Hydrangea (Fire Light Tidbit™ #3)

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Price: $36.00 $32.40

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If you thought you didn't have enough space to grow a beautiful, reliable panicle hydrangea, Fire Light Tidbit^® hydrangea is here to help! This innovative new development is the tiniest, tidiest panicle hydrangea yet: it reaches just 2-3'/.6-.9m tall and wide, yet it packs in tons of easy-care beauty into its small size. Big, lush panicles of white mophead flowers appear in early-mid summer, nearly obscuring the textured green foliage. As the summer progresses, they begin to develop bright pink and red tones, which keep it colorful right on up to the first frost, especially combined with its colorful autumn foliage, an unusual trait in panicle hydrangeas. Thick, sturdy stems help to create a neat, mounded plant that's fantastic in landscapes, flower gardens, even in containers!

Hydrangea are a genus of about 70-75 species. They are native to Asia and (through fossil evidence) North America. They can grow as vines and as trees / shrubs. Most of the climbing varieties are not hardy here and require a lot of sun to be successful. The shrub versions do well here depending on species. I do not recommend 'Endless Summer' varieties here in the prairie. They can survive here but the rate is lower than I would recommend. Some were brought back to Europe by a Dutch Indies trading ship in 1736.

Flower petals grow as sepals, which is a leaf design that protects the plants. They like moist but not wet roots (hydro meaning water). Hydrangea are incredibly hardy and will revive even after severe drought damage. Prune like other woody perennials - usually in the fall. New shoots will grow from the old wood the following spring. I have a lot of luck just pruning off the flowers as the heads die back, which also maintains a very clean appearance.

Most hydrangeas will change color over the season - sometimes slight and sometimes dramatic. Some will change color based on the pH of the soil and the presence of copper (usually will shift a pink hydrangea to blue). The paniculata varieties generally change from white blooms to red towards the fall.