Growing Together ·

New Hydrangeas I Love, Plus How to Keep Cut Hydrangeas Fresh

Quick Fire Fab, Bobo and the other new-to-me hydrangeas in my New Jersey garden, how to grow panicle, mophead and smooth hydrangeas, and my tricks for keeping them fresh in a vase.

Quick Fire Fab hydrangea shrub covered in cone-shaped flower heads of creamy lime green blushing to pale pink

Are you as in love with all of the hydrangea happiness happening as I am? I’m into it! I have over 20 hydrangea bushes growing at our house and added a few new (to me) varieties, and I’m obsessed with them, including the Quick Fire Fab above.

A lacy, cone-shaped white Bobo hydrangea bloom in the front garden, with pink-tinged hydrangeas behind it

This is the Bobo, which is going to max out at 3 feet tall. I needed something for the front corner of our yard, and I love how lacy the flower heads are and like knowing it won’t get too big as the years pass. And it’ll turn pink!

A dense, rounded Little Lime Punch hydrangea bloom in pale lime green with pink-edged petals

In comparison, I also got a Little Lime Punch, which will top out at 5 feet tall. The flowers are much more dense, less lacy, and will go from white to pink to deep red.

Aging mophead hydrangea blooms in dusty pink and green with deep pink speckles, among bright green leaves

My 12-year-old mophead hydrangeas have gone from blues, purples and pinks to deeper shades with speckles. I like them all.

A bed of pink, coral and peach zinnias in the backyard, with a tall Limelight hydrangea tree full of white blooms in front of a blue house

And even though the zinnias steal the scene in this picture, you can see our 9-year-old Limelight tree is living her best life this year in the backyard.

Hydrangea Tips

Some things I’ve learned from growing and cutting hydrangeas:

  • Panicles (pointy ones) need:
    • full sun to bloom best
    • a trim in late spring, as they bloom on new wood
  • Mopheads (round colored ones):
    • do best in part sun
    • can be cut in the summer, but not too late, as they bloom on old wood
  • Smooth hydrangeas (Annabelles and Incrediballs) like:
    • a late spring trim
    • part sun (though I’ve seen them in full sun in Maine and they’re beautiful)

Keeping Cut Hydrangeas Fresh

If bringing them into your house, I find all hydrangeas do best if “seared” after cutting. Dip their stems into a cup of boiling water and hold for 5-10 seconds. You’ll see the bubbles release as the water gets into the stems.

You can even submerge them completely for a few hours if they’re super wilty or you need them to be pretty out of water. Searing usually works perfectly, but submerging is also an option.

Arranging with Hydrangeas

With arranging, I find the larger heads do best in a display that’s “hydrangeas only.” They’re so big, it’s hard to compete with them. If you want to use them in an arrangement with other flowers and foliage from your garden, go for the smaller blooms and it’ll be a lot easier.

Most of all, I’m grateful you’re here. Thank you for coming along with me on this journey through the garden. If anything, please allow me to enable you to buy more plants!

Love, Erin (handwritten signature with a heart)