Hydrangea

Grows 6' to 10' tall and spreads 3' to 5'. Prefers sun or partial shade. Many recommend morning sun and afternoon shade. Hardy in Zones 5b - 9. Buds for next year's flowers form soon after the bloom period ends (except for Annabelle), so pruning should be done quickly after flowering.

Overview Central Florida Flowers Dave's Garden gardenguides.com hydrangea.com Images hydrangeashydrangeas.com An excellent resource. Sources for Hydrangeas New Hydrangeas for North and Central Florida: Bigleaf and Mountain Hydrangeas (UF) Hydrangea Questions and Answers, US National Arboretum

Lacecap Hydrangea at the Hama Rikyu Teien Gardens in Tokyo.

• Big Leaf or French Hydrangea (hydrangea macrophylla). There are two basic types: Mopheads, which resemble pom-poms and are the most popular form of Hydrangea and Lacecaps, which are flatter and have a center of fertile flowers and edges of sterile flowers (see picture above).
  • botany.com
  • Clemson
  • Images
  • University of Florida " The coarse green foliage works well as a foundation plant or accent in a flower garden, or does well in containers for use on shaded patios and decks."
• Mountain Hydrangea, Lacecap Hydrangea, or Sawtooth Hydrangea (hydrangea serrata)
  • Dave's Garden
  • paghat.com
  • Royal Horticultural Society
  • University of Florida
• Oak Leaf Hydrangea (hydrangea quercifolia) Native to Florida
  • Images
  • paghat.com
  • University of Florida " The flowers, produced in midsummer in panicles, are at first white, then fade to pink and then tan."
• Peegee Hydrangeas (hydrangea paniculata)
  • hydrangeashydrangeas.com
• Annabelle (hydrangea arborescens)
  • hydrangeahydrangeas.com

Diary (April 2010) I’ve always had a special fondness for Lacecap Hydrangeas (for more background on Hydrangeas, see my Central Florida Garden web site). Compared to the gaudy blooms of Mophead Hydrangeas (the variety you typically see at florists and big box stores), Lacecaps have subtle, sterile flowers that hide peacefully in the shadows. To the left is a picture of a Lacecap that I took in 2005 during a trip to Tokyo.		Lacecap Hydrangea (Tokyo - Royal Gardens)
	Wanting to create the same effect in my garden, I purchased a Lacecap ‘Fasani' on eBay in November of 2009. It spent most of the winter leafless and in dormancy. To the right is a picture of the Fasan in April 2010. It still has a long way to go before reaching normal size and I would be surprised if it even blooms this year.
(May, 2010) What do I know? Within a week after making the prediction about no blooms I noticed that, sure enough, a bloom had appeared. I probably should remove the blossom so the plant puts more energy into its growth, but I’m a flower junkie. (Update) - I surprised to find that the Lacecap did not grow much after I finally had to cut off the blossom at the end of May. I just sat quietly in the corner of the garden for months doing nothing. By November all the leaves had fallen off and I trimmed it back in December.
	(April, 2011) - The Lacecap is back for its second year. Let's see if I can coax it into a growth spirit so it can go from a scrawny foot tall minor accent to a three or four foot tall crowd pleaser.