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Sentimental Favorites

From PeeGee to ‘Pinky Winky’, versatile hydrangeas have it all

Is fall really the best time to plant trees and shrubs? The short answer is yes, but it may not be quite as fabulous as garden centers packed to the rafters with unsold inventory would have you believe. Nonetheless, it’s a whole lot better than midsummer, and the prices tend to be more reasonable, too.

Fall is an excellent time to shop for plants that are showiest late in the season. For some trees and shrubs, that means displays of fruits and berries (see box, page 48). For others, such as the versatile and virtually indestructible hydrangea, it’s all about the flowers. Observe the abundance of blousy stems and lacey blooms nodding over thick, green foliage in late summer Minnesota landscapes, and you’ll see what I mean. Summer blooms have not yet faded, and some will be turning colors more interesting than their original hues—going from cream to gold, lime to cream, white to pink, or even pink to red, for example.

There are three forms of hydrangeas—vine, tree, and shrub.

Climbing hydrangea (H. anomala ssp. petiolaris) is on my short list of “must-have” plants that, for northern gardeners, truly are that good. Never mind that this one comes in a plain black tub instead of its own “signature” blue pot and lacks a catchy name (we’ll look at ‘Endless Summer’, its more celebrated relation, next).

An exception to the propensity for fall flowering, the climbing hydrangea blooms early. Its lace cap flowers hit their peak in June; by fall, just a few crispy panicles are reminders of their former glory. But each season presents a whole new reason to be impressed by this plant. In England, where it scampers up stone façades with ease, the vine is a garden staple for shady locations. It is not only superbly beautiful in the lush way of rare tropical specimens, but beautiful in an exotic Asian way too (when in bloom, it vaguely reminds me of a pagoda dogwood). All this and it’s hardy to Zone 4.

Climbing hydrangea has peeling, cinnamon-colored bark that is gorgeous in winter, attracts birds who love to nest in its branches, and requires nothing—no pruning, watering (except in drought conditions), or even fertilizing—once established ... which takes time.

Prepare to wait a couple of years for the root system to trigger the vigorous growth the vine will eventually display. These vines get big, so give yours sturdy support. Mine had to make do with a metal arch (woefully inadequate) until this spring. Then I moved it to a pergola without, alas, tying it down. One night during a thunderstorm, the vine blew over, snapped at the base, and died—happily, it left a fully intact root system and a few green shoots to carry on. The original, 12-year-old vine is now draped on my picket fence because it’s beautiful even in death, and I can’t bear to say good-bye.

H. macrophylla ‘Endless Summer’ (a big leaf hydrangea) is possibly the most over-hyped plant in history. The inspiration for a million-plant rollout three years ago by local grower Bailey Nurseries, ‘Endless Summer’ created a sensation because it blooms on old and new wood—meaning, theoretically, you should enjoy its big blue (if you acidify its soil; otherwise, they’re pink) blooms from spring through fall—hence the name.
 

Unfortunately, here in Minnesota, late freezes usually conspire to spoil the party and nip the flower buds on last year’s stems and branches. By the time the new wood is up and budding, it’s midsummer. Or later. Some years the shrub doesn’t bloom at all. ‘Endless Summer’ also needs to be mulched unless it’s in a sheltered spot.

Still, all the buzz about ‘Endless Summer’ raised awareness of hydrangeas in general and produced a bumper crop of alternatives. The quite-similar H. macrophylla ‘Nikko Blue’ has been around a while (‘Endless Summer’ has too, but not until it was “discovered” in a backyard by a renowned botanist, renamed, branded, and marketed to a faretheewell did it become ubiquitous). ‘Nikko Blue’ doesn’t bloom on new wood and is rated to Zone 5. Still, some Minnesota gardeners find it more reliable than ‘Endless Summer’, which is rated to Zone 4.

H. arborescens ‘Annabelle’ is an old-fashioned shrub with huge flowers that begin a pretty lime green shade and turn creamy white. ‘Annabelle’ tends to droop in direct sun. It blooms on new wood and performs best if the stems are pruned hard in early spring. Leaving 10 or 12 inches of old wood is said to produce sturdier stems, but I haven’t found this to be true of my ‘Annabelles’. I cut them almost at ground level. An improved H. arborescens, ‘White Dome’, has enormous, very showy lace cap-style white blooms, and much superior posture.

H. paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ (often called PeeGee for short) is probably the most familiar of the hydrangeas to northern gardeners. It’s hardy almost to Zone 3 and comes in both a tree and a shrub. I prune my PeeGee tree into a horizontal shape and enjoy watching its handsome trunk thicken under a low canopy. H. paniculata ‘Tardiva’ is a close relative hardy to Zone 4.

‘Pinky Winky’, another shrub hydrangea rated to Zone 3, has big, pyramid-shaped blooms that are a blend of white and pink. A test-tube hybrid that blooms on new wood, ‘Pinky Winky’ was created by a Flemish chemist who altered the chromosomes of a popular but garish hydrangea called ‘Pink Diamond’. The peculiar name, ‘Pinky Winky’, honors the famed Tinky Winky on “Teletubbies,” the British show, whose purple costume earned him the reputation as the first character to “come out” on children’s television.

Even if you’re not a “Teletubbies” fan, I guarantee you’ll find this new hydrangea irresistibly cute, with its stiff stems that hold the big flowers so high they almost look like rockets taking off.

Bonnie Blodgett publishes The Garden Letter and is writing a book about smell.

Showy Shrubs and Trees

It’s not too late to plant these fall showstoppers:

‘Sugar Tyme’ crabapple has more shiny red fruits per branch than any other crab I know of; mine stay on the branches all winter long.

‘Red Twig’ dogwood stems and branches turn bright burgundy in cold weather and hold their color all winter. Smashing against fresh white snow.

Sugar maples are splendid in fall, but ubiquitous. New on the block are the hardy Japanese maples. ‘Emperor’ has deep red, finely cut leaves.

Sumac is a blazing fall staple. If you want some of your yard for other plants, go with the new ‘Tiger Eyes’ sumac. It is chartreuse in summer and grows more slowly than other types of sumacs, but its foliage and branches turn a wonderful red orange in fall.

Cotoneaster berries are a delightfully brilliant red-orange against gnarled, dark stems. An eye-catching combo!

Porcelain berry vine (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata) has robins-egg blue berries that are stunning (and popular with birds). The variegated vine is less aggressive and prettier than many members of the grape family.

American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) has lovely bright orange berries against shiny, dark green leaves—once the leaves fall off, the berries cling prettily to twisting stems. Avoid the Asian bittersweet—it’s invasive.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier) trees and shrubs have pretty blue berries in the fall.

The viburnum (cranberry bush) family of shrubs has nice red berries that last unless the birds get them all. I particularly love V. lantana ‘Mohican’. It’s handsome and indestructible.

—B.B.