A beautiful outdoor deciduous flowering shrub, that has long lasting blooms, into the Fall, is the Hydrangea.

Hydrangeas are known for their abundant supply of large flower heads, that are beautiful in the landscape, as well as being used in fresh floral arrangements or as dried flowers. They tend to bloom later in the summer than most of the other flowering shrubs and trees and will bloom until a hard frost. The finished flowers can be left on the plant, giving added winter interest to the landscape.

There are different varieties of Hydrangeas but not all of them are hardy for Prince George's zone 3 climate. The 'Bigleaf' types, which have the pink or blue flowers, and are often seen growing outdoors in the lower mainland, are not hardy for here. They are sold in the garden centres this time of year, as indoor flowering plants, but if they were to be planted outdoors after they finished blooming they would not make it through a Prince George winter.

There are hardy varieties available and over the past few years, plant breeders have come up with many new beautiful varieties. Many of these are 'Paniculata' types which are known for their hardiness, and cone shaped flower heads.

A well known paniculata type that has proven itself in Prince George over the years is the Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora 'Peegee'. It has clusters of pink-white flowers on bushes that grow 2 meters high and wide.

Some of the newer paniculata varieties include Hydrangea paniculata 'Great Star'. Great Star has large clusters of white blooms, ideal for cut flowers. The clusters are made up of large 10 cm, single white florets, that resemble wavy stars. A nice feature about 'Great Star' is that it flowers on new wood, which means that the flowers form on the current year’s growth. The bush itself will grow 1.5-1.8 meters tall and wide.

If you are short on space, perhaps you may want to try a smaller variety such as Hydrangea paniculata 'Little Lime'. It is very similar to Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight', except smaller in size and more compact. Both of these produce masses of soft green flowers that shade to pink in the Fall. Little Lime grows 90-150 cm tall and wide, and Limelight grows 1.5-2 meters.

Another hardy small sized variety is the Hydrangea paniculata 'Bobo', known for its abundance of huge clusters of white flower heads that turn pinkish in the Fall. The flowers are grown on strong stems that continue to grow and lengthen as it blooms. All of these bloom on new growth.

Plant hydrangeas in a moist, well-drained soil. They do not like to go dry, and the plant will tell you, as the leaves will wilt. It is especially important to keep them watered over the first 1-2 years after being planted, and during dry spells. Plant them in a sunny to part shade location.

Prune paniculata varieties in the spring when the buds begin to swell. Remove any dead branch tips and periodically remove some of the oldest stems at ground level to encourage new shoots.

Hydrangeas are rarely bothered by pests or diseases making them a good choice for most landscapes. They can be planted in mass plantings, used as a hedge, or as a single specimen plant.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Home and Garden Centres in Prince George:

• Highway 16 West at Kimball Road
• Highway 97 North at Northwood Pulpmill Road

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