Hydrangeas, By Naomi Slade
In the process of planning the foundational perennial plants for my gardens around our home, I knew I wanted to plant a grove of hydrangeas along the east side of our house. That area receives sun in the heat of the day, but also has a lot of shade. I envisioned a white fence, arbor and gate that lined up with the front of the house. There is a creek that runs along the east side of our house all the way to the very back of our property on the north side. The summer before we moved in, the county had made significant changes to the creek along there to help manage rain run-off and mitigate flooding. However, this means that this side of our yard basically drops 30 ft. down to the creek bed. Better for flooding but scary for a family with young children. I hoped that the rows of hydrangeas would be a beautiful distraction from the gabion basket cliff and discrete fencing we plan to install.
Also, some previous owner had placed many flagstones around the yard in various spots, which my husband and I decided to move to the east side of the house as a natural, classic stone path to the backyard. My goal was to create a flora-filled path, which would provide an experience of peace and beauty to anyone who walked along it to reach our backyard, which is truly my family’s natural sanctuary.
I started researching hydrangea varieties online but hadn’t purchased any yet since nothing would be available until the early spring, several months away. the research felt very overwhelming as I tried to remember which cultivars grew where and all the pertinent details to make a list of good choices. Then I found a book, Hydrangeas, by Naomi Slade, at my aunt’s house. I was first captivated by the stunning images by photographer for the book, Georgianna Lane. My aunt graciously let me borrow the book and I took to reading it at home that same day.
As I found myself pouring over the pages, I realized that this was the exact resource I needed to plan out this area of my garden. The book is divided up into sections based on the type of hydrangea. Slade provided all the necessary information for each cultivar she included, and gives just enough history of the flower to keep things interesting. Paired with Lane’s detailed, vivid photographs, I felt I was able to build a perfect list of hydrangea cultivars for my garden.
I had a few requirements for the hydrangea plants:
Appropriate for our climate (Zone 6B)
A variety of sizes, shapes and hues to use as cut flowers
Likes partial sun or shade.
Although I wanted large bushes for privacy, I did not want climbers, enormous mop-heads or pinnacles that would be difficult to use for flower arranging. Our soil is difficult - dense clay and prone to flooding in certain areas due to the creek. So far I have found that weeds like it, but other things need lots of compost. Our flagstone path will be 25 feet long, and I plan to plant hydrangeas on both sides.
Here is the list of suitable hydrangea cultivars I found:
Generale Vicomtesse de Vibraye (pg. 49)
Wedding Gown syn. Doppio Bianco (pg. 59)
Penny Mac (pg. 95)
Star Gazer (pg. 104)
Preziosa (pg. 133)
Ayesha syn. Silver Slipper (pg. 135)
Dark Angel Red (pg. 143)
Spike (pg. 144)
Endless Summer The Original (pg. 157)
Miss Saon (pg. 177)
Together (pg. 180)
Nikko Blue (pg. 196)
Hopcorn (pg. 198)
Obviously this is a large list, but I kept all of these on my list so that I can have as many options as possible, in case anything is unavailable or if we decide to add hydrangeas elsewhere in the garden. I will have to update the photos once we complete this project. As far as the book goes, I found it simultaneously inspirational and informative in a way that completely met my needs. After returning my aunt’s copy to her, I missed the book, and decided to buy a copy of my own. I think that is the highest recommendation I can give it!
