Every garden deserves to have the big, happy blooms of a hydrangea, they are the celebratory shrub of early summer. They are blooms we have known all our lives, welcoming warm weather and good memories. What you will be happy to know is that hydrangeas are pretty easy to grow which means anyone can enjoy the fluffy flowers.

The majority of hydrangeas like to be planted in rich, moist soil in a spot which is protected from strong afternoon sun. They do require light to produce those lovely blooms but they may get droopy if they are in sun and hot all day long, especially the mopheads. Those of us here at Nature’s Friends Landscaping know hydrangeas and their requirements very well. We would be pleased to help you with your landscaping needs, including finding the hydrangea varietal which will work best in your landscape.

These wonderful shrubs have been refined and developed to customize to almost any preference, small, large, colorful blooms and white blooms, they will put on a show! Most popular hydrangeas fall into one of four categories: Hydrangea macrophylla, which encompasses the mopheads and lacecaps; Hydrangea quercifolia, the lovely oakleaf variety; Hydrangea arborescens, mainly represented by ‘Annabelle’ it has huge blooms; and the Hydrangea paniculata, ‘Peegee’ and relatives.

Within these groups are many beautiful and tough plants, everyone can find a space in their yard for at least two or three of them. The smaller varietals can also be grown in pots, and they do look stunning in a striking pot.

Of the four groups, three have white blooms, however the macrophylla will react to the soil acidity where they are planted. They may be blue, pink, light purple or dark purple, or sometimes one plant will have all of these colors which is truly beautiful. An acid or mostly acid soil will produce flowers in the blue range whereas a more alkaline soil will bring out the pinks. Either way you will be delighted with these wonderful plants!