Hydrangeas - the shady stars of summer

In the world of plants, as in show business, everything old is eventually new again. Our grandmother's old-fashioned hydrangeas, those shrubby mainstays of gardens past, have made a comeback. And with good reason, for few plants are so easy to care for, plus bloom so long in such a lovely array of colors.

Breeders have been busy creating a wonderland of whites, blues, pinks, reds, violets and deep purples and not just in the familiar mop-head clusters.

Hydrangea flowers come in cones, lace-caps, varying in color on a single plant, and even variegated. Plant them along the north side of the house, beneath trees (as long as it isn't too dry and rooty), or in any shady or partially shady spot. Just remember that the word hydrangea comes from the Greek "hydro," meaning water. Hydrangeas need to be watered regularly. And they appreciate a dose of compost and manure every spring to look their best.

Just leave the old flowers on in the fall (except for the ones you cut for bouquets and to dry) to protect the new buds from harsh weather. New buds form beneath the old flower heads, so cut back carefully in March, which is also the time to cut out maybe a quarter to a third of the older stems on the plants.
That's all the care hydrangeas need, and they'll reward you with luscious flowers in the garden, and to cut for the house, for many years.

There are lots of new types of hydrangeas as well as old favorites
available in the nurseries. Here are some of the prettiest:

"Buttons 'n' Bows" has big, fat flowers in rosy pink, each petal cunningly outlined with white.

"Preziosa" has black stems and flowers that come on cream and turn to every shade of pink through wine as the season progresses. As the weather cools, the leaves turn red as well as the flowers.

"Little Honey" is an oakleaf hydrangea with golden-colored leaves. The handsome, toothed foliage is topped off with cones of creamy-white flowers all summer. It's the perfect little plant for containers or at the front of the border, for it grows only about 3 feet high and wide.

"Blue Deckle" brings a blast of sea and sky to the garden, with electric blue, lacy flowers that age to violet.

"Annabelle" is my favorite of all the hydrangeas, with near-basketball sized round flowerheads that start out creamy and turn soft green. It's the essence of old-fashioned hydrangea splendor, as big and blowsy as they come.

Cutting and drying hydrangea flowers:

Right after you pick, dip stems in boiling water for five seconds and they'll stay fresh in water for a couple of weeks. For drying, wait until the flowers turn a bit leathery and dull slightly.

Flowers picked too soon will wither no matter what drying technique you use. When picked at the right moment, all you need to do is stand each stem separately (don't crush together in bouquets) in vases or bottles to dry, and they should last for several years.

Get your hydrangeas from NatureHills.com!

Bleeding hearts add romance to garden

They are ephemeral, blooming for a time in spring before the onset of summer heat. Their foliage is fern-like, wispy and fragile. With the dog days of summer they may die back entirely to wait out the dry season before winter.

Delicates hide amid the ferns. They are found in little-used corners under trees. Such gems are surprises in the garden. They persist year after year to create more fairy blooms each season.

The bleeding heart of gardens is "Dicentra spectabilis," but there are others closely related that are native to our soil. These wild bleeding hearts can be found across America. They prefer to grow where there is even moisture with many dying back at midsummer.

Among them is Dicentra cucullaria, known as Dutchman's breeches and found throughout most of the eastern states. Rather than heart-shaped blossoms they resemble pantaloons.

The more commonly grown wild species includes Dicentra eximia from the middle Atlantic states.

On the opposite coast grows the western bleeding heart, Dicentra formosa. The species is found in forests of the Pacific Coast states from Canada south into California. In its southern, drier range it can be found sprouting out of cliff bases above river canyons, where it thrives off water running deep in fissures of the rock. Plants may all but disappear as this seasonal runoff dries up in the summer.

European breeders have crossed our two native species to produce excellent garden varieties for light shade. Luxuriant is among the most famous and widely grown. Super cold-hardy, it survives to Zone 3. It was one of the first plants ever patented. It can be relied on to bloom from mid-spring to mid-summer if you keep them adequately moist and pick spent flowers promptly after they fade.

Other cultivars from this line include a half dozen white varieties to add diversity to these plantings.

Coldham features burgundy blossoms. A ruby red version is named Adrian Bloom, and a highly floriferous purple pink is called Bountiful. Plant these in the shade under tree canopies where they thrive in the acidic soils with plenty of organic matter and good drainage.


Don't waste your bleeding hearts in beds and borders far from outdoor living spaces. Plant these fairy flowers up close and personal - around patios, decks and in foundation plantings.

Let them carpet the ground under dogwoods, Japanese maples and saucer magnolia for an extraordinary spring show. And don't forget to press the blossoms in books to add kind hearts and flowers to your most beloved correspondence all year around.