afternoon. This is the same side as the Pink Mop head however it has more sun as its not under a hedge ( not yet ..as the Red Robin to the side of it is not shading it just yet) The Glam rock has leaf this year but again no flowers and I am so keen to see its flowers...I dont prune old wood is that right ? What is the science on pruning on different plant types as a whole? Once I know this it would be much easier to remember this theory opposed to remembering how to plant each individual plant.
Love your programs - Thank you middle size Garden.
Thank you. Here is my general advice video on growing hydangeas so I hope that helps: ruclips.net/video/kCt4LOnTm2E/видео.html Very occasionally there are plants that simply don't flower, so if you are following all the advice in the video, then it may be a question of getting rid of the hydrangeas and buying new, from a reputable grower. It's always a good idea to buy from a plant nursery which grows plants rather than a general garden centre which buys them in, so you can talk to the grower about the best plant for your situation. Hope that helps.
I really enjoy the middle size garden channel. Thank you for producing them. I can't remember which video you recently mentioned Michael Marriott suggesting not planting six hills giant with roses. Is there a video where you talk with him? I want seem to find it. I'm curious to know why. Thank you.
He is in this video, talking about trends, but the roses should be there too. He's at about 3 minutes in: ruclips.net/video/gw2ehkbxtrk/видео.html
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden thank you so much. Marianne
I absolutely adore hydrangeas, and I remember being on holiday in the Chilean town of Pucón, mophead hydrangeas were everywhere, lush and gorgeous, even used as hedges, as they were easily six or seven ft tall. I recently happened to suggest hydrangeas for my sister's new garden; turns out she hates them.
An old superstition in Argentina, from the times you either married or became 'an old maid', was that you never had a hydrangea in your garden if you had daughters or they'd never get married.
And here's a question: did you say 'a pet goat' in the story about the plant hunter in Japan? I can't think how buying a goat could justify his activities, so probably I've heard wrong. Sorry about that.
It was a pet goat! Foreigners were very, very restricted on where they could go, so he bought the goat in order to say that he had to look for plants to feed it on. I'm slightly surprised they swallowed that excuse but apparently they did.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden Yes, it sounds like a pretty lame excuse. Good on him that it worked. Thank you very much for your reply.
Dear Alexandra, I would very much love to have hydrangeas, but I do not think they like it here in Miami where I leave, I actually have never seen them in gardens around me.
Love your videos. Something is eating my hydrangea leaves? I’ve looked for snails, slugs etc maybe ants? But no signs!! In the U.K. and young plants in large pots, and idea please?
I think it can be fruit worm - check the underside of leaves and pick off any caterpillars or eggs.
We recently moved to Scotland. Would love to know what I do with the plants in winter? Do I just leave them outside uncovered or must I do something specific?
It depends which hydrangea you have but many are hardy down to the equivalent of Zone 4 or even 3 and even the coldest parts of Scotland are only equivalent to a Zone 6 or 7 (warmer). So they should be fine outside.
I have tried so hard to grow and have bought endless times but to no avail. I love hydrangeas but do not seem to have the nack.
Oh, dear, I'm sorry to hear that.
The Middle-Sized Garden thankyou, I am so unlucky as I love hydrangeas.
I hope you have another try Mona, I have mine mostly in pots on a south facing wall, here in the Blue Mountains, NSW Australia, where they are protected from the hot summer sun! It is essential to keep them watered throughout the hot weather!! Good luck, 😊 🇦🇺
I dont know what hydrangea to buy to form a hedge in my frontyard could someone recommend one thats colorful and 4 ft tall and wide for zone 4
Many panicle-type hydrangeas are bred to be cold-resistant down to Zone 4 (they are called Hydrangea paniculata. There is a pink one called Pinky Winky, but it's also worth checking with local nurseries and suppliers as they will be able to advise you.
I think this strongly depends on who you talk to, not where you are located ... Many hydrangeas are dismissed by people in plant circles as too ordinary -- and just not garden worthy... gravitating instead H. serrata or H angustifolia. But I think this is beginning to change due to the introduction of plants with refined form/foliage (e.g. Miss Saori) and Piet Oudolf's influence - to create 4 season spaces, particularly during the winter months.
I love Miss Saori - it has just flowered in a pot on my terrace. Interesting re Piet Oudolf, I will look again at what he's done.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I think one of the most important contributions Piet Oudolf has made is to encourage people to think about their gardens - regardless of nature, formality, or style - in the winter months --- leveraging seed heads, dried flowers and exfoliating bark. It is this thinking of plants - their four season nature - that I think has encouraged even the most experienced plant people to take another look at the oakleaf hydrangea - particularly ones with large inflorescences.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden BTW People *hate* forsythias. I do not know anyone that hates hydrangeas. I think the reason some people look to serratas is that to them they are the "real" hydrangeas - shrubs that have their season. (Think lilacs vs. bloomerangs) The love for smooth and panicle hydrangeas in the US IMO stems from its more informal, yet traditional nature - that enables for example, the creation of sweeping hedges that lead up to the house that provide definition yet drift in the breeze...
Will they still flower if planted in shade?
Yes, hydrangeas are a good choice for shade.
I really need your help. I cut off back my hydrangea 5 years ago and haven't had any blooms on it since
Is there anything I can do? Otherwise it's going away. Thank you in advance.
No flowers in 5 years? That’s strange. If you prune hydrangeas the wrong way it’s easy to lose the flowers but they should recover in a year or two if you stop cutting it. I didn’t touch my hydrangea this winter and it has produced plenty of flowers, a few big like dinner plates.
Unlike American hydrangeas (paniculata, arborescens, quercifolia) that can be cut back very hard each year because they produce flowers on new year growth, hydrangeas hortensis (mophead, lacecap) flowers from buds (on top) of previous year growth. If you have pruned your hydrangea in these years stop it because you are doing it wrong. If you didn’t prune it something else is damaging the flowering buds either late frost or insects.
If this doesn’t help and you decide to remove it consider that nowadays there’s plenty of compact varieties that remain small and don’t need “dangerous” pruning. Best of luck! 👍
Mines too big could I cut it right back now or do I leave it ?
Depending on where you live, wait until spring as the old flowers give some frost protection. You may cut off next year's flowers, so perhaps only prune out some of the bigger stems, then cut the others immediately after they flower.
I never see any insects or bees on lacecaps...Can anyone please tell me if they have? My mother bought me a pretty white lacecap (wedding gown) but no pollinators yet
I see them land occasionally, but I suspect that they still prefer other flowers.
What's not to love.
👍👌
Great video, but just thought I'd point out that you might confuse your audience when you say that pH doesn't actually make a difference to the colour changes in hydrangeas. The pH of soil influences whether elements like aluminium are held or released and that plays a part in the overall composition of soil in a particular location. In more simple terms, pH is the power of hydrogen, and in low pH environments, aluminium is loose and free, and able to be taken up by plants, whereas in high pH environments, they are bound up to something else in a form that cannot be utilised by plants. So pH does influence the colour changes albeit in an indirect but still relevant way.
It's just that many hydrangeas don't change colour whatever the soil. But thank you for explaining anyway.
"I've just bought a hydrangea. Is there something terribly wrong with me?" Hahaha what? I mean, I get it; there are fashions in gardening too. I just think they are ridiculous.
My hydrangea bushes will not bloom!
I'm seeing two head gardeners over the next few days and will ask them about this as a few other people have trouble with this too.