The bold beautiful Hydrangea and what to plant with her.

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I had a lovely trip down nostalgia lane!

Hydrangea

I had such a nice time yesterday visiting a garden centre that swept my memories back to childhood.  As you arrived at the front door of my childhood home (the only home I knew until I left as a young adult), to the right hand side there was a hedge of Hydrangea with it's huge blue ball flower heads in summer that was not unlike my mothers swimming cap of the time.  In my youth, hydrangea always struck me as such an amazing plant with it's strong cane like stalks that my brothers loved to de-leaf and decapitate and run around chasing me with what reminded me of Mr Gudgeons' cane at school.  Thank goodness by the time I was in form 2 (year 9 nowadays) the cane was banned and Mr Gudgeon could only use it as a threat.  

In winter, Mum cut back the Hydrangea hedge and I was always quite disconcerted arriving home to the front door for fear that if I fell off the patio I would be impaled by the fierce looking stalks.  Is this where my love of landscaping and design came from?  I don't know, but it must have had an impact as I have always been concerned with leaf shape, texture and balance of planting.  When visiting as an adult, I realised my mother was not so thoughtless of our safety, as she had a carpet of Helleborus Orientalis that would have broken a fall and also broke the winter bare of the Hydrangea.  

Helleborus Orientalis

The thing I loved about this garden that other than morning sun it was a shaded area that begged for bold colour like the Hydrangea.  

How to keep it that colour

The white flowering Hydrangea can't be manipulated but all other Hydrangea colours can be changed.  

Blue requires Aluminum to be added to the soil and can be purchased from your local garden store.  I have a garden client who is welcomed to her front door with a blush pink and green variety, not unlike the Helleborus flower colours.  This unusual old variety came from her grandmothers house (that I have to get cuttings of next winter).  I will side dress this Hydrangea with garden lime to keep the blush colour.

Hydrangea has a place in every garden.  I am glad to see she is making such a comeback, but it is knowing what to plant with it to create year round interest is what I want to help you with today.

Variation of leaf size and structure



Because Hydrangea is such a show off it is a good idea to let other nearby planting slip in to compliment rather than compete.  Also recognising that Hydrangea will have those lethal looking stalks come winter; planting with leaf structure that looks like this will soften the appearance.  

I love to see Dietes grandiflora  that has a soft Iris like flower in shades of lavender blue and white with long strappy green leaves nestled in beside the Hydrangea.  

Daylily

Dietes grandiflora

To add drama another great choice is the Daylily and with a large colour palette you can fit your choice to contrast or tone in with the colour of your Hydrangea.   

The low growing Hosta with huge leaves love the semi shade where your hydrangea will be.  Being dormant in winter, a bare patch of ground will be left so to soften this space plant a drift of Agapanthus streamline - a dwarf variety with slender glossy green leaves and pale blue flowers.  This is also where Helleborus Orientalis sneaks in and while the Hydrangea and Hosta are resting it is her time to show.  

Hosta

The one thing I didn't like about the Hydrangea garden at home was there was nothing other than the white weatherboards of the house that provided a backdrop in winter.  Having a hedge or a climber I think is the final touch for Hydrangea at your place.  

I love the NZ native Hoheria populnea (Lacebark) that flowers dainty white flowers and has leaves similar in serration as the Helleborus.  

Agapanthus streamline

Lacebark grows tall enough to give privacy, 2.5m - 5m and can be kept trim to hedge or if you have the space can be left to bush as a shrub or small tree.  

Lacebark is a hardy fast growing specimen with a long flowering period and might be just what you need to create an intimate cool space to retreat to after a long day. 

A great place to relax is a well designed garden with Hydrangea

Happy gardening everyone!

Maria Quayle-Guppy