Sun loving, drought tolerant and cold hardy: hydrangeas have spiked in popularity, especially with so many new and remarkable varieties

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Sun loving, drought tolerant and cold hardy: hydrangeas have spiked in popularity, especially with so many new and remarkable varieties now available. There are so many, even the professionals are having trouble keeping up.

I think one of the nicest features of H. paniculata grandiflora, or PeeGee, hydrangeas, is that most change colour from a creamy white to beautiful shades of pink or red as the blossoms mature. Some, like H. p. Limelight, start out as a beautiful green shade and then age to cream with varying pink tones.

The H. paniculatas variety also vary in height and breadth, which is an important issue with so many smaller gardens. The standard, or tree form, is another great feature, especially in cramped spaces when a two- to three-metre tree can make a great focal point and also act as a screen.

By far one of the most popular low growing varieties is a Proven Winners introduction called H. p. Bobo. Growing less than one metre tall and about two metres wide, it is one of the earliest to bloom with beautiful white panicles that mature into a pleasing pink.

A close competitor, H. p. Dragon Baby, was introduced by Van Belle Nursery in Abbotsford. It opens with slightly smaller triangular blooms with a touch of green, which quickly turn white and finally finishes as a rich pink. I find it always looks perky and stays very low in the two-to-three-foot range.

Another Van Belle introduction, H.p. Bubble Bath, is gaining attention heads because of its low-mounding form. It also opens lime green, and its huge blossoms age to rosy pink. It’s also a shorty, only getting up to one metre tall and wide.

One of the newest developments by Van Belle is H. p. Hot Sauce, which has more distinct triangular panicles that open a creamy white and then turn pink and red.  It’s another very compact variety, growing to less than one metre tall, and it keeps blooming well into autumn.

Last of the shorties is another Proven Winner H.p. Fire Light Tidbit. Similar to H.p. Bobo, with a mounding habit, it also starts out as bright lime, transitioning to white and then quickly turning to a dragon-fruit neon pink. Another feature is its beautiful fiery, orange-red fall foliage.

The popular lime family is always expanding and improving. H.p. Limelight was the original strong-stemmed lime hydrangea, growing up to two metres tall and wide. It is very impressive, but as the blossoms age the green can change into pink and ultimately burgundy in the fall. A shorter, more compact form is called H.p. Little Lime is about half the size of the original with the same colours.

H.p. Little Lime Punch is very similar to Little Lime in size, but the difference comes as the flowers begin to age. Green turns to a festive blend of pink, green, white, and Hawaiian Punch red. It is not only vibrant but very uplifting. In addition to all these varieties, Proven Winners recently introduced H. p. Limelight Prime. It is a very strong plant with darker green foliage and grows to about two metres tall and wide. This new variety holds its lime colour weeks before transforming into a nice bubble gum pink, like their famous petunia. It is the ultimate Limelight icon.

There are also a number of mid-sized varieties available and Van Belle has introduced some very good ones. H.p. Candelabra has significantly larger, creamy triangular panicles that slowly age out to pink and finally turn red for autumn. Growing just over one metre tall, it has a beautiful upright form.

Another nice mid-sized variety with a strong upright form is H.p. Bouncy which features more pointed triangular panicles that hold their nice lime/white colour before turning pink in late summer going into fall.

H.p. Moonrock, which is another lime-cream combination in the four-to-six-foot range sports good sized flowers that hold their colour well into autumn. It is a distinctly beautiful variety.

H.p. Torch is a more open-flowering variety with creamy flowers eventually colouring up to pink and red in late spring and hanging in all summer into fall.

A significant change from the usual mid-sized varieties, H.p. Puffer Fish is really unique: the huge flowers are fluffy white and often obscure the plants’ foliage. Unlike other varieties, the creamy white flowers turn and hold a pure white colour. It is a first-class performer.

H.p. PowerBall has a very unique inflorescent panicle, more reminiscent of the macrophylla hydrangeas. Growing up to six feet tall and wide its super-round blooms open a refreshing green, lighten up a little as they mature, and finally turn a deep rich pink. It can be grown where many mophead hydrangeas can’t grow in hot sun or severe cold. It is very strong and sturdy and deserves a spot in your garden.

H.p. Pinky Winky has been well known for many years, but Proven Winners has introduced H.p. Pinky Winky Prime which has absolutely huge, pointed panicles on a plant that stretches up to nine feet in size. This bicolour variety has enormous, more deeply hued pink blooms which turn a very hot pink as they age with the colour moving up from the bottom to the top of the flower heads.

Proven Winners’ H.p. Quick Fire Fab is one of the more striking tall varieties. Growing to almost two metres wide, it has football sized flowers opening a coconut white and quickly turning a beautiful watermelon red. The pink darkens from the base of the flowers to the tip here as well. What’s interesting is that the tips stay lime green in contrast to the emerging hot pink. It’s an eye-popping plant and one that warrants a home in a larger garden space. The Quick Fire family is also one of the earliest to bloom.

The demand for all of these hydrangeas has truly surprised many growers this year as some varieties sold out early. Their long-lasting beauty, tolerance to both heat and drought, especially this summer, has truly increased their value as more climate-appropriate plants. That only enhances the value of their long blooming habits and many stunning colour changes.