The Hydrangeas of Dabney Nursery
Hydrangeas grow as vines, shrubs, and small trees with flower buds either formed on this year’s growth or previous season’s growth. When most people think of hydrangea they have in their mind hydrangea macrophylla. They are the most widely planted of the 80 species of genus hydrangea. The most popular for us are the hortensias, commonly referred to as mop heads, and then the lace caps. Macrophylla have large leaves with auxiliary hairs on the underside of leaves, plants are vigorous growers and flower early to mid season with large flowers. Lace cap macrophylla are less showy. They have small fertile flowers in the center, sterile showy clusters composed of three to five sepals arranged around the outer rim of the flower.
The flowers of these hydrangeas change from pink to blue depending on soil ph. If blue flowers are desired, use fertilizers low in phosphorus (the middle number) for phos phorus ties up aluminum making it unavailable for root uptake. Raising ph takes longer than lowering ph; it might be next year to see a noticeable difference. A quicker route to change color is liquid soil drenches. For a blue hydrangea, dissolve one tablespoon of aluminum sulfate to one gallon of water and drench around the plant in March, April, and May. To get a pink color, dissolve one table spoon of hydrated lime to a gallon of water and repeat as before. With new planting add about one half a cup of aluminum sulfate or lime to the backfill.
When pruning macrophylla and serrat a hydrangeas, first remove the dead stems after the winter. When the plants are at least five years old, cut a third of the stems back to the ground each summer to revitalize the plant. To reduce the size cut back in June or July so as not to harm next year’s bloom buds. However the plant will quickly return to its former size so it is best to use dwarf varieties where needed instead of relying on this method to keep the plant smaller. Removing old blooms or deadheading can be done any time. It is best to leave the dried bloom heads on the plant till spring to help protect new flower buds. Then cut off at the first pair of vigorous new buds.
When you cut blooms for arrangements, cut long stems in June and July and short stems after that if they cannot bloom on new wood. When pruning the rebloomers, you don’t have to worry about the time. I would not prune in late summer because you want the plant to have time to harden off before winter to keep dieback to a minimum. It is helpful to deadhead re-bloomers to keep them blooming better and it’s a nice look to have all new blooms for a better show.
For drying blooms, wait till after July 4 when the blossoms feel papery. Once papery cut those, strip all the foliage, then put in a vase without water so the blooms don’t touch and keep away from

The Hydrangeas of Dabney Nursery direct sunlight. Silica can be bought at Michael’s and will preserve flowers with more color but is a slower process (just follow directions).
Here are some varieties I feel should be mentioned:
Endless summer- Is the most important variety to start with because it has generated a new enthusiasm for hydrangeas. It is a mop head hydrangea that will bloom on both old and new wood.
The notion was simple and, once the breakthrough was made, the results have been spectacular.
..The plant and flowers are similar to Nikko blue or glory blue. They will reliably flower regardless of the climate from Florida to Maine.
Blushing BrideThe name of this new Hydrangea macrophylla says it all. Pure white blooms with semi-double florets gradually mature to a sweet, pink blush.
This second introduction also blooms on new and old wood all summer.
Twist ‘n’ Shout - Like all plants in the Endless Summer ® Collection, Twist-n-Shout produces abundant blooms on both old and new wood all summer long. Lacy deep-pink centers are surrounded by gorgeous blossoms of pink or periwinkle blue, depending on soil type. Sturdy red stems and glossy deep green leaves turn red-burgundy in fall to offer year-round interest in the garden. It is easy to care for and hardy to zone 4.
Big Daddy- A large 5 to 6 foot plant with thick stems, large leaves, and blooms 8 to 12 inches. This mop head blooms on old wood, but for a long time. Big Daddy is well suited for very hot and humid climates.
Lemon Daddy-Is an Offspring of Big Daddy with A superb combination of foliage and flowers.
Chartreuse yellow foliage acts as a backdrop for large blue flowers or pink flowers. The plant thrives in heat and humidity growing to 4 x4 feet flowering on old wood.
