Hydrangeas to Plant Now For Fall
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Discover the beauty and charm of hydrangeas, a quintessential summer bloom that adds old-fashioned elegance to any garden.
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Summer’s Friend and Autumn’s Farewell
— A Favorite Bloom
“Even in the smallest and humblest garden,
a sturdy hydrangea at once
proclaims the place as the abode
of a real gardener rather than a mere purchaser
of plants to cover the landscape.”
—Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin, 2006
A quintessential summer bloom with old-fashioned charm graces the eastern sides of homes across the land, from north to south, east to west.
Who can say when they first became favored? Imported into North America from Japan, China and Europe in the 19th century, they quickly became a summer and autumn staple.
Did you know that Hydrangea is the #1 genus searched online? Their popularity continues to skyrocket as hardier, showier varieties are developed every year. Their versatility in sun to shade and bold blooms make them must-have shrubs for every garden.
Roses, peonies, and hydrangeas are among my favorite blooms. Well, and delphiniums and foxgloves… never mind. That list could have no end. I adore blooming flowers.
But hydrangeas hold a special place in my heart as their blooms have graced every home I’ve ever lived in.
Their glorious mopheads and delicate lacecaps have a fame that’s spread far and wide. A blooming flower that welcomes spring and bids farewell in autumn.
While I love homes lined with hydrangeas, they are equally as charming in containers. I have several in large containers around my yard and have been extremely pleased with how well they’ve done.
An easy plant to grow if planted with certain criteria.
Wayside Gardens instructs, “Planting your Hydrangea in early spring or in the fall is ideal. When you are planting a Hydrangea, remember that the blooms and stems must be protected from strong winds and the hot afternoon sun. Avoid planting in open areas where strong winds could break stems. Planting on the eastern side of a building ensures that, in the afternoon, when the sun is at its hottest, your plants are in the shade. Make sure your plant has good drainage. If the soil is too wet, the roots might rot, and the plant will die. Incorporate a lot of organic matter and an all-purpose slow-release fertilizer into the soil to give your hydrangea a strong start.”
Beautiful Varieties of Hydrangeas
The following are award-winning varieties of hydrangeas.
LET’S DANCE® RAVE™ Hydrangea – Purple flowered rebloomer
The Let’s Dance hydrangea series represents the next generation of reblooming hydrangea. They have improved flower color and attractive foliage so you have a more beautiful garden. Every year, Let’s Dance hydrangeas bloom on both new wood and old wood, delivering lots of flowers and lots of wow to your landscape.
GATSBY PINK® Hydrangea – Showy pink flowers
The best pink!
Gatsby Pink® oakleaf hydrangea boasts big, showy blooms that quickly transform from pure white to a glorious pink, providing months of color. Handsome dark green foliage turns burgungy-red in autumn. This North American native is perfect for woodland gardens and informal plantings.
Top three reasons to grow Gatsby Pink oakleaf hydrangea:
- Native to North America
- White flowers change to pink
- Excellent fall color
ZINFIN DOLL™ Hydrangea – Big colorful flowers
Pink and white two-toned blooms!
This is a beautiful new hardy hydrangea with loads of bodacious blooms that emerge pure white and then turn bright pink from the bottom up. The flowers eventually age to a dark pink-red and stay colorful for months. It looks a bit like classic Pinky Winky hydrangea, but with full, mophead flowers, and it blooms much earlier, too. Strong stems hold the flowers upright in the garden and make them excellent cut flowers, too.
Top three reasons to grow Zinfin Doll panicle hydrangea:
- Large, colorful mophead blooms appear earlier in summer than other varieties
- Blooms every year, no matter how harsh the winter was
- Provides 3+ months of flowers
Invincibelle Spirit II Hydrangea – Strong rebloom on even stronger stems
This second generation of Invincibelle Spirit boasts notable improvements like darker foliage, stiffer stems, and larger, richer pink flowers.
New and improved!
The second generation of Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea delivers on all accounts: it has darker foliage, stiffer stems, and larger flowers that are a richer pink that ages to an attractive green. This hydrangea grows from Manitoba to Mobile, blooming every year from mid-summer to frost. It is a strong rebloomer, and will deliver plenty of rich pink flowers through the summer and into fall.
New and improved!
The second generation of Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea delivers on all accounts: it has darker foliage, stiffer stems, and larger flowers that are a richer pink that ages to an attractive green. This hydrangea grows from Manitoba to Mobile, blooming every year from mid-summer to frost. It is a strong rebloomer, and will deliver plenty of rich pink flowers through the summer and into fall.
Tuff Stuff™ Hydrangea — Lacecap blooms on both old and new wood!
This lacecap is a stunning new selection of Mountain Hydrangea offering almost nonstop blooms from early summer right through fall! Not so much “reblooming” as “everblooming,” it is a consistent performer, thanks to flowering on both old and new wood.
The blooms are semi- to fully double, held in the gorgeous lacecap pattern of tiny fertile flowers (dark red) in a cluster surrounded by larger, sterile florets (magenta-pink). They begin in early summer with a big, heavy show, then continue steadily but less floriferously through the worst summer heat and all fall long.
Hydrangea macrophylla Zebra — Fast growing and long blooming!
Ivory blooms and ebony stems make some beautiful music on this unique and captivating hydrangea. Those fluffy flowerheads are a glowing white with little dimples of pale green at their centers and gives your partly shaded garden a burst of welcome floral interest. Zebra boasts a lengthy bloom season that stretches from summer through autumn. Those midnight-colored stems offsets the bright cottony flowers and make for an eye-catching display as arranged cut flowers.
Top 10 Best-selling Hydrangeas
1. ‘Limelight’ H. paniculata
Multiple award winning panicle hydrangea with creamy white flowers that age to green, then pink. Blooms without fail every year.
Zones: 3-8
Height: 6-8’
2. Little Lime® H. paniculata
A dwarf form of ‘Limelight’ with soft green flowers that turn deep pink in fall.
Zones: 3-8
Height: 3-5’
3. Incrediball® H. arborescens
Improvement over ‘Annabelle’ with massive white flower heads and stronger stems that hold up even after a heavy rain.
Zones: 3-9
Height: 4-5’
4. Quick Fire® H. paniculata
The earliest bloomer, flowering in early summer with white flowers that quickly take on rose tones.
Zones: 3-8
Height: 6-8’
5. Bobo® H. paniculata
Incredibly floriferous, showy hydrangea with large, white flowers on strong, shorter stems.
Zones: 3-8
Height: 2 ½-3’
6. Pinky Winky® H. paniculata
A customer favorite; exceptionally large, two-toned white and pink flower panicles top this tall hydrangea.
Zones: 3-8
Height: 6-8’
7. Invincibelle® Spirit II H. arborescens
The very first pink ‘Annabelle’-type hydrangea, being replaced this year by the improved Invincibelle Spirit II which boasts much stronger stems and improved flowering performance; rebloomer.
Zones: 3-9
Height:3-4’
8. Little Quick Fire® H. paniculata
A dwarf form of Quick Fire® with white flowers that turn deep pink in summer and remain attractive into fall.
Zones: 3-8
Height: 3-5’
9. Tuff Stuff™ H. serrata
An excellent choice for northern growers; improved bud and stem hardiness results in reliable bloom and rebloom every year with pink lacecap flowers.
Zones: 5-9
Height: 2-3’
10. LET’S DANCE® Rhythmic Blue™ H. macrophylla
Intensely color-saturated blooms shift easily from blue to pink; rebloomer with sturdy stems and good wilt-resistance.
Zones: 5-9
Height: 2-3’