(Ross Glory Blue | 📸 MK Lascelle)

Since we are at the beginning of the hydrangea bloom season, I thought it might be a good time to show you how versatile these long-flowering shrubs really are. There is a species or variety for almost any sun or shade exposure, and they can be used as vines, hedging, cut flowers or even container specimens. Large or small, pink or blue, cascading or upright, the hydrangea family is one of the most versatile in the garden design arsenal.

Hedging

Most standard hydrangea species can be used to create a flowering hedge; you just need to match it to an appropriate sun exposure. For full sun consider starting with PG hydrangeas (H. paniculata) with ‘Limelight’, ‘Berry White’ or ‘Pinky Winky’ all making fine taller hedges (at around 6’ tall), while the newer Smooth hydrangeas (H. arborescens) like ‘Flowerfull’ (3-4’ tall) or ‘Incrediball’ (4-5’ tall) also work well. For morning or late afternoon sun both Mophead (H. macrophylla) and Mountain hydrangeas (H. serrata) are good choices but try to choose varieties that also bloom on both old and new wood.

('Berry White Hedge' | 📸 First Editions)

Self-Clinging Vine

Climbing hydrangea (H. anomala subsp. petiolaris) is a versatile self-clinging shrub that climbs (with aerial rootlets) like a vine and tolerates a wide range of exposures, from full sun to open shade. It is slow growing initially but the lush green foliage, white lacecap blooms and reddish-brown bark looks great in any garden.

(Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris | 📸 MK Lascelle)

Cut or Dried Flower

The best species to choose for either cut or dried flowers are PG (H. paniculata), Smooth (H. arborescens) and Mophead (H. macrophylla). Choose fully coloured or mature blooms for cutting, and harvest these in early morning, when they are fully hydrated. Prune just above a node with an angled cut, strip off any leaves that would be submerged (or all of them, if the foliage isn’t necessary) and place in water immediately. For cut flowers, refresh your water every 2 days and they can be dried by simply leaving them in the vase and letting the water dry out or by hanging the stems upside down in a dark, well-ventilated space, but keep in mind that mature or older blooms work best for drying.

(HydrangeaCutFlower | 📸 Jina Lee Wikimedia)

Container Plant

The newer weeping ‘Fairytrail’ series of hybrids are stunning in containers, with your choice of white (‘Fairytrail Bride’), lime (‘Fairytrail Green’) or pink and blue (‘Fairytrail Fresco’). The zone 3 hardiness of Hydrangea paniculata makes it ideal for surviving those unpredictable winters with compact varieties such as ‘Little Hottie’, ‘Bobo’, ‘Dragon Baby’ or ‘Little Quick Fire’ all working well. If you want to try Hydrangea arborescens, make sure they are the newer compact varieties with sturdy stems such as ‘FlowerFull’ or ‘Candybelle Bubblegum’.

('Fairytrail Fresco'  | 📸 Spring Meadows)

Open Shade

Your best choices for hydrangeas that will bloom in open shade are Mountain (H. serrata) and climbing hydrangea (H. anomala subsp. petiolaris) with their lacecap blooms, as well as Oakleaf hydrangeas (H. quercifolia). The old-fashioned Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’ is one of my favourite varieties for this exposure.

(Hydrangea serrata 'Bluebird' | 📸 MK Lascelle)

Morning Sun

Full morning sun is the ideal exposure for Mophead hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) as they receive enough sunlight for a generous flower crop while avoiding the hot afternoon sun, which can scorch both flowers and foliage.

(Hydrangea macrophylla 'My Beautiful Spitfire' | 📸 MK Lascelle)

Full Sun

The most sun tolerant hydrangeas are the PG types (H. paniculata) with their cone-shaped flowers and good selection of ultimate sizes, ranging from compact (‘Little Hottie’, ‘Bobo’, ‘Little Lime’) to full size cultivars (‘Grandiflora’, ‘Limelight’, ‘Berry White’) that can reach heights of 6’ or more.

(Hydrangea paniculata 'Little Lime' | 📸 MK Lascelle)

Longest Blooming

Relatively speaking, hydrangeas are some of the longest-blooming shrubs available. Mophead hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) have the longest flowering time from early summer to fall, with repeat-blooming types providing more colour. Both Hydrangea arborescens and H. paniculata also flower for a good stretch, from midsummer right through to autumn.

(Hydrangea macrophylla 'Starfield' | 📸 MK Lascelle)

Fall Colour

Autumn foliage on most hydrangeas can be a little underwhelming with the exception of Oakleaf (H. quercifolia) and Mountain hydrangea (H. serrata). Expect red to burgundy hues from Hydrangea quercifolia and reddish-purple from H. serrata.

(Hydrangea quercifolia | 📸 MK Lascelle)

High Contrast Foliage

You don’t have to wait for fall for great foliage colour, as many new varieties have high contrast leaves that beautifully compliment the flowers. Your best choices are ‘Pink Dynamo’ (H. serrata), ‘Miss Saori’ (H. macrophylla) or ‘Eclipse’ (H. macrophylla), all of which have stunning burgundy-black leaves.

(Hydrangea 'Pink Dynamo' | 📸 MK Lascelle)

Lastly, I would like to touch base on those hydrangeas whose flower colour can change depending on the soil pH. While species such as H. arborescens, H. paniculata (PG types) and H. quercifolia (Oakleaf) do not change colour with pH, the flowers do go through a transition as they fade. Mophead (H. macrophylla) and Mountain hydrangeas (H. serrata) do change colour rather dramatically with acid soils producing purple to blue tones, and alkaline to neutral soils creating pink to red hues. The reason why some of you are getting consistent pink to red flowers is that you are probably using tap water for irrigation, and the GVRD adds natural chemicals to our drinking supply to increase the alkalinity in order to prevent corrosion in the pipes. You can apply aluminum sulfate in early spring as the new growth emerges to acidify the soil and get those blue blooms back, although you may have to reapply several times during the growing season to maintain that lower pH.

(Flower Colour Change | 📸 Pixabay)

Copyright 2025 MK Lascelle