TRENDY HYDRANGEAS!
Why this 1970s favourite is back in fashion
Hydrangeas have a bit of an old-fashioned reputation, synonymous with shrub gardens of the sixties and seventies, and not at home in the more naturalistic style planting of grasses and herbaceous perennials so popular in recent years. But, just as in fashion, gardening tastes change and shrubs are becoming popular once again, so it’s time to take another look at hydrangeas as they have so much to offer.
These easy-care shrubs produce longlasting flowers throughout summer and early autumn, so when it comes to selecting planting partners we’re looking at late-flowering perennials and shrubs that have similar growing requirements.
Because most hydrangeas grow best in semi-shade and require a moist soil, groundcover plants are a logical planting match as they keep the root zone of the hydrangea cool. Low growing evergreens such as Vinca minor have the added bonus of disguising hydrangea’s bare stems after the leaves drop off in autumn.
Hydrangea’s dark green leaves provide an attractive foil for white-flowering shade lovers like tiarella and hardy geranium, while the bold leaves of hostas are a good match for the large ballshaped flowerheads of the mophead hydrangea (H.macrophylla).
Because hydrangeas are big characters in the border, it pays to choose companions with toning and harmonious flower colours to let the hydrangea take centre stage; so pink and purpleflowering perennials with pink-purple hydrangeas, and so on.
But if you were feeling brave, you could try a loud and contrasting duo – a bright blue mophead hydrangea with a zingy orange crocosmia, for instance.
When it comes to size – many hydrangeas grow to shoulder or head-
height, but don’t worry if you only have a small growing space, there’s an increasing number of compact varieties being bred that are ideal for container growing. n