Joining the woody material (stems or branches) of two different hydrangeas is grafting, not hybridizing. You won't get a different or new plant but a combination of both - the grafted portion will always look like (and be) the plant you attached and the plant you attached it to will also remain unchanged.

Hybridizing is taking the genetic material from one plant and mixing it with a second (or several) to create something unique. This is done with the flowers, pollen and other sexual organs to generate a seed source. Modern methods are often in done in a lab, where conditions are optimum and under very tight control. I am not a hybridizer or propagator, but would have doubts about how easy this is to accomplish with many hydrangeas, as the occurrence of sterile flowers with many types is very high. How hybridizers get around that obstacle, I have no idea.

There was a post on this forum recently from a hybridizer requesting feedback on what was desired in the "perfect" hydrangea. If you can find that or if that poster chimes in, maybe you will get better info than I and other just gardening types can provide :-))

Garden Gal, Thank you for clarifying the meaning of terms dealing with hydrangeas. It was kind of you to respond. May I ask another question of you? What is a SPORT? I read somewhere that a person came up with a very different hydrangea and they called it a SPORT. There is so much to know. I have no training in genetic crossings - so I guess that is that! I just was enthusiastic and love Hydrangeas. I see you are in the PNW, and you are very knowledgeable. Where would you go to purchase young hydrangeas - maybe a one year type that would not cost an arm and a leg. I have searched nurseries in King County and found none. Thanks so much, Donna

Donna

Don't give up start with hand pollination of the two parents you wish to go with keep records
note both parents I would also suggest that once
you have fertilized the egg to place a bag or very
fine netting as to keep insects and bees from cross
pollination of your pollination of the plant.
If you can fine articles on this topic by
Michael Dirr,Phd .
Good luck with your hybridizing

Blueangel

Sport is a NATURALY occuring variance from the generaly stable cultivar.
Sports could be stable or not, therefore it takes several years of observations to decide if it's indeed something new with a stable character or just accidental variance that will return into mother's form.
For example, pale-lilac 'Dr. Jean Varnier' is a sport of otherwise identical, but pure white 'Lanarth White'.
If I'm not mistaken, 'Nachtigall' is a lace-cap sport of mop-head 'Enziandom' etc, etc.

Here is an example of POSSIBLE sport of King George, which always had a normal form of mop-head flowerheads, but last two years produced different type of flowers (semi-lacecaps) on just one, but the same branch:
2006

2007

I was late to realise that it might be a sport and took cutting only in the fall of 2007. So far I don't know if it will bloom in 2008, but if it will and flowers will be of the type shown above and in a subsequent years they'll repeat themselves than it might be called a sport.

Donna, there are so many great retail nurseries in King County, it's hard to know where to start. All the ones of any size will carry hydrangeas but the best selection will be on hand closer to bloom time. All of my hydrangeas have come from local nurseries and I have lots of different types (not as many as George - ego45 - though!) But you are not too likely to find many one year plants. Most will be at least 2 or 3 gallons, often larger, and old enough to be blooming, generally 3 years old or more. Unless it is a hydrangea specialty nursery, it is the flowers that sell hydrangeas and retail garden centers will be bringing them in in bloom. In King County, I'd look at Swanson's (Ballard area), Sky (Shoreline), Molbak's (Woodinville) or Wells-Medina (Bellevue) - these are the largest retail garden centers and most likely to have a big selection. But I wouldn't necessarily limit myself to King County - Emery's in Lynnwood, FlowerWorld in Maltby or Watson's in Puyallup are all good, large nurseries and all sell a wide variety of hydrangeas in season. And there are many smaller nurseries scattered around the area that are worth investigating. Get a copy of the Western Washington Retail Nursery Guide (available free at most garden centers) and plan a few day trips!! You might find all sorts of things to accompany you home, including several hydrangeas.......it's hard to have too many :-))

Here is another example of a sport on a camellia. The flower is supposed to have white petals with striped lines. And if you look, you will see some of the blooms are like that. But check the bottom right-hand corner of the picture; those blooms are completely pink. Two different flowers from the same plant.

{{gwi:503497}}

Hi Luis...
If that is Camellia japonica 'La or Le Peppermint', which it favors a lot, then rose flowered sports are the norm. Mine has had several every year, for more than 20 years.
I have a 'Madame Emile Mouillere' that began to sport blue Lacecaps on 2-3 branches 2 years ago and last year, expanded to about ¼ of the very large plant. I plan to root some cuttings this year, to determine if the LC can be sustained, as the flowers are more attractive (to me) than the large white mops.

The camellia is supposed to be Eleanor McCown, georgia-rose. And by the way, you are not alone with MEM sporting lacecaps. I have heard of quite a few people saying the same thing about MEM developing lacecaps flowers.

Again, thank you all for your great information. Your generosity, your pictures, and your advice is worth the current price of gold. I guess I have spring fever! We had sun this morning for about 3 hours, but the temps were barely over 40 degrees. My thoughts are also with the flood victims in the south east. I hope that none of the Garden Web members were affected. Thank you again, all of you. I love the pictures you send. Donna