Pia- also called pink elf, is a dwarf plant reaching about 2 to 3 feet. The buds tend to freeze on cold winters and have some leaf problems. There are better selections now.
Claudie- Named for the Female French astronaut. It is a lace cap with blue starry florets encircling deep blue fertile flowers. The flowers are unique in that the sepals float by themselves like stars. A very hardy plant blooms on old wood.
Forever Pink-Is one of the first to bloom and a compact hydrangea reaching 3 feet in the North and
4-5 feet here. Rich clear pink mop head with 4 inch flowers. Unlike the name it is ph sensitive and blooms on old wood. Compact form and stiffer stems of this cultivar results in flowers remaining erect even when wet.
Forever and ever- a new series of hydrangeas that bloom on old and new wood they look good in pictures but the supplier is a box store supplier and I have been told they mildew in our heat so I have not stocked them at the nursery.
Glowing Embers- A compact plant 3 to 4 feet with very large flowers 8 inches crimson red to purplish red late flowering, does get some mildew.

The Hydrangeas of Dabney Nursery
Let’s Dance Moonlight-Represents the next generation of reblooming hydrangea, it is a mop head with vivid flower coloration and attractive foliage. It blooms on old and new wood a rich blue or pink that ages to bright green on a 3 to 5 foot plant. It is extremely hardy with attractive bronze-red fall foliage.
Let’s Dance Starlight-is a compact lace cap cultivar that reblooms on new wood. It should grow 2 to
3 feet tall and wide a great fit for small gardens. The massive lace cap blooms are vivid pink or blue with strong stems.
Merritt’s Supreme-A dark pink mop head with serrated sepals. It flowers on old wood at a young age. Flowers stay in a perfect condition turning green, red, or purple tinted in the fall. It is thought to be one of the best hydrangeas for dried flowers. The 5 to 6 inch flowers stay upright and don’t flop on this large 6 by 6 foot plant.
Red Beauty- A bright red mophead hydrangea, medium strong growth, medium sized mopheads, dark green shiny leaves on strong stems. It was developed by the Hydrangea Breeders Association in Holland.
Lady in Red –Is a popular lace cap opening pinkish-white turning to burgundy. The foliage is reddish-purple in fall with distinctive red stems and veins all season. Is a compact plant with high mildew resistance. We found it to be a very weak bloomer and have dropped it from our list and replaced it with a serrata. A University of Georgia and Dr. Dirr introduction.
Tricolor- The leaves of this vigorous growing plant are its’ distinguishing feature. Stunning variegation of three colors - deep green, light green and cream - immediately draw your eye. The free-flowering heads are made up of soft cream sterile sepals with blue or pink tinted fertile flowers. It is known to have a lot of dieback and reverts some, but not nearly as bad as Lemon
Wave, the tricolor with yellow in the leaves.
Light –O-Day- A lace cap that looks just like Tricolor. It was developed by the Endless Summer people and was to be a big promotion but, they backed off- no blue pots or advertising. It is supposed to be more winter hardy and less reverting than tricolor. It does not mention anything about blooming on new wood. We just received it this year so I guess we will learn.
Dooley- Is very hardy (-11F), sets flower buds at each node and therefore will bloom when others have lost their buds, and can rebloom on new wood. It is a Mike Dirr introduction found in the yard of Georgia’s Coach Dooley. The blooms are up to 8 inches and plants grow 5 by 5 feet. It is a great hydrangea but not as good as Endless Summer or Penny Mac.
Penny Mac-An excellent repeat bloomer named after the founder of the American Hydrangea
Society. It is a fast grower 4 to 6 feet tall 3 to 4 feet wide. Penny Mac brought the plant to Michael
Dirr who released this plant with prolific blue flowers on a very cold hardy plant.
