Hydrangeas

Indeed Scot. I love them too but I only own one, a lacecap and its huge, what is your secret for pruning?

I don't prune except I take off branches which are growing in the wrong direction. I leave the flowers on over the winter and cut them off when I see the new flowers starting to show. If your shrub is getting too big you can cut it back as soon as the flowers go over but you might lose the next seasons flowers.

I agree with you. I love them. I have four growing at the front of my house, & they look lovely infull bloom.

You'd love it here! I think Hydrangeas must be considered the 'region's flower!' They're everywhere! Nudging for space around the casas; piled up in the market stalls; dried and displayed in bars - but they're all the same variety (unknown). I'd love to see a lacecap or paniculata here.

They are ideal in your border,Scotsgran..and look so healthy...It seems to have been a great year for them,with all the rain..my neighbours have got huge heads on them this year,,..no not them..the Hydrangeas! Lol.

They're lovely. Your border must be very colourful with them. I like to see them when they've dried and put in flower arangements :o)
I've got a petiolaris and paniculata, and two small cuttings of other types. I'm going to grow the cuttings on in pots because I haven't got enough room in the garden for them.
They always seem to be a 'forgotten' plant. I don't know why. I really like them.

I'm not a lover of the macrophylla mophead types myself, though I don't mind blue ones so much. But I do rather like the paniculata ones, and the lacecap varieties I like very much, again, blue/white ones. I even have a favourite hydrangea - quadricolour.
I reckon most people's dislike of the mopheads is down to association with the fifties and sixties, when they were ubiquitous in people's front gardens, so they're probably seen as old fashioned.

Thanks Scot. will take a look and see what I can do!

They are one of my all time favourites Scotsgran, I have them in pots and in the ground. Your garden looks lovely :o)

Scotsgran, your paniculata one - it seems to be holding its heads up really well, do you ever notice the flower stems seeming a bit floppy? Someone I know's got Annabelle, and its flowering stems seem to flop and trail along the ground rather than doing what your Pinky Winky is doing.

Those are lovely Sheila. I always think it's summer when I see the Hydrangeas in flower - I wouldn't be without mine in the garden.
I bought Pinky Winky a few weeks ago when I was up at Hopetoun. The flowers are a gorgeous deep pink now. Do you prune your Pinky Winky - the label on mine says flowers on new growth?
I keep looking at the deep red ones at the GCs but they are a bit tender.

I'm glad they are still in favour. I guess it will be their turn to top the charts again soon. Scottish I pruned Pinky Winky last year because the label said to do it in March. I did not get flowers until August. I thought that was because I had pruned it but it is only supposed to flowers from August to October so it was not late. I did not do it this year and the flowers are only appearing in the last couple of weeks. Whether that is because everything seems to be running a month late or because I did not prune it I'm not sure. I'll do it in March 2013. Bamboo has your friend not pruned hers because the stems might be getting long and lanky and prone to bending or maybe its not in the recommended position of sun to semi shade. Is it getting enough water. I'm finding pockets in the garden that are quite dry in spite of all the rain we have had. I would not choose the quadricolour because it seems to be an odd colour combination. Maybe I'd change my mind if I saw it in the flesh. Must be my odd sense of humour Bloomer but I had a vision of my neighbours with big heads. I'd have to move. Sounds lovely where you live Nariz. The Orkney Islands have no trees but they do have the most mognificent and tall fuchsias I have ever seen. I like to see great banks of the same plant and maybe one day I'll get to Spain and see the hydrangeas for myself. Hywel I too like to see them dried and in a vase. They do keep their colour really well. Annella and Dwyllis I'm pleased you both show them at the front of your houses too. I wonder if people comment on them like they do mine. We had a different postman this week. I ended up showing him over the garden, likewise the stand in coalman and the delivery driver from the local country park who was bringing me more woodchip. They flower for so long and make such a huge impact colour wise that I would be sad to lose them.

Lol,about the big heads,Scotsgran...and now I have a vision of all those men looking round your garden ! :o)
A change from looking at etchings !! :o))

I love all hydrangeas Scotsgran and have also successfully dried the Macrophylla. I have all mine in one border facing north like you do apart from one huge one in a raised bed. I am always trying to make room for one more. I can't resist them. The flower heads at Mount Stewart in Ireland when we stayed with Libet were absolutely enormous. You have a lovely collection.

I agree they are very worth while Scots....I would love to have more space for a few...:>)

I so agree with you SG. I used to associate hydrangeas with "old peoples' gardens". They are now my favourite shrubs. So much colour!

I have my absolute favourite quercifolia...and my climbing anomala...

...and have added twelve more (including paniculata "vanille fraise", which has been a bit disappointing)...

...but, I am with Nariz...banks of unspecified glowing colours takes some beating! :)

Hydrangeas have made a comeback here in NZ over the past two or three years. I often see them in lovely displays in the windows of florist shops nowadays, & have seen them as big displays at weddings, & even in wedding bouquets. Such a beautiful range of colours & yes, I've had ladies from the church nearby knocking on our front door to ask if they could cut some for the church.

Now now Bloomer behave yourself Lol. Rose and Motintot there are more and more varieties or should that be cultivars around that you would need a huge estate to show them off properly. Hi Karen long time no hear but I've been very busy this summer. I agree the quercifolia is a beauty. I was going to buy one the last time we were in Somerset but I walked past it on the way back to the shop and only realised I had not got one when we arrived home. The climbing anomala I had to look up as I had not heard of it but I think it is almost if not identical to our H. petiolaris. I have three of them in the garden and they are great for covering a north facing wall. I think a lot of flowers are not exactly as we would expect them to be, colourwise, this year. Have you seen H. Pan. 'Limelight'. Its a real stunner. I might try and squeeze one of them in somewhere next year. Dwyllis one of my neighbours has a macrophylla which is bursting out over the footpath. A lady who was doing the flowers for a church wedding on Saturday came and got a huge bunch. Its interesting to hear that brides on both sides of the world are going for Hydrangeas.

I love hydrangeas but have never had any success with them. I'd love some because I think they're stunning. There are lots of them in my local area so I don't know what I'm doing wrong with them! When we were on holiday in Chester, we visited Speke Hall and there was a huge border filled to the brim with them. It was absolutely glorious - wish I could attach a photo to this reply.

Jan65 if you post a photo and tell us you have done that we can look on your photos section to see it. Have a look at this website to see if you can spot what the trouble is because generally speaking hydrangeas are quite easy to grow. http://www.greenwoodnursery.com/page.cfm/93285

So glad I found this blog, I love hydrangeas, though I grow only one at the moment as some of them are a bit too big for the space I have. Really enjoyed looking through these photos you have such a beautiful collection!

I thought they had gone out of favour Louisa but obviously not from the replies I got. I really only grew flowering shrubs when I was working and these filled the same function as perennial flowers in the summer months but with a lot less work. Most of these are quite recent additions.

I grow a lot of mine in big pots Louisa :o)

That's a good idea Annella, the one I've got is in a pot, and I might possibly buy another one this year and keep that in a pot too. Trouble is, where to put all these pots!lol

You can always squeeeeze one more in Louisa. The pots allow me to grow blue ones as my garden is neutral to alkaline.