HYDRANGEAS FOR THE HOT SUN 

A few weeks back I wrote about growing hydrangeas in the northwest.  For the most part that article referred to big-leafed hydrangeas known as “macrophyllas”.  When most of us think about hydrangeas these are the ones that come to mind.  They have the big mop-head flowers that come in a range of colors from white to pink to blue or purple.  They can also come in a “lace cap” form as well but whatever you prefer you know perfectly well that these plants perform best with some afternoon shade.  But there are also several types of hydrangeas that love to be in full sun and these are the ones I want to share with you today.

Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora or PeeGee hydrangea is a variety that has to be in full sun to look its best.  The leaves are much smaller than its macrophylla cousin and not nearly as attractive but they are durable and totally sun tolerant.  The flowers are in a cone shape or panicle as we call it in the botanical world and they usually start out white and mature to various shades of pink.  In the last few years there has been a huge proliferation of cultivars come on the scene.  Here are some new ones to consider:

Lime Light:  Probably my favorite for now, Lime Light has very large panicles of delicate chartreuse to white petals that will cover the entire plant this time of year.

Quickfire:  The absolute earliest of the paniculatas to bloom for us, Quickfire has been on fire for 6 weeks already.  White flowers mature quickly to dark red and remain for several more weeks.

Pinky Winky:  Like Quickfire but a few weeks later and with stronger tones of pink and teeny tiny flowers, this is a real keeper.

Little Lamb:  Delicate flowers like Lime Light only no hints of green in the flowers, just pure white like a herd of little lambs.

All of these PeeGee hybrids generally grow 3-6 feet tall and once established are fairly drought tolerant.  And here is the best part about PeeGee hydrangeas:  they bloom on new wood which means that even after a winter like we just experienced they will still bloom like crazy.  You can treat them like a rose or butterfly bush and cut them back hard in March and then watch them grow and bloom in July.  They are totally idiot proof.

One other hydrangea that loves the sun is an Oakleaf Hydrangea.  The flowers are very similar to the PeeGee types but the leaves are like no hydrangea you have ever seen.  They look just like an oak leaf and the fall color is fabulous.  Oakleaf hydrangeas bloom on last year’s growth like the macrophyllas so be careful not to prune them too hard this time of year or you won’t see any blooms.  The one in my backyard came through our recent winter like a champ and is currently covered with bright white blooms.  Generally, Oakleaf hydrangeas can be rangy growers and will benefit from some snipping now and then to help shape them.  If you are tight on space then try “Peewee” on for size, it only gets 3-4 feet tall.  If you really want to go out on a limb then look for “Little Honey”, it is a golden foliaged form of Peewee.