I have been roaming around these past few weeks, visiting open gardens throughout my local area. The panicle hydrangeas have been just glorious in every garden I have seen with their undeniably spectacular flowers and form. Not to mention the impressive flowers of oak leaf hydrangeas are showing their magnificent colors as well.

Hard to believe we are past mid-July – already! NOW is the time to take care of a couple of hydrangea chores, ideally by August 1.

If your garden is anything like mine, right about now insects and disease start rearing their ugly heads. In most cases, they show up as a result of cultural conditions. Here’s the low down on what I am seeing right now which may match what’s happening in your garden as well.

Time to report on winter's impact on my hydrangeas . In early May, I went out to my Zone 5 garden to see what winter had done to my hydrangeas that bloom on old wood: macrophyllas (big leaf) and hydrangea serrata s (mountain). I also checked on the quercifolias (oak leaf) and petiolaris (climbing).  But we had a very cool and wet spring and this inspection tour was too early for our delayed season. 

Climbing Hydrangea on Arbor  If you’re lucky enough to have a climbing hydrangea (hydrangea anomala petiolaris ), you already know what a fabulous plant it is. And right now it is in its glory in my zone 5B garden. The fact that it grows in shade and is drought tolerant makes it doubly attractive. And in my little slice of heaven, deer have avoided it for 28 years.   The beautiful lacecap flowers are once again dependably in full view. Not only are they beautiful but they are perfuming the garden. Since I have it planted in several places, its non-stop scent practically follows me around. Climbing Hydrangea Flower It’s not uncommon to see this shade loving vine draping arbors and adorning walls. It works really well climbing a tree which does the tree no harm. It’s also a plant you can use as a groundcover. The glossy foliage will scramble over anything in its way. An unsightly tree stump for example is one such eyesore you can make disappear. Know, howeve...