Good old reliable annabelle!! I have one growing in a half barrel in my front yard...I am in Z-5 (SW Ontario). The poor thing gets a LOT of shade and half the time I look at it and it is totally drooping because I forgot to water the barrel. It is one tough reliable plant, because it always perks right up as soon as I water it.
My neighbour has hers growing in her west facing front yard and they get full sun all afternoon. They do very well.

I strongly suggest revitalizing the soil before you set in plants. I will recommend the limelight hydrangea. A strong performer, prolific blooms. I've had annabelles as well - it's pretty good and if you rework the soil and add lots of compost (to retain moisture), you will find annabelles to grow huge and also provide prolific blooms.

Ianna

Tracy, a few threads back there was a discussion on Hydrangeas so I pulled it up again, some pros and cons on choices for different locations, hope this helps.

Annette

Here is a link that might be useful: Hydrangea thread

I had one hydrangea in part shade and the other in full sun. I had to move the one in full sun because it was dying.

Tracy, glad to see you on here again. I'm sure glad you asked about the hydrangeas, because this spring I plan to put in a few myself for the first time. Oddly enough I was looking through an old Bluestone catalog today & they offered a variety of them for cheap. Plus they offered explanations of ea. one whether they could or could not tolerate sunlight. My DH gave me a generous gift card for our local nursery, so I may just get some good sized ones to start, but I have alot of room to expand into more shade plantings, so I just may try some of the bareroot plants also.

Hi Tracy,
I've been researching hydrangeas for zone 5 for quite a while and have my heart set on the lovely LIMELIGHT for this spring. I love the shape of the flowers and also that wonderful light green color which gradually matures to pink.

If you want a "blue" I guess Endless Summer is the way to go from what I've read.

I have the 'Forever and Ever' one and so far it has remained about 6" high! It probably didn't like being disturbed when I moved it as a baby from Ohio!

I wish I had room for them so that they would talk to me too, LOL, couldn't resist and am proceeding to the corner, M

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. Annabelle & Limelight sound like my best bet for now so I think perhaps I will start with one of those and expand to a few others next season.

Tracy

Tracy,
I am such a hydrangea lover. Our OSU aggie arborateum had a hydrangea walk last summer that DH and I went on. I now have 8 of them here. 2 Annabelles (my first). I can see the beautiful winter interest from my window right now even though it's 5 degrees out. 3 endless summer beautiful but maybe in too much sun. 2 Nikko blues which I hope get huge. And a climbing hydrangea against a blank wall to help soften. It's slower than the others so the vote is still out on that one.
Here's a picture 2 yrs. ago of Annabelle peeking out by "Fluffy" the smoke bush!!! She's much bigger now.
{{gwi:633721}}
I love them all,
georgeanne

I have Annabelle and it's nice because it fades from a white to a light pink, then dusty rose, and so looks good all the way to frost. I also have Endless Summer, but am not so pleased with that.

Ditto what others have said - Improve your soil first. Borrow a truck and get a few loads of cheap compost from Amherst or manure if you know of a place. You will reap the rewards for years.
Good luck!

I am a HUGE fan of Hydrangeas.
Annabelles are everything they are purported to be and more. They like a richer soil, with plenty of shade, but can take some morning sun.
I let mine grow a few years then cut them in half. They bloom on new wood, so you won't lose blooms, either.
Any of the paniculatas(Tardiva, Limelight, etc.) like full sun, and can actually get pretty big(we're talking 6-8' big)
Endless Summer and the like should be treated like Annabelle, except you'll have to amend the soil if you want blue blooms. I actually like the pink, though.
My favorite Hydrangea is Oakleaf. Huge blooms that look great in all seasons, cool exfoliating bark, and beautiful fall color. They like morning sun and afternoon shade.
Hydrangeas are great structure plants, as I can see when I tour my winter garden.

Tracy,
Now you've done it! Now I can't stop thinking about hydrangeas!
I thought this was an interesting bit of info from a small, (no mail order),well respected nursery in my area. Check it out:

HYDRANGEA arborescens 'White Dome' Vies with 'Annabelle' for arborescens of choice. In July, huge, white, dome-shaped, lacecap flowers are held prominently above deep green foliage with silvery undersides. What distinguishes 'White Dome' is the strength of its stems which carry the huge flowers aloft, unbowed by wind, rain or badly kicked soccer balls. Grows 4-6' tall and blooms on new wood, so may be pruned in spring. Hydrangea arborescens blooms a solid month before Hydrangea paniculata , so using varieties of both in the same landscape would ensure a flower display through most of the season. Zone 4.

