Plant of the month - Hydrangea

How are your hydrangeas?  If they’ve survived this summer’s heatwaves then by now they might just be propping up your borders with their blousy, beautiful blooms.

Hydrangeas are a stalwart of the late summer garden, fading ever so slowly during the autumn, with their papery, vintage-looking flowers usually standing strong through the winter too, providing structure and sparkle on frosty mornings.  If you’re missing a touch of glamour in your garden, then here are five of the best hydrangeas to consider:

Annabelle – gorgeous ‘Annabelle’ produces enormous spherical flowers as large as your head!  They are, in fact, globes of tightly packed small bracts but these blooms are real showstoppers.  Often seen in white, there’s a pretty pink variety too. 

Limelight – the flowers of this hydrangea start off lime-green, gradually becoming creamy-white and the turning pink during autumn.  Three colours in one for this compact and resilient shrub.

Vanilla Fraise – resembling huge ice-cream cones of raspberry ripple and similar in size and shape to Limelight, Vanilla Fraise changes colour during the season from creamy-white to pink, through to red in autumn.

Hydrangea petiolaris - a resilient and vigorous evergreen climber for walls and buildings, great for brightening up a shady spot.  They’re self supporting and produce spectacular sprays of white lacecap flowers which bees love.

Mophead – the classic hydrangea; easy to look after, long-lasting, with those large, full flowers which can be cut and dried or left to stand until spring.  There’s also the enjoyment of finding out more about the soil in your garden: if you have acid soil there will be more lilac or blue flowers, while alkaline soil produces pink blooms.