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Finding the right hydrangea for your garden

Hydrangeas are a classic garden favorite. Gardening with Gutner learned about the different varieties available and which one may be perfect for you.

MAINE, USA — Hydrangeas are a classic and a favorite in the garden, but there are many different varieties to choose from that will fit perfectly in your garden. 

Gardening with Gutner visited Tom Estabrook, owner of Estabrook's, a garden center located in Falmouth to learn more. 

"Everybody loves a periwinkle blue hydrangea. They don't all work in every spot here in Maine. So we've got other choices we can talk about," Estabrook said. 

He thinks the spot in your garden should be your first consideration when choosing a hydrangea and what type of sunlight you have.

There are four major types of hydrangeas, Estabrook explained:

Hydrangea macrophylla

(Big-leaf hydrangea) big blue flowers

Credit: NCM

Hydrangea Serrata 

lace cap varieties

Credit: NCM

Hydrangea arborescens 

Can be cut back to the ground. Good in a heavy snow load area. 

Credit: NCM

Hydrangea paniculata 

Comes in tree form and shrub form, blooms from June until frost.

Credit: NCM

For a shady area, Estabrook recommends Hydrangea macrophylla or Hydrangea arborescens. For a sunny site, start with arborescens and move to the Hydrangea paniculata. 

"There's a spot for every hydrangea," Estabrook said. 

Some hydrangeas are rebloomers, and some are not. "Endless Summer" hydrangea is a form of rebloomer. 

"You get a big bloom, then there's a big break and more toward fall." Estabrook explained. 

Using soil acidified or lime allows you to play with the color of the blossoms of a hydrangea. 

"Here in Maine, with the new hybrids that we have, it's not as important as it was in the past," Estabrook said. "But if we need to correct the color, that's where we use this." 

Pruning is an important part of the care of hydrangea, but many people aren't sure when to do this. Estabrook recommends when fall comes to talk to your local garden center about the variety you have and when to prune them. 

"Some will prune in the spring, some will prune in the fall. If you prune in the fall on the big-leaf hydrangea, you may be taking next year's blossoms. So you want to be careful, and there's many tricks on how to get them to bloom well that you can talk to and work through with your local garden center," Estabrook cautioned. 

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