Walking into our Hydrangea tunnel when they are all in flower is quite an overwhelming experience! Thousands of enormous flower heads flop about in various shades of cream while heaps of bees (and other pollinators, of course) buzz around enjoying the open flowers.
The trouble is, once you've decided you'd quite like a Hydrangea, how on earth do you choose? There are so many different varieties, all slightly different heights, colours and personalities.
Let me help you decide which is best for you, based on the ultimate size each Hydrangea will grow to.
Hydrangea 'Little Lime'
This Hydrangea is the most compact variety we sell, with beautiful creamy lime-green flowers that gradually age to soft, gentle pinks, providing months of colour through summer and into autumn.
Now, as I've said in the plant's description, this is the plant for you if you're short on space but still want that real summer focal point for your little garden or patio. I've seen them used to great success in small town gardens, planted in beautiful stone goblets and tucked into otherwise innocuous shady little corners. Equally, in larger gardens, they're fantastic planted closer to where you sit so you can really appreciate them.
In the first garden I ever worked in when I left uni (no, I did not study horticulture! I sort of fell into this job and, 15 years later - no regrets - so long as it's not too cold, rainy, hot, sunny....).. This garden had a planting of 'Little Lime' alongside their swimming pool, mixed with dark blue Agapanthus and box balls. It looked fantastic - so long as we watered the Hydrangeas daily and tried not to water everything else too much. It was drama!
The problem with this combination is that 'Little Lime' actually appreciates shade and Agapanthus most certainly do not!
But boy, did it look good...
This Hydrangea is at its happiest in a dappled shade location under trees or on the shady side of the garden or house. That being said, they do survive just fine in a sunny location, but their leaves can tend to droop and, if they're really unhappy, start to go a bit yellow. After a few years of this you'll likely find they just won't wake up one spring.
Let's look at some bullet point facts for this Hydrangea:
Size: 0.9–1.5m tall
Flowers: Small rounded lime-green flower heads with a compact habit and good, strong upright stems.
Pruning notes: Flowers on new wood, so prune lightly in early spring back to a node (node... fancy word for the knobbly bit on a branch where a new shoot will grow!).
Suitable spaces: A shady location is best and they do very well in pots. I know all the books and plant labels tell you to plant panicle Hydrangeas in full sun but, in our experience, they're much happier with a bit of shade. When I asked Mike what his top advice for Hydrangeas in general would be, his answer was simple: avoid the middle of the day sun!
Hydrangea 'Skyfall'
Well, what can I say! The flower heads are enormous, especially for the size plant they grow on. They emerge a fresh lime green before gradually changing through creamy white and finally to beautiful dusky pinks as autumn arrives. They're held on exceptionally strong stems too, so they don't flop like some of the other large-flowered varieties.
Being a newer variety, only available on the UK market since 2018, I don't really have any nostalgia attached to it, but I do recognise it as an extremely useful plant with some brilliant applications in the garden.
Although it grows to a very similar size to 'Little Lime', I actually think the two are quite different. 'Skyfall' tolerates the heat much better on our nursery and the flowers are much pointier than 'Little Lime' too! Yes, this is absolutely something that counts as a plus point in a Hydrangea's book!
The best advice I can give with this Hydrangea is to either grow it in a pot or plant it in the ground in a sunny position.
Not both!
If you decide to grow it in a pot, keep it in the shade. If you want it in full sun, plant it in the ground where its roots have plenty of room to establish themselves.
Let's look at some bullet point facts for this Hydrangea:
Size: 0.9–1.5 m tall
Flowers: Huge pointed creamy-white flower heads, gradually maturing to dusty pink, held on strong upright stems.
Pruning notes: Flowers on new wood, so prune lightly in early spring back to a node.
Suitable spaces: Happy in shade or sun and does very well in pots. If you're choosing a sunny spot though, I'd always recommend planting it in the ground rather than keeping it in a container.
