Amateur Gardening – 21 May 2019

11 MAY 2019AMATEUR GARDENING 41

Althoughhardy,hydrangeas

arewoodlandplantsandenjoy

shelterfromwindandlatefrosts.

Mostprefertogrowin partial

shadeanddislikestrongsun.

Springorfromearlytomid-

autumnarethebestplanting

times,thoughpottedplantscould

goin anytimewithadequatewat

andbyavoidingsaturatedsoilsin winter.

Youngplantsthatarefailingtothrive are best moved

toa betterpositionwhiledormant.

Prunewithcaution:thinover-largeH.macrophyllaby

removinga fewolderstemstothebaseorgoodsideshoots

in spring.Neverprunealltheshootstothebaseat once,

unlessyouwanttolosea wholeyear’sworthof flower.

Bycontrast,a healthyplantofH.paniculatapruned

hardin earlyspringwillrespondbymakinglargerflower

headsin autumn.Over-enthusiasticclimbinghydrangeas

should be pruned immediately after flowering.

Hydrangea car

Hydrangeaquercifolia

‘SnowQueen’

Reaching6ft(1.8m),with

a longseasonof interest.

Largeleavesshapedlike

oakarelushfromspring,

joinedbywhitefloralcones

in latesummer,withbrilliant

autumn colours before falling.

Four showstopping shrubs

H.paniculata‘Limelight’

Adistinctiveshrub:its

generouspaniclesbegin

green,withfloretsageing

topalelimeandwhitewith

pinkflush.Reaches6ft(1.8m)

andrespondstothinningof

oldstemsorstoolingalmost

to ground level in spring.

Burncoose.co.uk

Top inset: John Swithinbank / TI Media

H.anomalasubsp.

petiolaris

Thislargeclimberclingsto

bark,fencesorwalls,much

in thesamewayasanivy,

byusingaerialroots.Heads

to6in(15cm)acrossof white

flowersopenin summer.

Can reach 40ft (12m).

H.arborescens

‘InvincibelleSpirit’

Pinkflowersonlargedomed

headsbloomfromJulyto

Septemberonshrubswith

a heightandspreadof

4ft(1.2m).Prunelightlyby

thinningouta fewolder

stems in early spring.

Thinouta fewolderstems

of matureH. macrophylla