I am wanting to plant 3 hydrangea plants on the side of our shed which is shaded by pine trees until late afternoon. It also tends to get little water, except when I water it. Any ideas which hydrangea might do okay there?
What hydrangea would work for low light and low water
How often will you water it? The hydrangeas won't especially care if the water comes from the hose/watering can or from the sky as long as they get enough of it. They're not especially drought tolerant and do need fairly frequent watering especially when they're planted in the root zone of a tree, so if you were wanting something that would get by without much help from you then hydrangeas are not your best choice. If you are willing to do some watering, then it would help to know what zone you're in. I'm pretty sure some parts of Iowa are zone 4, if that's where you are then H. arborescens and H. paniculata cultivars will be your best choices. But if you're in zone 5, then you could try some of the reblooming H. macrophylla cultivars.
You mention they are shaded until late afternoon.....does this mean they get late afternoon, hot, west sun? If so, I'd try something else--hydrangeas hate to get hot sun. There are a few exceptions, but they need full sun, so I'm not sure this site would work for them, either.
I actually have a couple hydrangeas that get a few hours of late afternoon sun and they do fine. The timing is critical though, as the sun's starting to go down late in the day it's often not as hot out anymore and the sun's not as strong as it is earlier in the afternoon, so if that's when the sun is on them then they can do fine. But if it's sunny a little earlier when the sun is more directly overhead and more intense and temps are still hot it could be a problem. Mine get sun from probably 4-7 PM during the summer and are totally fine, even when we have our 100+ temperatures. Morning sun would be preferred however!
Mine get scorched from the late afternoon sun if I don't water frequently....
It is hard to tell because you do not display what zone you live in. Glyn Church, in her book Hydrangeas, recommends the following varieties for plant sites with lots of sun: Ayesha, Blue Wave, Lanarth White, Lilacina, Seafoam, Tokyo Delight and others. Check to see which will grow in your zone and pay attention to their height and width at maturity (that means in 10 years). Many oak leaf varieties due well in soils that are water challenged. And many paniculatas grow very well -in full sun- as you move into the northern half of the country so check them out too.
I would think your location is fine as IA is so close to Illinois but, if no one from IA chimes in, it is best to play it safe. My suggestion is to buy only one shrub and try it in that location for 12 months. If it works for you then buy two more. An alternative is to drive around or go to local botanical/city gardens and see if they have hydrangeas growing in similar types of locations.
Be prepared to maintain them well watered (the soil should be watered again when it feels almost dry or dry) and well mulched (with 3-4" of any type of acidic mulch past the drip line).
For other possibilities, read this article: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/gardening/pdf/Hydrangeas.pdf
This message was edited Jun 18, 2008 10:10 PM
Some of my Endless Summers get alot of sun until about 3:00 p.m., but will wilt and have only had success getting blooms on new wood (cutting down the old wood where buds died over winter/spring) . When I see them nodding, off with the garden hose I go. I give them a nice drink and they perk up again. Rarely have had any scorching. This is not the best scenario for them but it can work with deligent attention. I think Hydrangeas would like the acidity of the pine tree needles though. I just looked on the Iowa State Extension and it said the aborescens will take full sun. Mine are in shade to pt. shade. vjbuffy - I really like mine - "Annabelle". They thrive in our climate. I cut them down hard in early spring and they grow quickly and have huge, heavy creamy white blooms that keep going and going. Actually, they would probably need support due to the heaviness. I use 20" grow rings. I just don't know what their water requirements would be in afternoon sun. Mine get afternoon sun but it is very dappled due to large shade trees. The paniculata is a great choice too for our area, but grow very large unless you choose to prune them to keep them smaller.
I live in 5a, I think it's the same even after they changed the hardiness map a bit. I will water whatever I put there, cause there just isn't enough water in the heat of the summer. Thanks for the suggestions.
"Lady In Red" seems to handle afternoon sun with minimal or modest wilting, if kept watered on a regular basis. It definitely needs winter protection. This is zone 5 today at 2:30 temp 80. Watered once a week ( for now).
This is Endless Summer five feet away from the 'Lady In Red' taken at the same time. ES and Lady in Red are both macrophyllas. I give the ES absolutely no winter protection. It's the come back kid every year.
This is 'Pinky Winky' a new paniculata introduction located in a different place in the garden. It gets almost full sun, which paniculatas want. It is also watered once a week. You can see that paniculatas are unfazed by sun.
Snapple your Hydrangeas look happy! I guess the full sun tolerance also depends largely on your zone, you know? Over here, my paniculata gets fried whenver I forget to water! I mean fried! Wilts and brown crispy edges...but I love this baby!
You are correct robcorreia - latitude has a lot to do with sun tolerance.
Snapple - Please post a picture of your Lady In Red when she blooms. Looks like she'll be a beauty!