![]() ![]() In acidic soil (below a pH of 6), their flowers will be blue. ![]() Most French hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) have, over the centuries, developed this sensitivity. Some hydrangeas are very sensitive to the pH of the soil in which they are grown, and this sensitivity is reflected in the color of their blossoms. Plains with less rainfall and lighter cover tend to have neutral soils. The pH of soil ranges from 0 to 14, and we speak of low pH soil as being “acidic” and high pH soil as being “alkaline.” Generally speaking, areas with heavy rainfall and a lot of forests have acidic soil, and drier areas of desert terrain have alkaline soil. The hydrogen ions are what enable a plant’s roots to absorb the various nutrients from the soil. Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.PH is a scientific term that describes the amount, or “power” (hence the “p”), of hydrogen (the “H”) that’s available within the soil. The Garden Guy hopes you will jump on the bandwagon and let your imagination flow. Wonderful hydrangea partnerships await you for 2022. The Garden Guy in pursuit of hydrangeas and azaleas blooms together just planted the new Perfecto Mundo Orange azaleas in front of Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha, mountain hydrangeas that always have long-lasting huge blue blooms. These are guaranteed to make dazzling partners. If you just don’t know where to start in your hydrangea partnerships, consider some of the Shadowland series of hostas. Superbells Tangerine Punch calibrachoas and Soprano Orange impatiens were at the left flank. Obviously, the hydrangeas were in the shadiest part of the grouping, while Uptick Coreopsis and Evergold Carex grass grew in the sunnier front. One of my favorite combinations of 2021 mimicked a wildflower meadow against the blue hydrangeas. (Norman Winter/TNS) Let’s Dance Rave hydrangea, Rockin’ Deep Purple salvia and Superbells Double Blue calibrachoa comes together in a magical blend. (Norman Winter/TNS) Soprano Orange and Violet Shades impatiens, Rockin’ Golden Delicious salvia and blue hydrangea blossoms create a summer long triadic harmony of color. Let’s Dance Rave with its electric blue flowers screams to be utilized in partnerships. These little orange and violet shades workhorses allowed me to create a triadic blend of color with the lime green foliage of Rockin Golden Delicious salvia and blue hydrangea blossoms. Proven Winners is debuting Soprano impatiens in 2022, which, by the way, are still dazzling now in November. So when a Let’s Dance Rave hydrangea, Rockin Deep Purple salvia and Superbells Double Blue calibrachoas came together in my garden in a monochromatic blend, I had a state of euphoria.Īn intermingling of Goldilocks Creeping Jenny gave a finishing touch of chartreuse. I expect it to change over the years, but who knows about this old hill. Up the hill in the left corner are some Wee Bit Giddy hydrangeas, new this year from Proven Winners with shocking red pink blooms. The same variety in purple 10 feet away is less acidic. In my backyard, a hydrangea can be electric blue, telling me the soil is very acidic. In reality, this is also like knowing your soil pH and how it varies across the landscape. Here you find the impetus for this column.Īt the beginning I referenced knowing your hydrangeas as to their color. The old-fashioned way is simply to plant them as stand-alone shrubs. I asked my color design guru son if his clients thought about combinations with their blue or purple hydrangeas, and the answer was only a couple. The new We Bit Giddy hydrangea forms a dazzling partnership with Heart to Heart Tickle Me Pink caladium at The Garden Guy’s house. Electric blue and purple mauves you didn’t know existed suddenly became available for garden partnerships. My fun started almost three years ago with the arrival of Let’s Dance Rave hydrangeas that were bred for extra cold resistance up north but were like an electrical charge of color for those of us in the South. This is all about knowing your hydrangeas and picking out partners. ![]() When it comes to the new riotous colors of today’s hydrangeas, you can open up that color scheme door to include triadic and even quadratic harmony, three or four colors equal distance apart on the color wheel. You probably have heard about basic colors schemes like monochromaticism, blends of similar colors, complementary colors and the old adage of opposites attract, or one selection from the hot side of the color wheel paired with its opposite from cool side of the color wheel. You’ll see that it not only adds beauty to the landscape, it energizes and excites you and suddenly everything you do in the garden seems fun. A new look at Hydrangea Harmony of Colors may be just what you need as you plan your garden for 2022. ![]()
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