Now that the hydrangeas have sprung back from the weight of the snow, I realize I have some trimming and pruning to do. I leave the dead flowers on the stalks over winter, but now they need to be removed. Some branches are broken, but I know that they will fill in quickly with new growth.
Some hydrangeas bloom on new growth so you don’t want to trim those in Spring, or you may be cutting off the blooms. Some bloom on old wood – the stems that were there last year. And some will bloom on both.
This is my “Endless Summer”, a small shrub that I planted last Spring and it bloomed profusely even though it never grew very large. This year I expect it will grow larger and lots of blue flowers. The dead flowers are still showing at the end of the stalks and I will be cutting them off.
I’ve been looking for a new hydrangea to add to my yard and that means it will have to thrive in zone five. I live in the Monadnock Region of southern New Hampshire and that is Zone 5, or 5a, to be more specific. These are cold hardy hydrangeas, and luckily most varieties of hydrangea can take the extreme cold.
I can tell you (and show you) what I have presently growing in my yard, and these types are found frequently in my area of the country.
The Endless Summer Blue macrophylla (rounded flowers) variety is popular for it’s beautiful blue flowers. As you can see in the photo below, this type can grow flowers in shades of pink, purple and blue all on one shrub! Gorgeous.
More types of hydrangeas I’ve grown in my New Hampshire yard with much success include the “Blushing Bride” which is also an Endless Summer variety.
The Blushing Bride begins white and changes to pink and green
Also, Pinky Winky and Pee Gee (Paniculata grandiflora), and many others will grown in the north. In fact hydrangeas seem to enjoy cold more than heat. The Endless Summer types tend to wilt in the hot sun, even if they have plenty of water.
My best advice is to shop in local stores and nurseries in spring and see what they are selling. Most likely the types for sale will do well in your climate zone. Also, you can view a comprehensive list of Hydrangea types and their grow zones on Dave’s Garden site.
Pinky Winky, paniculata variety (3 year old plant)
One warning about planting the Pinky Winky (which is one of my favorites, and is featured at the top of this page, in pink) is that deer will eat it. One side of my shrub was always chewed down where the deer passed through my yard! It also attracts bees, so maybe keep it away from patios and outside sitting areas. But it is very easy to care for, and it produces gorgeous flowers. So please don’t let that stop you from including one in your landscape.
It’s not easy to grow a shade garden. Some hydrangeas will do well in shade, but I am not talking about those here. This post is about the smaller perennials that can fill a shade garden. The flower variety of shade loving plants is limited even more than the plants that are available. Most things that will grow under trees or in gardens that are on the shady side of a house are pretty dull looking in my opinion. I love a garden with variety, so I am always on the lookout for something new to plant in the yard and I’m always thrilled to find a nice looking, shade loving shrub.
Still, I revert back to my favorite three basic choiceswhen buying for the shade.
#1. Bleeding Heart – This is an amazing plant. It is so delicate that it breaks easily, yet sends out long leafy stalks with loads of little, heart-shaped flowers that dangle from the greenery. It seems so fragile, yet each year it survives the icy cold winters underground and grows back in Spring.
#2. Astilbe – I think this is a favorite of many when it comes to planting for shade. I am new to growing this plant, but I plan to have many of them in my garden under the trees. They have tall feathery flowers in white, red and pink and their leaves can vary from color to color.
#3. Hostas – Of course. Who has a shade garden without including hostas? Last year I planted a variety of hostas in my large, front yard garden. It’s too early in the season to see them sprouting yet, but I look forward to watching them get larger and larger. Hostas are mainly grown for the leaf coloring and size, even though they do send up tall shoots with tiny flowers on them.
This little one I found last year at the local nursery is called “Mouse Ear”.
I don’t have a picture of one, but maybe one day I will – the climbing hydrangea will be something new to play with this summer.
From what I’ve read about the climbing hydrangea (and there are many types – and I am researching which one I may want), is that it is a hardy perennial and gets very large. Anyone wanting a climbing hydrangea will need a very sturdy structure for it to cling to.
I had never thought about trying to grow this type, but my new house has a tall, ugly tree trunk in the side yard. I can only guess that the tree broke off in our horrific ice storm a few years ago and left this part of the trunk standing. Fortunately the tree broke away from the house because it was one very big tree and parts of the top are laying in the woods near the base.
But, I think it may be a good spot to grow a climbing hydrangea. The area will get some sun, but not much and that is my main concern. If climbing hydrangeas need sun, it won’t see much until it begins to climb the tree.
I called a local nursery yesterday to ask if they have the climbing hydrangeas and they do! It’s the House By The Side of The Road in Wilton, NH and it’s the same place I bought my 6 new plants last Spring around Mother’s Day, which is a great time to shop for the newest selection of hydrangeas.
Finally — it’s hydrangea buying time – almost. In May it seems that the stores and nurseries get their shipments of hydrangeas in just in time for Mother’s Day. So the weekend and week just before the holiday is an excellent time to shop for hydrangeas.
Last year was the first time I had bought the plants myself. That’s the Endless Summer blue in my picture and it did give me some very pretty light blue flowers. My yard is still in desperate need of landscaping, but it should be in better shape this year once my plants come into bloom. Last season I had hoped to find a variety of colors to choose from and I was not disappointed!
Last May I bought six hydrangea plants at The House By The Side of The Road in Wilton, New Hampshire and I only stopped there (at six) because my cart was full!
They offered a wide selection to choose from and all of them looked very lush and healthy. I expected to pay a lot since hydrangeas are popular flowers, but the pricing was reasonable I thought and ranged from $29.99 to $36.99 each and they were large plants.
Newly purchased hydrangeas in pots
I have a lot of shade in my yard, but fortunately hydrangeas can take the shade – as long as they do get some sun. So this is the year I will see just how well they took to spending winter in my yard.
Today it was close to 60 degrees and I got outside to view my gardens – at least the areas that are snow free. Until I can get to the perennials I will have to blog about other gardening things – like starting some vegetable seeds, and buying loam and grass seed!
This blog is forgotten for most of the winter months because I live in New England and there is certainly no gardening going on in my yard at that time of year. I spend my time organizing my online stores and creating new wedding designs for Spring. When my business picks up in Spring and Summer, so does this blog readership, but I get motivated to make time to take photos and write because it’s what I love to do – garden!
I just took this picture today and it shows how my hydrangeas are still weighed down in places by packed snow. I’m happy to see that they are not totally destroyed and I think I may look into a cover for them for next winter. I’d like the A-frame wooden type. I also need nets to put over my Rhododendrons that will not be blooming at all thanks to the many hungry deer that snacked on them.
Hydrangeas are quite hardy and the branches tend to bend under the weight instead of breaking. I may do some trimming once they are uncovered. Any hydrangeas that bloom on old and new wood can be trimmed if needed.
Hydrangeas Blue 