Adventures with Hydrangeas
This year has been a lesson in the habits of hydrangeas, and I have found that the shadier the better. All of my hydrangea plants are of the macrophylla type - the traditional mophead reminiscent of Victorian villas and seaside views. I have several old postcards of Devon and Cornwall in which the pink mopheads are conspicuous - so obviously they can cope with a seaside location. But what they really want is somewhere damp and sheltered. I have a front and a back garden. The back is overshadowed by huge trees and the very end of the garden is in shade for most of the day. But the plus side of this is that it hardly ever gets affected by frost. The front however is open and faces east and apparently we are the highest point until you get to somewhere in Germany - so all of that lovely North Sea wind hurls itself across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire until it gets to rattle my front door. And there is no shelter from the frost or the morning sun - a lethal ...