Mini Penny- Is a Beautiful remontant (re-blooming) mop head hydrangea with blooms of pink or blue, depending on soil pH. Small, lustrous, mildew resistant dark green leaves. Blooms spring to summer. Removing spent flowers will encourage rebloom into fall on this compact plant. It is a

The Hydrangeas of Dabney Nursery
Royal Majestic’s hydrangea developed by Dr. Dirr in association of the university of Georgia research foundation
Blue Wave-Is an unusually strong and hardy grower with dark green serrated 8 inch leaves on a 4 to 6 foot plant. It is a popular lace cap with pink to blue large sterile flowers that bloom for a long time.
Harlequin or Buttons ‘n’ Bows- Is a mop head bloom with serrated flowers that are red with white margins or purple with white margins depending on ph. The leaves are dark green on a somewhat tender semi-dwarf (3 feet) plant. It has abundant flowers that produce many colors in the dried flowers.
Sister Theresa- Is a paper white mop head with healthy dark glossy green foliage. It grows 4 to 6 with 6 inch blooms. Dr. Dirr questions its hardiness but has been very popular for us for its pure white round blooms.
Mme. Emile Mouillere- The preferred white hydrangea for Dr. Dirr. It has white flowers with a blue eye; petals become dotted with pink as they age. The plant is vigorous and cold resistance with glossy foliage turning red, orange and green in the fall.
Glory Blue-Is our replacement for Nikko Blue because we liked the darker foliage and brighter blooms. The plant grows 4 by 4 feet and has 6 inch blue or pink mop head blooms. It has good hardiness and blooms on old wood.
Fuji Waterfall-Is a plant that they can’t agree on if it is a macrophylla or serrata or a lace cap or mop head? Doesn’t matter, it is a cool plant. A loosely configured mop head, sepals double cascading around the 12 inch flower head. . The fragrant white blooms have a pink or blue tint depending on ph. Its crown buds will shoot up and bloom after the terminal buds are long gown making it a rebloomer. The plant grows 5 to 6 feet tall and wide.
Kaleidoscope(hovaria)- Is a long blooming selection changing colors pink or blue to green cherry red or white. Some of the introductions include; Hubbell-pink to light green to red; Homingo-blue to light green to red; Hopaline- creamy white to red green; Holibel-lacecap of white changing to moss green. Dr. Dirr said this was a weak grower, and the worst for mildew. We did not like the flower.
Overall, they seem to have some resistance to mildew and are good growers. With the hovarias, it is possible that if flower buds are frost bitten, new buds will grow and these will flower the same year, although later The plants are bud hardy through zone 7. They are part of an expanding breeding program from the Netherlands and we will be expanding the line in the future.
Cityline dwarf hydrangeas- A series that are naturally tight and compact so don’t need pruning. The short habit makes it easy to protect the buds in the winter. You simply rake leaves or pine needles on top of the plant. The small plants have large blooms. We are trying two this year.
Cityline Berlin- Is the largest and fastest grower of the series. It boasts large rich pink or blue flowers accented with green as they emerge. The plant grows 12 to 36 inches with dark green foliage.

The Hydrangeas of Dabney Nursery
Cityline MarsA new compact Cityline selection with with unique bicolored flowers. Large and showy blooms are long lasting and change to an attractive green with age. Excellent mildew resistance.
City line Paris- has glossy dark green foliage with large flowers that emerge green and red and mature to dark pink red or blue. It grows 12 to 30 inches.
Blue Bunny- Belongs to the species involucrate, known for its fuzzy leaves. It is a blue flowering lace cap where the color is not affected by ph. It forms its flower buds on new wood and thus blooms reliably every year. Blue Bunny hydrangea is a strong growing plant that produces an abundance of blooms in late summer right up until frost.
Hydrangea quercifolia or Oak Leaf is one of our best native shrubs we have. Oakleaf will take full sun to heavy shade but perform best in partial shade. They are not bothered by pests. They can get some root rot and leaf spot. The leaf spot is caused by overhead watering and is not a problem for homeowners. They do like well drained soils and will handle drought well. The oak leaf is a dramatic white blooming shrub with four season’s interest. Wonderful large fuzzy leaves, white flowers changing to pink with age, incredible long fall color, followed by exfoliating cinnamon stems in the winter.
