I was a slacker last Fall and didn’t removed the old stems on the old-fashioned hydrangeas. All the plants I have came from one which was behind the garden shed when I purchased the house. These are the old-fashioned type (Hydrangea macrophylla) which blooms on two year old wood.
Therefore, each Fall I remove the old limbs which have bloomed to allow room for the current season’s growth which will bloom the following season.
The exceptions in my hydrangea collection would be the pinkish Blushing Bride near the front porch, which is a rebloomer in the Endless Summer strain, and the Increadiball (Hydrangea arborescens) which blooms on new wood and has large white flowers. It is of the species known as smooth leaved hydrangea.
I also have a Tardiva which is a paniculata species (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva’) which is commonly called tree hydrangea or panicle hydrangea because of the large size of the plant and the shape of the flower. It blooms late in the season near Fall.
Today, I removed the many dead branches and the flowers from last season with help from Gus.
I will take cuttings to fill five or six pots which should be well rooted by the Fall.
The plants are now cleaner looking and will be loaded with blooms in a few weeks!
The hedge along the North side of the house is between the parking area and the chimney in part-shade. The red brick makes the perfect backdrop! Since we have acid soil here the flowers are blue. If the soil was alkaline they would pink. Neutral soil would produce a blend of pink and blue which looks purplish!
They are just beginning to turn blue and by July will be a deep blue.
And in the evening they seem to glow!
Now, if I could only encourage a climbing hydrangea to survive our hot summer!
atb
Arthur in the Garden! 