Hydrangea 'Diamant Rouge'
This is one of the first panicle Hydrangeas to be bred specifically for its intense autumn colour, with beautiful cone-shaped flower heads opening creamy white before quickly developing rich pink tones that deepen into stunning crimson reds as the season progresses. It has one of the longest and most dramatic colour displays of any panicle Hydrangea.
I have one in my own garden which I planted maybe... seven years ago? Definitely not long after I had the twins. Honestly, those few years before they started school and I went back to work, my garden was the best it has ever been! Now I've not been into that border in YONKS and I really need to pull out the brambles and nettles that are making their way in from the woods....
Less about my garden and it's obscene amount of invasive weeds (Don't get me started on bindweed) and more about this Hydrangea... What I was getting at is that I can see this one from my kitchen window and from late August onwards, it always catches my eye as the colours change. I've had it so long now that it makes fantastic autumn cut flowers for the kitchen table. - Plus for better or for worse, I've not pruned it in years on the account of the brambles etc...
This Hydrangea also small enough to be perfectly happy in a pot. If you choose it as a centrepiece, it becomes almost ethereal on misty autumn mornings as those rich red flowers seem to glow against the grey.
Whilst I'll almost always encourage you to plant Hydrangeas in shade, this is one of the exceptions. Planting 'Diamant Rouge' in a sunny position really helps bring out those rich red tones that make this variety so special.
Let's look at some bullet point facts for this Hydrangea:
Size: 1.2–1.5 m tall
Flowers: Large pointed flower heads opening creamy white before maturing through pinks into bold, rich reds.
Pruning notes: Flowers on new wood, so prune lightly in early spring back to a node.
Suitable spaces: A shady location is perfectly fine, but a sunny spot is even better if you really want those spectacular autumn reds. It also does very well in pots.
Hydrangea 'Polar Bear'
Hydrangea paniculata* 'Polar Bear'* has huge flower heads that open creamy white before becoming a crisp, pure white and holding their colour for longer than most other panicle Hydrangeas. As autumn approaches, they gradually develop the softest blush of pink.
If you like moon gardens or clean lines of box hedges (well... Ilex or Pittosporum hedges now because who actually uses box these days!) and great swathes of white flowers, this is the Hydrangea for you. It has a wonderfully clean, crisp aesthetic which works beautifully in minimalist gardens.
Let's look at some bullet point facts for this Hydrangea:
Size: 1.5–2 m tall
Flowers: Large pointed flower heads opening creamy white before maturing to a crisp white and finally developing the softest blush of pink.
Pruning notes: Flowers on new wood, so prune lightly in early spring back to a node.
Suitable spaces: A shady location is best but it will happily tolerate some sun. This isn't my first choice for growing in a pot.
Hydrangea 'Vanille Fraise'
As almost always with panicle Hydrangea's, this plants flowers emerge a fresh lime green before quickly changing to a crystal white. As the season progresses, the large conical blooms gradually blush pink, giving them the look of an ice cream covered in strawberry sauce!
For me, this Hydrangea's pink and white splotchy flowers are just a dream. I am always so frustrated that I sell out before I manage to get a photo of them in all their glory because they always disappear before they reach their very best. The colours are almost a myth to me because I always miss them!
Nevertheless, this is a great plant for almost any garden, with a lovely upright habit and beautifully distinctive flowers.
Let's look at some bullet point facts for this Hydrangea:
Size: 1.5–2 m tall
Flowers: Large fluffy, pointed flower heads opening creamy white before developing beautiful splashes of bright pink.
Pruning notes: Flowers on new wood, so prune lightly in early spring back to a node.
Suitable spaces: A shady location is best but it will tolerate some sun. This isn't my first choice for growing in a pot.
Hydrangea 'Wim's Red'
A lovely tall Hydrangea with creamy white flowers maturing through deep pinks into a rich wine red. The panicle flowers are noticeably fragrant and are held on long, elegant red stems.