Patti: Thank you for posting this. I'm going to keep an eye open for White Dome locally, if not perhaps I'll look online as spring approaches.

Thanks!

Tracy

One caveat regarding Annabelles: sometimes they are not true, which can be disappointing if you have a garden plan. Several years ago, I got a bunch of Annabelles from Bluestone, and only two were true Annabelles. The others had small and flat flowerheads. I've had good luck with "All Summer Beauty," Peegees, and the two true Annabelles. I'm going into the second year of "Royal Purple" (so I don't know yet how they will do) and got a bunch of "Tokyo Delight" and one "Tardiva" for this year.

Every year I mean to do this and haven't, but I hope to root more actual Annabelles by weighing down low branches with bricks to root them. A friend had a lot of success increasing her plant stock this way.

bamboogrrl, I'm glad you brought up the layering - hydrangeas root very easily this way. Several of mine have done this on their own, and I find the new plants reach blooming size very quickly.

It isn't necessary, but you may hasten the process by gently wounding (scraping) the branch where it will touch the ground and apply a bit of rooting hormone if you like. Be sure there's a node in contact with the soil ... this is where the roots are most likely to emerge.

You'll have plenty of new little hydrangeas to plant elsewhere, or to trade for different types.

Diane

I've heard of doing this with rhodies but didn't know it could be done with hydrangeas. Must be lots of things that can be started this way. Thanks for the tip.
Patti

Not to hijack the thread, but yes, many plants can be propagated by layering, since the tip still receives the usual "life support" while developing its own, new, root system.

Another variation is "air layering" in which a cut is made into, but not all the way through, a higher branch, rooting hormone applied, and moist peat moss stuffed into and around the cut; the area around the cut, and the peat moss, is then wrapped in plastic wrap and secured. If the peat moss is kept moist, chances are pretty good that roots will develop and the new plant can be removed from the parent. Of course, good hygiene is critical, as you want to avoid introducing any disease organisms through the wound in the plant.

It's best to consult a horticultural guide to find out which plants respond best to this method, as well as when to do it and the best location for the cut ... all this can vary, depending on the plant.

While preparing this morning's coffee, I was gazing out the window admiring the snowdrops blooming beneath the light brown, exfoliating branches of some of the hydrangeas. They seem perfectly happy together - the snowdrops have gone dormant by the time the hydrangeas fully leaf out - and I find the combination pleasing ... the hardiness of those little snowdrops (galanthus) cheers me through this last leg of winter while the bare hydrangea branches tease me with promise of beauty to come.

Diane

Hi Tracy,
Long time no talk!
I once was on a garden walk down in Youngstown in the summer and a yard was surrounded by what I believe was Annabelles, and it was just gorgeous.
I also have to put in a vote for Oak Leaf Hydrangea. I've seen it in gardens and it is just spectacular. The leaves are interesting too.
And don't forget about Viburnums in the border for the same kind of look but with spring blooms. Plus sometimes they smell wonderful.
Remy

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:633718}}

Fwiw, I'm planning on getting both Annabelle & White Dome this year. Bluestone carries both, but I'm planning on getting Annabelle locally, larger, since that will be going in the front yard.

But, now I'm wondering if I'm allowing a big enough space for White Dome...

Remy, thanks for the tip about viburnum. They weren't something that even crossed my mind!

Tracy

I cannot give you any advice about growing hydrangeas in your climate. I just wanted to share the link below. I buy a lot of roses from Vintage Gardens, but they also specialize in hydrangeas and have a huge selection. I like it that they tell you a lot about eventual size and habit, while many plant sellers just tell you about the flowers. The plant is in the garden when it is not in bloom too, and it is good to know what it will be like then.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hydrangeas at Vintage

Rosefolly, the Hydrangea link is fabulous I looked up one I have Ayesha and I have one branch on mine that has reverted too. I think I'll take a cutting this spring and grow it on into a separate plant. I agree the flowers on Ayesha do resemble the shape of lilac florets. Thanks for providing the link it is a wealth of information.

Annette