Amateur Gardening – 10 August 2019

26 AMATEURGARDENING 10 AUGUST 2019

Stuckforinspirationastheseasonschange?Freshenupyourlatesummerborders

withsnowy hydrangeas and assorted white-flowering plants,saysAnne Swithinbank

T

HEREcomesa pointin August

whenthegardenneedsto

reinventitself.Freshspring

growthandblossomarelong

gone,andstemsheavywithfoliageand

spentflowerssplayacrosspathways.

Now’sthetimetodeadhead,

pruneandsetthescene

latesummerandearly

autumn.Starperformers

forfresheningupthe

gardenarewhite-

floweredhydrangeas.

Coolandcalming,

neutralwhiteshines

outagainstgreen

foliageandwon’tclash

withexistingcolours.

Therearewhite-flower

cultivarsof commonhydrangea

H.macrophylla, witha choiceof

mopheads(try‘SoeurThérèse’)or

lacecaps(‘Libelle’or‘RunawayBride’).

TheseusedtobecalledHortensias,a

namethoughtupbyFrenchbotanist

Philibert Commerson in 1771. The

flowerheadsof lacecapsaresublime,

witha centralmassof smallfertileflowers

surroundedbylargersterileblooms.

Thesedeciduousshrubsusuallyreach

4-6ft(1.2-1.8m)in height.Repetitionworks

well,andif youhavethespace,several

plantsof onecultivardottedaround

rdenorplantedin a group

ontainerswillrevivethe

tesummergarden.

White-flowering

shrubsforsunnyplaces

includeJuly-flowering

Carpenteriacalifornica

fromthedryslopesand

pineforestsof California.

ardyhibiscusH.syriacus,

metimesknownastree

hock,is tardyintoleaf

in springandlatebloomingin

summer,usuallyfromAugusttoOctober.

Withtheiroriginsin ChinaandIndia,

cultivarsenjoyfullsunandmoist,humus-

rich,neutraltoslightlyalkalinesoil.

■Turnoverforourfeatureonmore

colourful hydrangea choices.

How to grow...

Thishydrangeahasbeenstuckin a

potfortoolong,butshouldtakewell

plantedin a soakedhole,watered

in well and during dry spells

TryH.‘SoeurThérèse’,a white-flowered

mophead cultivarofH. macrophylla

Hydrangeamacrophylla‘Libelle’,

withitscentralmassofsmall

fertileflowerssurrounded by

larger sterile fl owers

All photography Alamy, unless otherwise credited

Hydrangeapaniculata‘Limelight’

featurescoolwhiteswithhintsof

colour.Thecone-likepaniclesof this

paniculatehydrangeabegingreen

butarewhitewhenopen,before

beingtingedpinkwithage,coupled

with warm autumn leaf tones.

Cream cones

H.paniculata‘Limelight’

Youcanalsoenjoysummerwhites in late summer

withAstilbe ‘Brautschleier’