By Crystal Trojek, Tillsonburg Horticultural Society. 

Hydrangeas, There is Always Hope

There are few shrubs who dominate the garden landscape in our part of world as well or as often as the hydrangea. Its many present day cultivars are a favourite staple in commercial and residential plantings. When properly attended to they stay green and bloom reliably without too much attention. The appetite for hydrangeas is never sated, every year there are new varieties. Smaller shrubs for small gardens, larger blooms, different colours, all with pretty names and pictures on plant labels that shout, “Take me home. It’s not true you don’t have room for one more. I know it. Buy me now, you won’t be sorry.”

Hydrangeas have come a long way down the road and across the seas from China, Korea, and Asia many centuries ago. They’ve also travelled around the world from North America. From wherever they came, the family trees of hydrangeas have expanded to include many fine cousins, aunts, uncles, and generally agreeable relatives fervently adopted by botanical enthusiasts all over the world. Replication of such admirable specimens is necessary, production of hydrangeas never lessens, the need still far outweighs the hydrangea appetite all over the world.

So let’s not forget hydrangeas with important duties, those attending public events as the stars of table centrepieces, bouquets, magnificent floral decorations studded with massive blooms at all sorts celebrations. Hydrangeas love parties. When summer arrives they reign by the thousands, particularly the large, white, frothy ones. Even in winter months you can find wonderful commercially raised lime green hydrangea cut flowers, perhaps white or blue if you wish to hunt for them.

Autumn, in autumn when one dwells on the topic of planting spring flowering bulbs, remember fading hydrangeas are prime materials for decor and further along the horticultural calendar, Christmas. How can I dry them? Cut them one or two at a time, bundle with an elastic, hang them upside down in the garden shed and voila in about two weeks they are dried to perfection. Colourfast, their new home should not be in direct sun. Some gardeners stand a few likely blooms in a large vase, where they dry happily. (There’s lots of nice large vases at the thrift store) You can add hydrangea blooms to outdoor autumn or Christmas wreaths, urns, wherever you need some. Hydrangeas are reliable fillers, or all on their own. They can also be sprayed with any paint, becoming colours of your own choosing. If your Christmas tree theme favours natural decor, dried hydrangeas are a wonderful addition.

I don’t have many hydrangeas in my small town garden, imagination had to be appropriately downsized from the previous five acre homestead. I gambled and adopted four pink hydrangeas from a lonely flower shop display more than ten years ago. Easter celebrations were over and they came to my garden for a specific purpose: cover up the gas metre. A perfect eyesore it is if ever there was one. When hydrangeas began their assigned garden task husband questioned their motives. People often said the florist hydrangeas are gift plants, they won’t survive winter. Well, they’ll cover up that metre for one summer. They happily passed their days as all hydrangeas do, drinking heavily. I learned hydrangeas are thirsty all the time, but to be fair, they are on a bit of a slope. If I ever wanted a blue flowered one, soil had to be acidic, or a pink flower would arrive without guilt.

My group of pink florist hydrangeas returned year after year, sheltered close to the brick wall of my house, happily befriending a prolific yellow rose who aggressively climbed up to the eavestrough and peeped in the laundry room window, temporarily occupying spouse’s attention elsewhere. Meter reader would not like to be scratched reading the metre, “Maybe he carries clippers and chops plants off in his way.” I don’t know if this is true, but I secured rose to its uncommon trellis, an old wooden pea rake, just in case while hydrangeas watched. Ifeared random butchering of my rose bush, parts strewn on the lawn, metre laughing from beside that brick wall, shining in the morning sun.

By the time our fourth hydrangea anniversary had arrived, I mourned not very many flowers being produced from those now metre shadowing plants. I wanted some for floral arrangements. Diligent fertilizing had not prompted them with a desirable response. I trimmed short, not too much. The years passed but I forgave them because they were covering up that meter for me, can’t have everything. Two years ago something happened and I never trimmed them down as the fallen autumn leaves gathered round their feet. The following spring I found a hydrangea bloom explosion that went on all summer. Spouse asked what I did, one thing for sure I’ll never trim them again. Neglect does sometimes work in your favour.

I since learned at a Tillsonburg Horticultural Society meeting that there are several classes of hydrangeas, they should not all be pruned the same way. Some bloom on last years stems, some need to be trimmed after flowering, etc. He stressed the importance of keeping plant tags for this purpose, names are important. He must know, working in the business and in possession of a fine selection of pruners and tools to keep hydrangeas fit and thriving. (Also their owners) He trimmed in front of an appreciative crowd, stressing the happiness of using sharp tools and the result. Sharpen tools in winter when you don’t need them. I might like the diminutive happy go lucky I don’t need trimming at all hydrangea, looking for a home in a big pot.

I should report my hydrangeas are still there, I compromised about the gas meter situation this summer. I mentioned city employees have young eyes, he can read his numbers from the lawn when the subject repeatedly came up. One day I wandered off to my rising star gardener neighbour and asked if he would like a nice hydrangea for his shade garden. It’s a fair size, no I don’t want anything for it, if you dig it up you can have it. Remember they are drinkers. I’ll bring you the dirt from my new hole and fill it in he said. Such gardening agreements are the foundation of all ever expanding gardens worldwide. Hydrangea is happy over there I’m told, one of the remaining triplets is dutifully filling in the gap.

Tillsonburg Horticultural Society members are looking forward to their annual Christmas dinner in December, and meetings that will include a 2027 roster of exciting activities and learning opportunities for gardening enthusiasts. Meetings are held the first Tuesday of the month, 7:30 p.m. at the Tillsonburg Seniors Centre/Hardy Street. Come find us.

Crystal Trojek

November 2026