HYDRANGEA. The Americas, East Asia. Ornamental shrubs of many shapes and sizes. They have large, variously toothed, often shiny leaves, mostly deciduous in winter. The flowers can be small individually but are carried in branched, sometimes massive clusters. An interesting feature in several species is the presence of a ring of larger sterile flowers surrounding a group of smaller, fertile flowers, giving the impression of a lace doily. Most species thrive in sun or light shade near the coast. Some shading may be desirable inland. Ordinary soils, regular watering and fertilizing. The following are hardy to 0^oF or less, except as noted.

 arborescens  ‘Annabelle’. A rounded, well-branched shrub, usually under 5’ tall (typical for the species is 5-10’). It has broad, apple-green leaves 4-6” long. Unlike most plants of this species, which have few or none of the larger sterile flowers,  ‘Annabelle’ carries large pompoms of them from late spring to fall.

arborescens ssp. radiata. I first met this intriguing plant a few years ago on a visit to Heronswood Nursery in Washington. They have kindly supplied material for propagation. It grows a bit more slowly than the typical form, and possibly not quite as tall. The leaves are broadly heart-shaped and dark green on their upper surface. The undersides, however give a striking contrast of chalky grey. The flower clusters are typical of the species, made up of fertile white flowers.

quercifolia. Oakleaf hydrangea. A shrub of moderate growth, reaching about 6’ by 6’. It has large, deeply lobed, fuzzy leaves which color well in the fall. White sterile and fertile flowers are intermixed in pyramidal clusters up to 10" long. ‘Alice’ is a cultivar of typical size but better branched, with 12" clusters. ‘Sikes Dwarf’ is quite compact, growing only about 4’ tall, with smaller leaves and smaller (6-8") flower clusters.