Garden Hydrangeas
Few shrubs deliver flowers as dramatically large as hydrangeas, whose big mophead or cone-shaped blooms make them a garden centerpiece all on their own.
Choosing the Right Type
Bigleaf hydrangeas produce the classic mophead or lacecap blooms and are the type whose color shifts with soil pH, while panicle hydrangeas produce cone-shaped white blooms and tolerate more sun and cold. Smooth hydrangeas, including the popular 'Annabelle' variety, are especially cold-hardy and bloom reliably even after a hard prune.
Knowing which type you have matters enormously for pruning, since bigleaf hydrangeas bloom on old wood while panicle and smooth types bloom on new growth.
Pruning a bigleaf hydrangea at the wrong time of year is the most common reason gardeners lose a season's blooms — when in doubt, prune right after flowering rather than in spring.
Consistent Moisture Matters
"Hydrangea" means "water vessel" for good reason — these shrubs wilt quickly in dry conditions and want consistently moist, well-draining soil to keep their large leaves and blooms looking their best.
