Below is the perfect example of why we avoid planting Bigleaf Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) in Litchfield County.
As I’m sure you’re aware, Hydrangea varieties are about as diverse as any other plant species. Not all Hydrangeas are created equal. Hydrangeas have the ability to flower on old wood, meaning buds are set on last year’s growth, they can flower on new wood, meaning buds are set in the current growing season and there are Hydrangeas that set buds on both old and new wood.
After decades in the landscape industry, we are always refining our plant lists. After decades of giving all types of Hydrangea macrophylla varieties a chance, we axed them from our list probably 15 years ago. Compared to other Hydrangea varieties, Hydrangea macrophyllas aren’t worth the hype. Maybe on the coast but not in Litchfield County. The above video is a good example of what you’ll typically experience while trying to grow this variety of Hydrangea in Litchfield County. This garden is a combination of Hydrangea macrophyllas, Hydrangea paniculatas and Hydrangea arborscens. As you can see, all of last years growth on the Hydrangea macrophyllas died back to the ground. With the die back comes damage to all the flower buds that were set last year. The back of the border are budded up Hydrangea paniculatas and Hydrangea arborscens. With these varieties, buds are set in the current growing season so they are unaffected by winter cold. Beyond flower consistency these varieties provide, another benefit with these varieties is they can be heavily pruned in fall or early spring, giving gardeners a longer window to control height beyond right after flowering that Hydrangea macrophyllas require. In fact, Hydrangea arborscens are so resilient, they can be cut back to the ground in spring or fall and my mid June, they are in full flower again. You never have to worry about a Hydrange paniculata or Hydrangea arborscens flowering in CT. Even where deer decide to eat these varieties, they’ll still recover and flower, just a little later in the season as they typically would.
In my opinion, Bigleaf Hydrangeas just aren’t worth taking up valuable space in your garden in this area. Happy gardening!
