Digging Up Daisy (A Mainely Murder Mystery) by Sherry Lynn | Author Guest Post

There are many varieties of hydrangeas. Pruning and care may differ, depending on the variety you choose for your garden. Be sure to do your homework before taking out the shears or underwatering, because failure to do so will affect the number of blooms the following year!

A  FEW OF THE MANY VARIETIES THAT YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM :

MOPHEAD VARIETY, OR BIGLEAF (H. MACROPHYLLA)—

The most common hydrangea, this is the one with showy, large, globe-shaped flowers. These showy globes can vary from deep blue to pinkish purple, based on the pH of your soil.

Note: You can play with the color by raising or lowering the pH of the soil, using products found at your local garden center.

Here’s how you can adjust your soil to change the bloom color:

Soil pH 5.0 to 5.5 = Blue

Soil pH 6.0 to 6.5 = Pink/purple

Soil pH 5.5 to 6.5 = Purple, or both blue and pink

To make sepals bluer, add aluminum sulfate to the soil and maintain low levels of phosphorous, moderate levels of nitrogen, and high levels of potassium.

PRUNING—Best in late summer, however, hydrangeas technically don’t ever need to be pruned back unless they’re old and you want to reshape them. Re- moving dead stems is the only requirement to keep the health of the plant. Dead blooms can also be re- moved at any time. This variety blooms on old growth, so too much pruning can result in no flowers the following year. Use caution!

Morning sun and afternoon shade are where this beauty will thrive in your yard, and this variety loves to stay moist.

Yes, I repeat, this variety requires a lot of water— these mopheads are thirsty!

OAKLEAF HYDRANGEA (H. QUERCIFOLIA)—Beautiful fall color, provides year-round interest. Tolerates dryer conditions.

This one differs from the mophead hydrangea in that it thrives in a sunny location but can handle shade, and usually blooms later in the summer.

PRUNING—Best in early spring or summer after flowering. This variety blooms on old growth, too, so don’t get overzealous with those snippers!

‘PEE GEE’ (H. PANICULATA)—provides white flowers that turn a pinkish hue.

PRUNING—Best to deadhead, also cut back in late winter/early spring before frost.

These flowers dry in a lovely way for fall/winter arrangements, as they start out creamy white and turn a rosy pink as they age.

Different varieties of ‘Pee Gee’ hydrangea can provide different hues. Pinky Winky has long, cone‑shaped white and pink flowers, and Vanilla Strawberry is white to the tip and a darker reddish hue at the base. Or the ‘Limelight’ variety, which provides chartreuse flowers that morph pinkish in autumn.

‘GRANDIFLORA,’ OR ‘HILLS OF SNOW’ HYDRANGEA, SMOOTH HYDRANGEA (H. ARBORESCENS)—Habitat of five feet tall and domes of creamy white flowers beginning in early summer.

PRUNING—Prune to the ground each winter/early spring (this is one hardy hydrangea!) Blooms on new growth. Tolerates light shade and will bless you with blooms from June to the fall.

White globe blooms can reach twelve inches in diameter!

CLIMBING HYDRANGEA (H. ANOMALA)—A vigorous, sprawling, woody vine, midsummer white flowers with a rich green foliage.

PRUNING—No pruning required but you can, to keep shoots under control, in the summer after flowering as this hydrangea flowers on old growth as well.