Alice- A selection by Dr. Dirr has 10 to 14 inch flowers with white cream-white sepals almost the size of a quarter and cover the fertile flowers. When these flowers age they turn to a rose pink. It is a large vigorous grower and is the most sun tolerant.
Ellen Huff-Is a vigorous, tough, heat tolerant selection from Semmes, Alabama. The flowers are a large mix of showy sepals and fertile flowers.
Pee Wee-Is A compact form growing 2 to 3 feet tall and wide with small blooms 4 to 5 inches long.
An excellent form for small gardens sporting rose- red to purple fall color.
Little Honey- Is a yellow sport of Pee Wee with the same growth habits but with yellow foliage in summer turning red in fall. It is a great little eye catcher.
Snow Flake- One of my favorites with multiple sepals on top of each other giving it a doubleflowered appearance. The sterile flower panicles are 12 to 15 inches long usually drooping to make a weeping effect. The plant grows to 7 to 8 feet tall and flowers slightly later than the single types, and the flowers hold and age more gracefully.
Snow Queen-One of the early selections from Princeton nursery. It has larger and more numerous sterile florets that produce a more dense solid flower. The 6 to 8 inch flowers are held upright and don’t bend or arch like most seedlings. A somewhat compact grower (6 feet) will take full sun. At the nursery it is a slower grower and not as tough as Ellen Huff, but has nicer flowers.
Hydrangea Serrata- also called saw tooth, or mountain hydrangea, is native to the colder regions (mountains) of Japan and Korea. They are less popular for us probably because they have

The Hydrangeas of Dabney Nursery smaller lace cap flowers, the sepals are pale in color and the leaves are smaller and duller than macrophylla. However the more discriminating gardener likes the hardiness of the plants and the more subtle flowers and the better fall color. With the serratas it is best not to try changing the color with ph alteration.
Blue Billow-Is a compact lace cap has broad light blue flowers on glossy green foliage. The leaves are narrower than the species and display a reddish plum in late summer and fall.
Blue Bird-Is an older lace cap winning the garden merit award in 1960. It grows in the 4 foot range.
The main stems often bend and twist making it a good choice to train into an espalier. The foliage turns coppery red in the fall.
Woodlander-A selection from Woodlander nursery is my favorite serrata. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet wide. The lace cap flowers are a stunning electric blue in acidic soil and pink in alkaline soil. With some direct sunlight the foliage will begin to change by early summer and by fall is a deep burgundy color. If old flowers are removed you might get more blooms but does not bloom on new wood.
Hydrangea aborescens or the smooth leaf or wild hydrangeas. They are very tough plants and take part- sun to heavy shade. They are native here, making them drought tolerant. The leaves of these plants are a light green without any gloss. There has been a flurry of new introductions to our old plant.
Annabelle-Is the most popular arborescens cultivar. The flowers are immense and when wet tend to weep. The flowers turn green as they age and finally brown. The books say to cut back to 6 to 12 inches in early spring. I like to cut back 12 to 24 inches and do a little shaping in later spring. It might delay the blooms but they will still bloom. The flowers are sterile balls up to 12 inches.
Annabelle is very versatile. It will take full shade to full sun but does best with morning sun. The blooms will not last as long if they are exposed regularly to hot afternoon sun, but it will not kill the shrub.
White Dove-has a fertile bloom much like our native but performed poorly for us and we had no demand and dropped it.
Ryan Gainey- Is a smaller sterile flower on a stronger stem than Annabelle. The flowers don’t flop even after a rain. If you remove the flowers as they turn brown you will get an entire second bloom lasting till fall. This is Don Shadow’s favorite aborescens.
Incrediball- Is an improved Annabelle with strong, beefy stems and massive blooms. The stronger stems are supposed to eliminate flop and each bloom has four times as many flowers in each bloom.
The blooms emerge lime green, change to white and age to green. This is new this year so I don’t have much experience with it. We just planted our first plants a few weeks ago.
