Friday, July 26, 1991 - North Shore News - 15 Humble apologies to the hydrangea PERHAPS I have been unkind to the common hydrangea. In my attempts to offer some alternative suggestions for summery-flowering shrubs, I may have said some harsh things. Its relegation to the status of commoner should be considered one of them. After much protestation from ‘The Friends of Hydrangea,’ of which my wife is a charter member, | am prepared to make amends. J hereby formally apolo- gize for all previous slanders and vow to treat this lovely plant with the respect it deserves. Now can I have my dinner? if the truth were known, I believe the hydrangea to be an essential addition to the summer garden. There are few shrubs that can offer the same scale of mid- summer flower production and even fewer that hold their beauty for as long a period of time. They are certainly reliable. Perfect growing conditions lie somewhere between the extremes of full sun or shade and barren soil to fertile, but even in the ex- tremes, they can be counted on to produce. Most of you are familiar with the more often seen varieties of com... — ah — garden hydrangea (hydrangea macrophylia hortensia group). The large, coarsely-toothed, oval-shaped leaves densely cover the mounded growth throughout the growing season. As they are deciduous, some thought should be given to camouflaging bare branches over the winter months. My method is to plant them in front of a taller mass of evergreen plants (a cedar hedge, perhaps?) and behind a screening mass of lower evergreen shrubs (some dwarf Japanese azaleas?). The pink or blue flowers appear in ball-shaped clusters over the entire plant from July to September. While there are hybrid Timeless Classic. DINING ROOM FIXTURE ¢ clear and peach bevelled glass © 6x6OW +1SOW hagas Geoff Tobiasson OVER THE GARDEN GATE forms that are noted as being ei- ther pink or blue, the actual col- ors appearing in your garden are dependent on the pH (acid level) of the soil. Acid soils will enhance blue shades and alkaline (lime laden) soils will bring out the pink. To get the blues, add aluminum suiphate to the soil around your plants and lime if you are looking for pink. Other forms may not have achieved the same garden glory as those mentioned above, but those of you who spend the time track- ing them down and cultivating them will not be disappointed. Here are a few examples: The Lacecap Hydrangeas (h. macrophylla — ltacecap group) are similar to those mentioned above, the exceptions being the flowers. Instead of the normal ball or PACH Ioiny Ld TEINGs 4702 E. HASTINGS ST. (across 2nd Harrows, tum left on E Hastings) / HOURS: Mon.Thurs. -5:30/Fri. 9-9 ee Bumaby, B.C. 294-5256 Sat. 9-5:30/Sun. 12-5 cluster of blooms, these appear as flat-topped clusters of tiny buds surrounded by a ring of the more typical hydrangea flowers. The unique relationship between color and soil pH remains the same. Another old favorite is the PG Hydrangea (h. paniculata ‘Gran- diflora’), Generally requiring more space (and a heavy hand with the shears), they can reach heights of 12 to 35 feet with a similar spread. I have often seen these trained as a single-stemmed standard with dramatic effects. The PG’s large clusters of flowers appear in June and are conical in shape. They start out cream-white in color and age to a lovely pinky-bronze by the end of the summer. The extraordinary size and weight of these blooms force the branches to bend downwards, giving the plant a beautiful cascading appearance. The Climbing Hydrangea (h. petiolasis) is becoming more wide- ly used in the garden, although most are not aware of its value. If you are looking for a flowering climber for shady location, look no further. Cream-white flowers in June, rich, dark, green leaves during the growing season and interestingly gnarly bare vines over the winter months. This plant seems to have a lot to offer, whether in sun or shade. The Oak-leaved Hydrangea (hvdrangea quercifolia) is much harder to find and | do not un- derstand why. It is easy to grow, flowers in shade or sun and is not that difficult 10 propagate. So tell your garden centre to get busy and get you one. As the name suggests, the large, deeply divided leaves look remarkably fike those of the mighty oak. The white flowers appear in July and develop a pur- ple shade over the summer; they are very similar in appearance to the facecap hydrangea. There, | feel I have properly atoned for my sins against this group of fine specimens. 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