So... This probably sounds silly. I want those plain old greenish heirloom hydrangeas, those ones you see as a hedge in more northern climates, I have seen them around old houses here in CNY, I KNOW they will bloom reliably and do well year after year here. What the heck is their proper name? And where can I find some. None of the garden centers seem to have them. I did however but myself "limelight" in hopes it will do well here for me. I love the blues and pinks but they are just so finicky and our winters can be tough though they have been mild lately.
Thanks in advance! :)
Those green hydrangeas...
Mopheads? Like this? (Just ignore the lily.)
These are around 60 years old and the color is due to them being close to the cement foundation.
Hey there pirl!!!! :) I am back! With a new garden!!! :)
I think they are of the "smooth" or "wild" hydrangea type? I do love those mop heads though! I am just never sure I'll see good blooms here. :-/
I'm cheering for you and your new garden. Your best bet might be to ask at a local arboretum or major nursery to be sure you'll get what you want that will bloom for you.
I also like digging things up out of my neighbors yards! Hahaha with permission of course! :)
I just bought a nikko blue here at lowes, and I really shoulda checked plant files first. :-/ now I have to see if they will take it back cause I would rather have hardy low maintenance plants, if I decide on a few extra special ones to care for nikko probably wouldn't be my top pic.
You are thinking of Annabelle (and its cousins). The proper name is Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle. The blooms are white but sometimes start a little greenish. Hardy where you live.
See a picture here:
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oG7mZtHJRRXlYA3nhXNyoA?p=smooth+hydrangea++pictures&fr2=sb-top&fr=chr-swat02&type_param=
I do love Annabelle but the ones I was thinking of were just green and smaller blooms than Annabelle, but you know.... Bigger is better... And those white blooms are very pretty....lol I suppose it doesn't matter. I am sure I can find Annabelle or incrediball around here somewhere
Well, I think that is the one you are looking for. Some of Annabelle's cousins are just called H. arborescens and they grow into tree form in the wild, where they can reach heights of 10'; but... they usually reach less than half in a garden setting. They are native to the US and very common in New York State.
H arborescens varieties have either lacecap blooms or mophead (think Annabelle) blooms. Plain ole' H. arborescens is commonly called the wild hydrangea, smooth hydrangea, American hydrangea and has white lacecap blooms. Some nurseries also carry a tidier version called H. arborescens spp. Radiata. Discolor (that is the name) is another variety similar to Radiata and has little hairs on the leaves but... it is very difficult to find. Hayes Starburst looks like a double or triple bloom form. Silverback has leaves whose underside looks silver-like but is very picky as to where it likes to grow. All arborescens should be hardy to Zone 3.
The only other hydrangea known for its green blooms is Hydrangea paniculata Limelight (and its dwarf sport Little Lime). However, their blooms are panicle shaped, not mophead/lacecap like. Limelight is not native to the US nor referred to as the 'wild' or 'smooth' hydrangea. It is, however, very hardy too... to Zone 3. Limelight is a much larger shrub than the Annabelle and most H. arborescens, reaching heights of 8'. Limelight's flower heads are between 6-12 inches long. It can be planted in near full sun conditions but its blooms will retain the green color longer if it is allowed to get shade in the afternoon (ie, the green blooms will fade to white faster if it gets a lot of sun).
If you see a hydrangea hedge out there that looks like the one you want, consider asking the owner for some cuttings and propagate it that way.
Luis
Hello, pirl!
This message was edited May 16, 2013 1:17 AM
Hi Luis!
I agree about asking the owner if you could take cuttings and take them from the least viewed side so it won't alter the beauty of the hydrangea from the most viewed aspect.
I'll take photos today but, Outlaw, are you 100% positive the heads remain green all year? They all seem to start out green, then change. Are you noticing them mainly in May?
Luis is right about (all things hydrangea) Limelight and yet it's so beautiful in sun or shade. Mine came as a gift from a friend and I've layered it so now have five of them.
Oh wow. Are you making a hedge of Limelights or scattering them around?
Maybe it is Annabel? I dunno... I feel like they are always pale green... Almost white I guess... Around June/July here! :) maybe they aren't even hydrangeas?! Lol I had a few at my old house, they grew less shrubby, and more sorta like single sticks out of the ground? Does that even make sense? Haha I have one small limelight in front of the house next to a blue lilac :) I will post pics this weekend! I am also returning nikko to lowes and exchanging it for an Annabel hopefully. I was not impressed with invincibelle, the pink one, but I think those and some hardy lace caps and mountain hydrangeas will be perfect! :)
I put them in different gardens, Luis, and still have one more to move or the deer will devour it as they did last year. Fortunately, their chewing gave it a very nice shape - the nicest of all of them.
Outlaw - I did go out with camera in hand to take photos of the green heads on hydrangeas. I was much too early. Probably in a month to six weeks we'll have heads. It does sound like you mean Limelights. The shape of the flower head would be the clue. Around here most people end up washing off each Annabelle bloom after they hit the ground in a heavy rain and get muddy. I managed to resist after seeing what others go through with them.
