There’s no doubt that hydrangeas can hold their own in the garden. With big colorful blooms and beautiful green foliage, summer’s favorite flower makes a bold statement in any garden.

But, why not pair them with delicate foliage, bold flowers, or subtle ornamental grasses for more variety? If you’re looking for ways to make your hydrangeas pop, even more, try these companion planting tips.

When planting hydrangeas, be sure to use Espoma’s Organic Soil Acidifier for best results.

Foliage

It’s hard to go wrong when choosing a color for companion plants. Try pairing hydrangeas with foliage in different hues of the same color. This adds subtle dimension and almost creates a 3-D effect in the garden.

If your hydrangeas are pink, pair them with Rose Glow Barberry shrubs. The deep pink and purple foliage emphasizes the pastel pink flowers and contrasts perfectly with the green leaves. Try planting Blue Star Juniper alongside blue hydrangeas for a beautiful display. This low-maintenance shrub provides beautiful bluish-green foliage that complements any blue flowering plants.

Flowers

When planting flowers with flowers, timing is everything. Be sure to choose a summer-blooming flower that will blossom around the same time as your hydrangea. You can choose to plant similar hues or bright contrasting colors. If you’re looking to create a dramatic contrast in the garden, choose a flower that comes in a variety of colors.

Begonias and geraniums are beautiful flowers that come in many different shades, making them a perfect companion for hydrangeas. Create a colorful rainbow garden by pairing blue hydrangeas with pink geraniums or white hydrangeas with scarlet begonias.

Grasses

If you want the focus of your garden to be mainly on hydrangeas, opt for more subtle ornamental grasses that simply enhance their beauty. Most ornamental grasses are low-maintenance and easy to grow, giving you more time to spend perfecting your hydrangeas.

Fountain grass is one of our favorites because it provides pretty feathered plumes that dance in the wind. Green and yellow Japanese forest grass also complement hydrangeas very nicely.

On any given day you can visit the garden center and overhear customers asking for ‘’dwarf” plants. Usually, when the term dwarf comes to mind we think of small shrubs and flowering plants. Well, surprisingly those aren’t the only dwarf plants we offer at the garden center. We have a great selection of dwarf trees!

We like to refer to them at Van Wilgen’s as “Small Space Trees”. If you are like me and have a small yard but want to plant trees there are some awesome options out there. Here is a list of my top ten favorites. Many of them I have planted in my yard and love them! I invite you to come and visit the garden center and check them out.

1. Limelight Hydrangea Tree- Awesome white flower color from summer to fall. Van Wilgen Grown
2. Rising Sun Red Bud-Great early spring color, first to flower. One-of-a-kind foliage color!
3. Thundercloud Plum-Small pink flowers followed by purple leaves. Van Wilgen Grown
4. Coral bark Japanese Maple-Winter is when it’s at its best! Coral-pink bark all winter long!
5. Scarlet Fire Dogwood-New disease-resistant hybrid. Deepest pink flower for a kousa. Great texture to bark and excellent fall color.
6. Little Poncho Dogwood-The name says it all. For those that want a Kousa dogwood but don’t have a lot of space! Mine at home flowers for 6 weeks plus!
7. Rhode Island Red Japanese Maple-great upright maple but on a very small scale. Deep red foliage all season.
8. Baby Blue Spruce-this grafted spruce has the deepest blue color and keeps it!

It’s always a good day for the team when we can take a minute to talk about some of our favorite plants. Fall is a fantastic time to plant, and an event better time to admire the landscape. We put pen to paper and came up with a baker’s dozen of our favorite Autumn Flowers and Fruits. If you don’t see yours let us know, we love to know what you are planting!

Beauty Berry

Winter Berry

Sweet Autumn Clematis

Sedum

Perennial Plumbago

Dogwood

Snow Berry

Lespidiza

Butterfly Weed

Crab Apple

Hydrangea

Knock Out and Drift Roses

Fall Anenome

We love the contrasts and textures of fall foliage. From grasses to trees we have compiled a baker’s dozen of our favorites to see in the autumn landscape. If you don’t see your favorite let us know, we are always interested in what you are planting!

Hydrangea ‘Little Quick Fire’

Blueberries

Witch Hazel

Itea

‘Standing Ovation’ Grass

Stewartia

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Fothergilla

Perennial Plumbago

Dogwoods

Clethera

‘Little Miss’ Miscanthus

‘North Wind’ Panicum

Caring for your hydrangea can make all the difference for next year’s blooms. Hydrangea’s are strong and can come back from almost anything when given enough time and proper care.