With this one... wow. When it gets going, it is autumn incarnate, with beautiful flowers boldly turning a deep, rich red. It is taller than many other Hydrangeas, making it ideal for a shady spot at the back of a border, where it will happily lurk in the background until mid summer before suddenly exploding into flower.
Let's look at some bullet point facts for this Hydrangea:
Size: 1.5–2 m tall
Flowers: Large creamy-white flower heads maturing through deep pinks before finishing a rich wine red.
Pruning notes: Flowers on new wood, so prune lightly in early spring back to a node.
Suitable spaces: A shady location is best, although a little afternoon sun can really intensify those beautiful red tones. This isn't my first choice for growing in a pot.
Hydrangea 'Limelight'
Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' is a fantastically popular shrub with large, cone-shaped flower heads that open a fresh lime green in summer before gradually fading through creamy white to beautiful muted pinks as autumn approaches.
The one, the only... Hydrangea 'Limelight'. This is possibly the most influential of all the panicle Hydrangeas, bred back in the 1990s in the Netherlands. I like to think of it as the original that really kicked Hydrangea fever.
This is one of the taller Hydrangeas and, once again, it's fantastic for happily lurking innocuously at the back of a border until mid summer, when those incredible lime-green flowers suddenly burst into life.
This variety really isn't suited to growing in a pot. If you love those iconic lime-green flowers, I'd recommend the US-bred 'Little Lime' instead, which is much happier in a container.
Let's look at some bullet point facts for this Hydrangea:
Size: 1.9–2.5 m tall
Flowers: Large cone-shaped flower heads opening lime green before fading through creamy white and finally developing soft muted pink tones.
Pruning notes: Flowers on new wood, so prune lightly in early spring back to a node.
Suitable spaces: A shady location is best, although it will tolerate some sun. This isn't my first choice for growing in a pot.
Hydrangea 'Phantom'
Its enormous, cone-shaped flower heads are lightly scented and emerge a fresh lime green before gradually changing through cream into pure white. As autumn approaches, they become delicately splashed with soft pink, extending the season of colour well into autumn.
With this Hydrangea, sometimes you have to make a choice. Would you like extra, extra-large blooms or would you rather it was extra, extra tall? I'm not saying the flowers aren't enormous if you don't cut it back hard, but if you do happen to have a bit of a hack-it-back mentality, it really doesn't do this one any harm! (So long as you don't do it at the wrong time of year, that is....)
Let's look at some bullet point facts for this Hydrangea:
Size: 2–2.5 m tall
Flowers: Enormous cone-shaped flower heads opening lime green before maturing through cream to pure white, finally developing the softest blush of pink.
Pruning notes: Flowers on new wood, so prune lightly in early spring back to a node. If you'd prefer fewer but even bigger flower heads, you can prune it a little harder.
Suitable spaces: A shady location is ideal, although it tolerates sun well too. This isn't my first choice for growing in a pot.
Reading through this, you'll probably have noticed I talk about Hydrangeas loving shade quite a lot. I also know some of you will immediately double-check me on the RHS website and think, "But the RHS says full sun!"
And you'd be right.
In our little corner of West Sussex though, I really do recommend planting most Hydrangeas in more shade than sun. On the whole, they generally hate a hot, sunny day. Their leaves wilt, the flowers can fade more quickly and the whole plant just looks a bit... unhappy....
We keep most of our Hydrangeas in shade tunnels, which keeps them fresher, greener and, on the whole, much happier.
If you're looking to plant a Hydrangea in full sun, go for it! I'm certainly not here to tell you what to do (or argue with the RHS... heaven forbid!!). But if there is one pearl of wisdom I would give is this: If you want to plant a Hydrangea in the sun, don't grow it in a pot, plant it in the ground instead. Over time, the roots will have far more room to establish themselves, making for a happier, healthier plant.