Hahaha.... Yeah... I am not OCD enough to bathe my flowers yet! Hahaha :) maybe someday...
I think Luis is probably right about them just being aborescence.
maybe it's like "black" flowered plants that just seem black but are deep brown or purple or blue? And I think I see pale green flowers, everyone else sees white?! Lol oh Lordy! :)
Maybe it is the nature of the lacecap blooms or the broccoli stage that all hydrangea blooms go thru. Lacecap blooms start green-looking, like a broccoli flower; maybe that is what you are thinking of. As they get older, you have a mass of sepals (false flowers) around the real tiny flowers in the middle. As the tiny flowers in the middle open, they look like white hairs are coming out of them. Being so thin, you can see thru them and, interestingly, below them are green leaves. So when looking at them from above, the white hairs may also give the impression of being greenish.
Hahaha possibly! Anyway I am very excited about limelight and I hope to see some flowers this year! It had one last year when I bought it, and I am quite surprised how much it's grown and branched out! :) I am going to try layering some of the low lying branches. I will let you know how that works out. :)
Good luck! Pirl has been quite successful propagating her Limelights that way.
About how soon do you notice the new "child" plant has developed roots pirl?
This message was edited May 17, 2013 8:57 AM
I'm never in any rush so I leave layerings in place for a year or more, depending on season, before I dig and replant them. They adapt rather fast - no down time, no thirsty looking leaves.
I prefer them in shade but I'm trying two in full sun this year.
Well after a call to lowes which turned rather nasty I will apparently be keeping nikko until I can trade him here for something better. The woman informed me that just because they won't bloom here doesn't mean they aren't technically hardy here. She was really awful, I would rather keep it than deal with her. She insisted she grows one in her yard near here and that it blooms every few years. I guess I will make some cuttings and see what happens. I'll definitely keep it protected and see what happens.
I went to Walmart today! No Annabelle there but I got plenty of succulents, some ornamental grass, columbine, creeping phlox, asiatic lilies, and daffodils all on clearance!!! :) I got it all planted up right before dark so you'll have to wait for pictures.
So before I go buying anymore hydrangeas, what are your favorite hardy varieties? Preferably repeat bloomers.
From the rear of a Lowe's receipt:
Customer satisfaction is our goal. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase simply return the merchandise to any Lowe's store in the U.S. within 60 days.
Please return the hydrangea while they can still sell it and get a refund. Get the name of the store manager so you'll be prepared in advance.
The hydrangeas hardy for anyone in a warmer zone than yours would be of no value to you. You want hydrangea names for your zone and personal experiences are much more valuable than names you'll see on any hydrangea site. You may have more thoughts from people on the Northeast Forum as to blooms and hardiness.
OutlawHeart: Might you possibly be thinking about a type of Viburnum opulus (or some other species of Viburnum) ?
I "think" there's a cultivar of Viburnum opulus with chartreuse green flowers. The blooms LOOK like a hydrangea in many respects but they grow on woody stems/branches. (They may eventually turn white...don't know for sure.)
I've never grown one of these but have seen pictures of them and they do resemble a hydrangea bloom. They sell them here in florist shops as "green hydrangeas".
You're right, JD. Many people confuse the two.
I would not put Nikko Blue for sale on Zone 5 (maybe she has a microclimate that allows sporadic blooms in some years). My late MIL had one on her Zone 6 west side window and it looked fine but I would winter protect it in Zone 5. Most asperas, macrophyllas and serratas will need some protection below Zone 6. Climbing hydrangea (petiolaris), Hydrangea arborescens, quercifolia (oakleaf) and paniculata will done fine in Zone 5. If not sure about a given hydrangea, look it up on mail order companies in the Internet to see what their winter hardiness is given. I usually check multiple vendors: www.hydrangeasplus.com, www.hydrangea.com (aka, Wilkerson Mills), www.nantuckethydrangea.com
Good information, Luis, as always.
A visit to the James Pass Arboretum or the Arnold Arboretum, both in Syracuse, might be worth the trip. You'd be more likely to find informed people who can help with names of hydrangeas that are hardy and you can ask to see the viburnums to be sure of what you want.
Awesome! I started wondering if maybe they are not hydrangeas after all. They really could be viburnum. I will look into it and report back. As for the advice about double checking the zones online that is a great idea!!! ....i just wish I'd remember BEFORE I jump on some "sale" plants. Haha I really think had she approached the topic like you guys here and just told me what to do, I would want to keep it. I think I'll be bringing it back.
I concluded that you are looking for Annabelle-type of hydrangeas. How? I went to look at mine and noticed that the blooms have started. During the broccoli stage, they are green and open green but then quickly turn white. See the attached photo which shows a few blooms (the little ones) in the broccoli stage, the ones that opened recently are still green and the there is only one older bloom that has turned white.
Yup!!! Those are them!!!! All the pics I see online are when they are blooming full bore! Haha MYSTERY SOLVED!! Thank you!!!! :) I knew someone would know what the heck I was talking about! :) they are lovely. I wish they'd stay green... Ah well... Annabel it is!