I am interested in hearing from experienced growers regarding the specific differences and hardiness issues of Hydrangea serrata "Blue Billow' and 'Bluebird'. I have not done a soil test yet, but know that its probably somewhat alkaline, so I expect pink flowers. Has anyone here tried 'Woodlander'?
Would also like to hear more about Hydrangea quercifolia 'Pee Wee', 'Little Honey' or 'Sikes Dwarf'.
Best small Hydrangeas for Zone 5
I don't have personal experience with any of the ones you mention (I have grown several other H. serrata cultivars though), but in zone 5 unless you want to take the time to cover them over the winter, you might want to consider H. macrophylla cultivars like 'Endless Summer' which bloom on new wood, or H. paniculata and H. arborescens which also bloom on new wood (I don't know if there are any small cultivars of these or not). H. serrata and H. quercifolia both bloom on old wood which means that many times if you don't protect the plants over the winter, the buds will get zapped by a late frost and the plants won't bloom. The plants themselves will be fine, but if you want blooms you'll have to put in some extra effort to protect them over the winter.
Extra effort is no problem ecrane. Do you mean like a chicken wire cage with leaves stuffed inside, or something more elaborate? I know oakleafs are native here, are they as susceptible to damage? Thanks for your reply.
I have lots of hostas, and I really have my heart set on some serratas for their contrasting foliage. Maybe I'll just ask at the nursery...
That's a fine approach, I think that's about what most people do for protection. As far as I know, you need to take the same precautions with H. quercifolia, any hydrangeas that bloom on old wood are going to need protection if you want blooms. The plants themselves will generally be fine without the protection, but many years you'll lose some/all of your blooms if you don't protect it. Since you mentioned that it's native to your area I was curious whether it maybe was a little less susceptible to damage than other hydrangea species so I did a little digging and found this reference which still recommends protecting it during the winter if you're in zone 5. So I think you're better off protecting it too.
http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=D380