Just follow these fall tips for pruning and maintenance. It isn’t complicated.

Identify

It is important to identify your variety first because some hydrangea varieties do not like being pruned in the fall.

If your garden has hydrangeas, then you need to know that there are two types of hydrangeas. One type produces flower buds on old wood and the other produces flower buds on new wood. Stems are called old wood if they have been on the plant since the summer before. New wood are stems that develop in the current season. Most varieties found in gardens are old wood bloomers including Mophead, Big Leaf, Lacecap, and Oakleaf hydrangeas. Double check your variety with your local garden center.

When to Prune

Hydrangeas can grow for years without being pruned, but if they get unruly, over take an area of the garden or lose their growing capabilities – it is time to trim. But when to prune them?

Prune fall blooming hydrangeas, or old wood bloomers, after they bloom in the summer. If you prune old wooded hydrangeas in fall, you are cutting off next seasons blooms.

Summer blooming hydrangeas, or those that bloom on new wood, are pruned in the fall, after they stop blooming.

Hydrangeas are colorful and vibrant in the early season, but are hard to preserve after being cut. They are easier to care for after they start drying on the bush.

How to Prune

Near the bottom of your plant, you will see thin, wispy, weak growth. Cut those down. They will take up energy that your plant could use for blooms.

Look for any dead stumps on your stems. They will not have grown any new wood or buds out of the original old wood. Cut the dead stumps down to their base to completely remove them. This will allow the new growth underneath to have a chance to succeed.

Dead and old blooms need to be removed to make room for new buds to come through. Cut the flower head off right above the first few leaves to encourage blooms for the next summer.

Stand back from the plant and observe its shape. You’ll want to prune the shrub into the shape you prefer, a sphere is the typical style but you could prune it into any shape you want!

Clean the Debris

Remove any debris that fell off from the base of the plant. You want to make sure your soil is free of any weeds, leaves and dead flowers.

Fertilize

If you’re growing blue hydrangeas, feed with Holly-tone to keep the soil acidic and the blooms bright. Otherwise, opt for Flower-tone.

For the best hydrangea care, feed 2-3 times throughout the growing season, which is from spring until fall.

Follow these few steps and your hydrangeas will be happy and vibrant for years to come.

There is absolutely no debate the most asked for plant in the tree and shrub yard are hydrangeas! The great thing about hydrangeas is there is a perfect type for each customer’s specific needs. Here is a list of some of our favorites here at Van Wilgen’s.

Bobo Hydrangea

This little cutie has been around for a few years and quickly went to the top of our list. A compact grower that matures to 3’x3’. It produces dense white cone-shaped flowers from summer into the fall. As flowers pass, the color changes to a rosy pink. Flowers are perfect for cutting. The best part of this little guy is it flowers on new wood and thrives in full sun. Extremely cold hardy.

Bloomstruck Hydrangea

The newest addition to the Endless Summer Collection. Bloomstruck is a no-brainer! It produces pink flowers in sweet soil and purple-blue flowers in acid soil. The red stems of the plant give great contrast against the green foliage. It will grow to about 4-5’ tall and about as wide. It prefers morning sun and afternoon shade. It flowers on new and old wood so be careful when you prune. Very heat tolerant as well.

Little Quickfire Hydrangea

Without a doubt one of my favorites! This plant has a great compact habit for a small area. The flowers are more open than other panicle forms, emerging white then changing to pinkish-red. The stems of the plant are a deep red that gives excellent contrast to the deep green leaves. My favorite quality is its scarlet red fall color of foliage. Prefers full sun. Flowers on new wood. Very cold hardy.

Hydrangea Tiny Tuff Stuff

What a performer! It is a variety of mountain hydrangea so that means it’s about as cold-hardy as it gets! You will be treated to lace cap flowers that will be blue to purple in acid soil. Handles an unbelievable amount of shade and will still flower. Great for container plantings as well because of its hardiness. Compact grower.

Original Endless Summer Hydrangea

The one that started it all! Flowers will be pink or blue depending on soil ph. Flowers very heavily. Grows to 5’x5’. Flowers emerge on new and old wood. Performs best in afternoon shade. Great for mass plantings.

Our friends at Proven Winners have created a Hydrangea chart to help if yours isn’t flowering, Click below to learn more.

https://www.provenwinners.com/sites/provenwinners.com/files/pdf/hydrangeas_demystified_2015.pdf

Large, beautiful hydrangeas are a great addition to any landscape. Their bold colors make them perfect for freshly cut or dried flowers. Getting off to the right start in the right location is the difference between a hydrangea bush that blooms for years and one that never does.

