Hydrangeas: Queens of the summer seashore garden

By Ginger Hogan
Special to the Coastal Point

	Coastal Point • SUSAN LYONS Lace-cap Hydrangea called 'Bethany Beach' was locally introduced by Jim McFall.

Hydrangeas are relatively easy to grow if you site them in the proper environment. They prefer protection from afternoon sun and well-drained soil. Hydrangeas planted in fall will tend to wilt in the afternoon and risk winter damage as well. Filtered sunlight under tall trees is ideal. They are not likely to flower in dense shade, and don’t attempt to grow them in soggy soil.

Some hydrangea varieties are sensitive to soil pH, and the color of the blooms may vary from pink to blue or anything in between, depending on the degree of soil acidity. This gives the gardener the option of amending the soil to produce the desired color blooms.

The application of limestone will produce pink blooms, while garden sulfur or aluminum sulfate will give blue. A pine-needle mulch will also help to ensure blue blooms on variable species. Keep in mind that some cultivars will not change color, no matter what you do to the soil, so check before you buy.

Hydrangea blooms can be divided into three basic types. Lace-caps consist of a cluster of tiny fertile flowers surrounded by larger sterile flowers that are just for show. Mop-heads are big globes of sterile blooms, while the panicle types have more cone-shaped clusters. Depending on the variety, blooms may appear from June to October.

Blooms will not appear, however, if the plants are pruned at the wrong time of the year. Most mop-head and lace-cap types form their buds in August for the following year’s blooms. Any pruning done on these types should be done immediately after blooms fade in July to avoid pruning out next year’s flowers.

Resist the urge to “tidy up” the plants in spring, when they’re looking particularly twiggy, or you’ll see nothing but green leaves all season. Panicle type hydrangeas bloom on new growth, so pruning for them is not so critical.

There are literally hundreds of hydrangea varieties, and over the years we’ve tried dozens of them. These are some of my favorites:

• “Nikko Blue” is the classic blue mop-head and the standard by which most blues are measured.

• “Glowing Embers” is another mop-head that can range from red to dark pink to purple, depending on the soil.

• “Endless Summer” is a relatively new, patented mop-head variety that blooms on both new and old wood, eliminating the confusion on when to prune and extending the bloom period.

• “Masja” is a compact red-flowered mop-head that does not change color with the soil.

While the mop-heads remain the most popular, there are also lace-caps of exceptional beauty:

• “Bethany Beach,” introduced by local plantsman Jim McFall, features massive clusters of deep blue flowers surrounded by a lighter blue outer ring.

• “Jogasaki” is a compact Japanese variety featuring a double outer row of petals in multiple shades of blue.

• “Lilacina” has huge clusters of mauve petals surrounding deep blue centers.

The panicle types generally bear white blooms that gradually fade through pink to russet in the fall. “Pink Diamond” opens a diamond-dusted pale pink before deepening with age. “Tardiva,” a late summer bloomer of massive proportions, is a variety that will thrive in full sun to dense shade.

Over the years, hydrangeas have become an icon of seashore gardening. If your conditions allow, consider adding some to your garden. No summer garden would be complete without them.