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Wild hydrangea

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Hydrangea arborescens

Spied more than one of these on the creek bank. Thinking I may put long pants on some cool morning and go see if it has layered itself. Wouldn’t a bunch of these look nice way up front in the shade?

8 Responses

  1. ‘Wild Hydrangea”

    Hmmm….thinking about the “wild” part.

    Precursor, or escapee??? Different species??

    Interesting. But…if you could reproduce from it, it looks like it would be nice anywhere you put it!!
    I like the white better than the pink/blue ones, by the way. And as another by the way, my understanding is that the blue/pink is dependent on the alkalinity/acidity of the soil – not a varietal difference. I’m not certain about that , but that’s what I’ve read.

    1. It’s got a couple different common names and one is wild hydrangea. Looks a lot like an oak leaf hydrangea– the ones that can grow 10′ high and 20′ wide. But they are different species.

      The flower clusters are more elongated that the pink/blue one you mention with ball shaped clusters. And yes, the color depends on the pH of the soil. Blue in alkaline (up north) and pink in acidic (down south).

  2. I really never gave colored hydrangeas much thought…but it _could_ be disconcerting…suppose you bought a lovely blue one with a specific location in mind. You brought it home, planted it with lots of good probably purchased soil and then the next spring discovered you had a lovely pink hydrangea!!! Or vice-versa…either way. If you had no idea…what a surprise that would be!! I can imagine someone trying to return it…!!! Heh. Actually pretty funny in a way!! “But I bought a BLUE one…!!!!”

    1. It’s pretty hard to change pH so very specifically in one spot where you’d plant one hydrangea (though it can be done). The range from pink to blue in terms of pH is pretty large, I’d imagine.

      We should go find this out!

    1. Probably be easier to keep it blue in a pot, rather than in the ground if your soil is acidic. They are pretty!

  4. So…if you want blue, drink a lot of coffee.
    For pink…??????

    But I think you’re right – the easiest answer is to plant in pots. At least, if your natural soil is of the wrong ph for whichever color you want!
    Or go with white!

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