Get the beautiful blooms you desire with these hydrangea planting tips.

Where should I plant my hydrangea? Choose a spot with moist, well-drained soil. Hydrangeas can grow from 4’ to 12’ in height depending on the variety, so plan accordingly. Most hydrangeas benefit from some shade, especially in hot climates. Too much shade means your hydrangea may not grow flowers.

Check the plant tag to find out how many hours of sun your hydrangea should be getting per day. Panicle hydrangeas tolerate more sun than do other species. And if you live in a region where it gets seriously hot, your hydrangea will need more shade than those grown in colder zones. Hydrangeas in southern climates especially need frequent watering to tolerate that stress.

If you’ve noticed your hydrangea has stopped blooming in recent years, it may be time to evaluate the location. Make sure hydrangeas are still receiving enough daily light and check the growth of nearby trees. Consider moving the hydrangea to a sunnier spot.

Get Ready to Plant. Once you’ve found the perfect spot, dig a hole twice as large as the hydrangea’s container. Mix in an organic starter plant food, such as Bio-tone Starter Plus, to keep roots strong. Add 1” of compost or Espoma Organic All-purpose Garden Soil to help with nutrients and drainage. Place the hydrangea in the hole at about the same height it was in the container, spreading its roots wide. Backfill the hole with soil and top with 2-3” of mulch.

Water Well. After you plant, water the hydrangea until a puddle forms. Water twice a week for a month. Then water deeply once a week until fall.

The Finishing Touch. Feed blue hydrangeas with Holly-tone to keep the soil acidic. Otherwise, opt for Flower-tone. For the best hydrangea care, feed 2-3 times throughout the growing season, which is spring until fall.

Jason our Nursery Manager favorite PW Shrubs :

Hydrangea ‘Little Quick Fire’

Euyonymus ‘Gold Splash’

Spirea ‘Double Play Big Bang’

Hydrangea ‘Bobo’

Weigela ‘My Monet’

Deutzia ‘Yuki Cherry Blossom’

Will our Perennials Manager favorite PW perennials :

Heuchera ‘Primo Black Pearls’

Daylily ‘Ruby Spider’

Sedum ‘Pure Joy’

Hibiscus ‘Cranberry Crush’

Rosa ‘Oso Easy Paprika’

Leucanthemum ‘Banana Creme’

Darlene our Greenhouse Manager thinks these are the best PW plants for your containers, window boxes, and garden beds.

Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’

Petunia ‘Vista Bubblegum’

Petunia ‘ Vista Fuchsia’

Petunia ‘Bordeaux’

Bacopa ‘Giant Snowflake’

Calli ‘Lemon Slice’

Cuphea ‘Vermillionare’

Evovulus ‘Blue my Mind’

When people think of Lilacs the first thing to come to mind is the wonderfully fragrant flowers. There are four basic requirements that lilacs need to ensure they are the spring rock star of your garden.

• 1. Drainage. In their native homes, you will find them in fertile hills and on the edges of mountain woodlands. They are never seen in swampy wet areas. Lilacs prefer sandy, gravel-like soil.
• 2. Soil- Lilacs prefer a fertile well-drained soil with a neutral (ph7) to alkaline soil. When in doubt add garden lime! Flowers are produced from new shoots each year. Poor soil will lead to poor growth affecting flower production. If lilac is established in good soil new growth will be at least 6” and pencil-thick. This type of shoot will give you plump flower buds for next spring. If the growth is longer than 18” and thin this is a sign the soil may be too acidic, have too much shade or need to be thinned out by pruning. For lilacs, it is best to enrich the soil with good organic material over traditional fertilizers.

• 3. Sun, Sun, Sun! Lilacs require full sun, at least 6 hours or more each day. They are also “selfish” and don’t like the root competition that nearby trees may give. If you’re not sure how much sun your location gets, please ask a Van Wilgen’s expert and we can help you with that.

• 4. Pruning- Out of all the care lilacs need this can be the most intimidating for most beginners. However, it is much easier than you think. Prune out any diseased or declining canes, suckers, and small branches each year. Small growth and suckers are signs of poor growth. Next, prune out ¼ to 1/3 of the oldest branches each year. Make sure you leave a strong main stem giving you a god form for the plant. This practice ensures strong canes and growth. Also make sure you deadhead your flowers immediately after flowering, before July 4^th. By doing a little pruning to your lilac each year you will enjoy great form, flowering for years to come.

JASON SCIRE, Nursery Manager