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BLOOMING TIMES
Shady Ladies Often dismissed as frumpy and boring, some fabulous new varieties have been added to the hydrangea family. Flo Whitaker urges you to take a second look at these long-lived plants that offer much – and ask for little in return
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fter decades languishing on the unfashionable bench, hydrangeas are deservedly back in the spotlight. They’re particularly useful to gardeners as they bring colour when many summer performers have left the stage. Exciting new varieties are now available, (they’re in the garden centres now!) By making a carefully considered selection you can have a succession of flowers from July to October. After flowering, they’ll continue to give interest throughout winter. Faded hydrangea blooms have a subtle charm; turning to dusky shades as autumn approaches. Cut some for indoor decoration, or leave them in situ where they will become bleached and desiccated but still retain pleasing architectural shapes. Old flowerheads also have a practical use as they
protect new shoots from frost, so, if you’re a member of the secateur-happy brigade, curb your urges until April before deadheading.
Hydrangeas are mostly pest and trouble-free. They seldom need radical pruning, but can be cut back by a third in spring if necessary. An annual feed of generalpurpose fertiliser and a thick mulch is probably the only maintenance they’ll require all year, however, it’s really important to give them the right environment, so choose the planting site carefully. In the wild, hydrangeas are woodland plants; growing in dappled shade in soil that’s enriched with moisture-retaining leaf mould. If you can replicate these conditions, they will thrive. Some varieties are more sunshine tolerant, providing the soil remains cool and damp, but never waterlogged. Patio pots are challenging environments for hydrangeas. Be vigilant with the watering and avoid metal containers which will become hot in summer, warm the soil and stress the roots. In a heatwave, hydrangeas can flop alarmingly but will recover in
September 2021 | SUSSEX LIVING 95
