8 minute read
ancient hydrangea
Some of Jenn Cole’s favourite hydrangeas.
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Ancient hydrangea
It’s the middle of August: the height of the summer heat is beginning to wane. The slightly cooler nights send a signal to the white cone-shaped panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) to turn deep rosy pink. My love of these stalwarts of the summer garden is limitless. When put into context of their ancient history they become even more alluring.
In the 1920s, hydrangea fossils were found in rock samples taken from Jaw Mountain, Alaska. The samples dated back 40 to 65 million years. Other fossilized samples of the same age have been found in Oregon, California, China, Japan, and the Philippines.
In 1736, hydrangeas growing wild in Pennsylvania were brought back to Europe for cultivation. Carolus Linnaeus, the botanist responsible for today’s plant naming system, labelled them Hydrangea arborescens. Translated from Greek, hydro means water, and angeion, means pitcher because the blooms were thought to look like water pitchers. The species, arborescens, means tree-like. At the same time botanist Philibert Commerson found hydrangeas in Chinese gardens and took them to France. In 1830, the Asian plant took the name Hydrangea macrophylla.
As time pressed forward so has the popularity of hydrangeas, mostly attributed to their large blooms that last all summer. They’re also relatively easy to care for. Panicle hydrangeas can be pruned back hard in the fall, or early spring and will come back as strong and as big as previous seasons. Blooming on new wood, they thrive. Other varieties are a bit trickier. Unlike H. paniculata, the majority of mophead hydrangea will only bloom on the previous year’s growth.
No shrinking violets, some species of hydrangea (see sidebar) are hardy to Zone 3. They will withstand cold and, as noted, wet without flinching. Even if in containers, they just don’t mind. Bury the container for the winter and your shrub will survive.
You can even manipulate the colour of some hydrangeas. If you plant a mophead in acidic soil usually found beside an azalea or rhododendron bush it will produce blue flowers. If planted in alkaline soil you get pink flowers. I have even managed to change the colour of ones in containers. I mixed rhododendron leaves and azalea cuttings, both known for their acidity, and dug them just below the surface of my potted plant.
Sadly, hydrangeas have not always been thought of kindly. In Victorian times they represented vanity: too many blooms and no seeds to share.
However, they can be divided through cuttings or by digging out a small part of new growth and capturing some of the root. I found this method a bit dicey as there is a risk of damage to the existing larger root. Once established they really
By Jennifer Cole
don’t like to be moved or disturbed. It’s not impossible to transplant a hydrangea, but in my experience it may take several years for the plant to recover and re-bloom. This may not be such a disaster considering they have a lifespan of up to 50 years.
One of my favourite hydrangea factoids is the cultivation of ‘Annabelle’, a panicle hydrangea with big beautiful mopheadlike balls of white glory. In 1910, Harriet Kirkpatrick discovered it growing wild in Illinois. Like all gardeners who find an interesting plant, she dug it up and planted it in her garden. As it grew, she gave cuttings to her neighbours. A legend was born.
And as if all that isn’t enough, hydrangeas even have their own day: January 5. Although why this glory of summer is celebrated in the middle of winter is a bit of a twist.
Each summer I fall in love with these ancient plants. It only adds to their fascination that their distant relatives were friends with and outlived the woolly mammoth. r
Jennifer Cole has a BA with a focus on History, is a freelance writer and avid gardener. She lives in Vancouver.
Why won’t my hydrangea bloom?
Everybody talks about what easy-care shrubs hydrangeas are, but you just can’t agree with their sentiment if your hydrangea hasn’t bloomed, never bloomed, or blooms only sometimes. What’s the deal?
If you have smooth or panicle hydrangeas, H. arborescens or H. paniculata:
• give them two years to start blooming • they bloom in summer, so don’t expect them to bloom in spring • they bloom on new wood; prune them in fall or late winter • they need more than four hours of sun per day • deer may have eaten the buds
If you have bigleaf or mountain hydrangeas, H. macrophylla or H. serrata:
• don’t prune them • if you do prune them, don’t expect the same amount of bloom that year • a late overnight freeze may have killed flower buds • deer may have eaten the buds
If you have climbing or oakleaf hydrangeas, H. petiolaris or H. quercifolia:
• give them at least five years to start blooming • don’t prune them • if you do prune them, don’t expect the same amount of bloom that year • they need at least four hours of sun per day • not appetizing to most deer, but you never know…
All hydrangeas:
• plant them in well-draining soil; they cannot tolerate wet feet • water them frequently; they have shallow roots • give them two to three inches of bark mulch
By shauna dobbie
Panicle hydrangea ‘Zinfin Doll’. Smooth hydrangea ‘Incrediball’.
Bigleaf hydrangea ‘Let’s Dance Blue Jangles’. Oakleaf hydrangea ‘Gatsby Pink’. Mountain hydrangea ‘Let’s Dance Cancan’.
If you’re old enough, you might remember when you could get two types of hydrangea: ‘Annabelle’ or peegee. Those were about all that would bloom in the lower Zones of Canada, anyhow. Today, though… my goodness. New cultivars have been coming out every year and they show no sign of stopping. Here’s a guide to different types.
Species
Panicle hydrangeas, or Hydrangea paniculata, are also known as peegee hydrangeas and are the hardiest of the bunch, most doing well at Zone 3. They come in white, pink, and white turning to pink; you can’t change the colour based on the pH of the soil. They bloom reliably on new wood from summer through fall. ‘Limelight’, ‘Pinky Winky’ and ‘Little Lamb’ are examples of panicle hydrangeas.
Smooth hydrangeas are H. arborescens. ‘Annabelle’, a natural hybrid, was discovered in 1910, and there have been several other hybrids developed since then. The species is native to North America and they are generally hardy to Zone 3. The ‘Invincibelle’ series and ‘Incrediball’ are smooth hydrangeas.
Bigleaf hydrangeas are H. macrophylla. They are among the least hardy and originated in Japan. The ones you get in pots from the florist at Easter are these. Several newer hybrids, like the ‘Let’s Dance’, ‘Abracadabra’ and ‘Cityline’ series are, too. They are generally hardy to Zone 6 and up.
Oakleaf is the common name for H. quercifolia. These have conical panicles of white flowers, pretty peeling bark and foliage shaped like—surprise—oak leaves. Like bigleaf, oakleaf are not hardy below Zone 6. They include the ‘Gatsby’ series. The species of oakleaf hydrangea is native to North America.
Mountain hydrangeas are newer on the breeders’ horizon. They are hardy at Zone 6 and, like bigleaf hydrangeas, you can change their colour by changing the pH of the soil they are in.
Climbing hydrangeas are H. anomala ssp. petiolaris. They get to 50 feet and even longer, but they are very slow to get going and start blooming. Once they are growing, though, they are vigorous. They are hardy to Zone 6, and I’m not aware of any hydbrids.
Shape
Mophead hydrangeas have big round heads. They are usually H. macrophylla but can be H. arborescens as well.
Lacecap refers to what kind of flowers are in the inflorescence. The big, showy blooms are sterile, while the smaller ones, that look like they haven’t bloomed yet, are fertile. Lacecaps have more fertile flowers, giving the type a very attractive look. The lacecaps are all in the less-hardy varieties, Zones 6 and up. r
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