Invincibelle Spirit- Is the first ever pink form of Annabelle. It is also a re-bloomer producing flowers right up till frost. It is not on the market but we will get as soon as we can. This remarkable hydrangea was developed by Dr. Tom Ranney at North Carolina State University.

The Hydrangeas of Dabney Nursery
Hydrangea anomala petiolaris commonly referred to as climbing hydrangea. A true climbing vine, attaching to structures with roots like holdfasts. It first plasters to a wall in a flat configuration with continual growth the secondary branches form a shrub like configuration. With age the branches exfoliate in papery flakes of cinnamon brown like other hydrangeas. These hydrangeas take most soils and are easy to grow starting slow then taking off with time in morning sun. They have a nice yellow fall color, and white lace cap blooms with a honey fragrance. The flowers originate from old wood so don’t trim late in season.
Miranda-Is a variegated climber with dark green leaves with irregular yellow margins. The foliage will slowly fade to green as summer goes on.
Schizophragma Moonlight (false hydrangea)
Similar in habit to a climbing hydrangea, this attaches itself by aerial roots to walls, trees, and the like. 'Moonlight' has especially lovely, silvery blue green leaves that are deeply veined in green. The ten-inch lace-cap flower heads are quite attractive.
Hydrangea Aspera or sometimes referred to as sargentia has large fuzzy leaves and stems with lace cap inflorescences, typically blue or purple in the central fertile flowers, with an outer ring of white to lilac-pink showy sepals. Large, knobby, rounded bud clusters foreshadow the flowers. The bark on mature plants exfoliates in papery brown strips and sheets. The plants remind me of
Allegany viburnum and get as large up to ten feet. We have not had any of these in a few years but I hope to find some.
Hydrangea paniculata, known as panicle hydrangea, the Dutch name translates as sheep head hydrangea. They are the largest growers of the hydrangeas. They are the easiest to grow, prefer full sun but will take light shade and are the most drought tolerant. They will grow in acid or alkaline, moist or dry soils. They typically grow to 15 feet and make great small trees or large shrubs and produce wonderful cut flowers. Paniculatas can be pruned in fall, winter, or spring. They bloom on new wood. It is not necessary to prune every year. However, pruning them back will result in larger and more blooms. It is also good to trim out any crossing branches or unsightly ones.
Tardiva- The last paniculata to flower from late August and September in Memphis. As the temperatures get cooler, the flower sepals turn pinkish. This is the best for small trees.
Limelight-Is the most popular for us. Its flowers have a light green cast. The flowers are 10 to 12 inches long on strong stems and the plant reaches 6 to 10 feet. It was winner of the 2008 Royal
Horticulture Society award of garden merit.
Pinky Winky- The Flemish institute of agriculture treated seedlings of Pink Diamond hydrangea with chemical mutagen colchicines. These chemical mutagens, (derived from crocus and used to treat gout), manipulate chromosome numbers. The new plants often have increased flower and leaf sizes and variability in flower color, giving us Pinky Winky. Is unique is its white and pink twotoned flower heads. The large 16 inch flower heads emerge white and at the base quickly turns

The Hydrangeas of Dabney Nursery pink. The flowering is indeterminate meaning they continue to push new white flowers from the tip while the older flowers turn pink. The flower heads are held upright on strong stems and don’t droop like the old Pee Gee variety. It is also a winner of the Royal horticulture society.
Ideas about using hydrangeas; use white hydrangeas to cool off your garden and show better at night especially with lighting
To spruce up your hydrangea garden, plant dwarf daffodils and crocus at the base of hydrangeas so they hide the dead foliage of the bulbs with their leaves.
Plant evergreens to give structure in the winter months. Camellia japonica and sasanqua give you the structure and continual blooms fall till spring. Then evergreen azaleas can take you till hydrangeas start to bloom. I also love Florida anise, cast iron, fatsia and aucuba for structure. A wonderful under-used fragrant ground cover is sweet box for borders and plum yews are great.
There are lots of dwarf and variegated boxwoods for interest.

The Hydrangeas of Dabney Nursery