Flower Spotlight: Heavenly Hydrangeas Steal the Show!
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Wet & Forget
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It's easy to see why so many folks adore the hydrangea. This hardy shrub produces bursts of vivid color on velvety petals as delicate-looking as a butterfly's wing, and the large, one-of-a-kind ball-shaped clusters of flowers of Hydrangea macrophylla are like a striking cluster of butterflies. As if that weren't enough, hydrangeas can even perform a "magic trick" by changing the color of their blooms under the right conditions! Read on to learn more about this scene-stealing beauty.
Most flowers are lovely, but the hydrangea isn't just any old bloom. Hydrangea macrophylla, the most popular hydrangea variety, is famous for its generously-sized ball-shaped clusters of blooms that seem to burst with color, giving this flower its hallmark look (see photo below). The bloom clusters are made up of lovely, delicate-looking petals that come in an array of beautiful colors, including lavender, pink, purple, red, or white. Best of all, hydrangeas are available in one of the most difficult-to-find natural bloom colors: blue. Hydrangea blooms can range from pale powder blue to deep indigo, and these beautiful blue flowers will make you want to stop and stare!
Hydrangeas have a bit of a reputation for needing lots of pruning, but that doesn't have to be the case. Whether or not you need to prune you hydrangeas, and how much, depends on what type of hydrangeas you grow, and how you plant them. This article courtesy of Today's Homeowner and this cheat sheet courtesy of HGTV outline the basic care for some of the most popular types of hydrangea, and this article from the United States National Arboretum offers information on several more hydrangea cultivars. This article gives you the lowdown on whether to prune your hydrangea, how to prune, and when to prune, to get the healthiest plant and the most blooms.
According to the United States National Arboretum, there are about 23 species of hydrangea, and about 5 of those are widely cultivated in the U.S. While the ball-shaped Hydrangea macrophylla var. macrophylla (see top 3 photos above) is the most popular, the lovely Hydrangea macrophylla var. normalis, or lacecap hydrangea, is also popular (see photo directly above). If you're still wondering just how many beautiful shapes and colors hydrangeas come in, check out this slide show of 16 gorgeous hydrangea varieties, and prepare to be wowed!
But what if you're in the mood for a different-colored bloom? If you've got a lacecap or mophead hydrangea, you can simply make it change color! These varieties of hydrangea can perform the "magic trick" of changing their bloom color; all it takes is a change in soil pH.
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2 comments
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In my experience, hydrangeas need much less pruning than they often get.
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I adore hydrangeas!
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