I grew up with Snowball virburnum in Texas and prefer them. However, I'm biased because hydrangeas struggle so much in the poor, alkaline soils we have in southern OK, and not just in the soils...they struggle more with the heat and recurring droughts we have down here too. With better soil (as in, I hope, not clay) and less frequent droughts there in central OK, perhaps hyndrangeas don't struggle there as much as they struggle down here.

Well...my "better soil" is found only in the spots that I have already worked - the rest IS clay...lovely RED clay.
That pretty much answers it for me - I've seen Snowballs do well here and will probably go with them again. They're nice and woody...do you think they would root well from cuttings? (Of course that's also a pathetic plea to anyone out there willing to donate said cuttings!)

Sharon

Sharon, I don't know if they root well from cuttings. I've never tried it, and I currently don't have a snowball viburnum but I'd send you cuttings if I did. (Talking about them is making me ask myself why I haven't planted one here.....)

Dawn

Have you considered a oakleaf hydrangea? I have 6 of them and they do well here in the Norman area. Some get a couple hours morning sun, some get filtered sun for a few hours mid-day and one only gets bright shade. Each of them have great flowering and are beautiful shrubs. They have great fall coloring as well. These are panicle blooms rather than the big snowballs.

I do have one that is in sun for several hours in the afternoon (due to losing a shade tree in the ice storm) and it is very unhappy. I hope it holds on until the shade tree rebounds.

With that said, I do have 2 Endless Summer Hydrangeas. I put them in large pots temporarily as I had no idea where to place them. Now one of them is in the ground. They have been getting sun from about 9:00-2:00 and have done well. The one I put in the ground doesn't get as much sun and isn't blooming as well as the other. The nice thing about the ES hydrangeas is they bloom all summer rather than a blast early. They come in several colors. I have Bride (something) and it the flowers are white with a hint of pink as they age.

With the clay I have here (which has been amended endlessly for years) I always raise my shrubs. I just dig the hole about half to 2\3 of the height of the pot and then with good soil I just build up the area to the top of the root ball and then use rocks or bricks to hold the soil in place. For a large Oakleaf the rock is about 2 feet out from the trunk.

I have added a bunch of info here as I am happy to get to answer something for a change. I lurk and learn here mostly. lol

Try this site for info on the different types of hydrangeas.

Here is a link that might be useful: All about hydrangeas

Impatience (we'd love to know your real first name, too)...thank you! Lots of good information on that website, including propagation techniques :)

I have always liked the Oakleaf Hydrangeas, too...but they mention that they do not like wet feet. The spot where I would put a shrub does sort of tend to stay somewhat damp through even the summer, and can tend to pool up after a heavy rain - it's right at the corner of my house and by a chain link gate (so building the soil up right there wouldn't really work), but thank you. I may just have to consider where else I could possibly put one :)

Sharon

I grow both and they each have their charm. The Pee Gee Hydrangea I grow is a more compact variety called "Pee Wee". On the minus side for the Snowball bush (Viburnum opulus sterile) is that the leaves don't take full sun as well as the Pee Gee Hydrangea. They look pretty sorry by now and they do get lots of aphids some years. But mine is out of the way, so the leaves aren't seen that much after bloom. I grow it anyway for the spectacular spring show of flowers which I like better then the hydrangea blooms, but that's just a matter of taste. The Hydrangea blooms have their own charm though as they age, staying fairly attractive for a long time, while once the snowballs are through they shatter and are done for the rest of the season. I have heavy clay soil btw.

I'm a 'transplant' from AR to the San Luis Valley of south-central CO at a mile & a half elevation, right on the border between zones 3 & 4. High/alpine desert, sandy with just a little loam soil, very strong winds, only about 6-8 inches of precipitation annually. Wondering if pee gee hydrangea or 'snowball bush' (are they the same thing?) would do well here? Also, would appreciate any other suggestions for this environment! Russian sage seems to do very well.

Transplant,

Since you're in Colorado, zones 3 and 4, and we're in Oklahoma, zones 6 and 7, I don't know if we can answer your question about what will grow well in your zone. Hydrangea and snow ball bush are not the same. The plant we usually refer to as snowball bush is in the viburnum family. Oakleaf hydrangea does better in southern OK than the others so you might research it and see how cold hardy it is.

Since you're in the difficult climate of Colorado, I'm going to link the website of one of my favorite retailers for plants that grow well in difficult situations. They have a lot of waterwise plants, natives, and hybrids developed from natives that can tolerate very dry soil and very challenging temperatures. When you read their plant descriptions, please note that they try to address what sort of soils each plant needs because a lot of them need excellent drainage while others tolerate less perfect drainage. If I lived in Colorado, I suspect I'd rely upon High Country Gardens for a lot of plant advice----even if you don't purchase from them, their website is very informative and may help you choose plants that sound like they'd do well in your climate.

You also might try the Rocky Mountain Gardening forum here at Garden Web.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: High Country Gardens

I'm biased towards hydrangeas, but I would also suggest the Endless Summer if you choose a hydrangea. You can come visit mine if you want. I have two Nikkos and one ES. Oddly enough, the only one putting on a great show at the moment is a Nikko.

Lisa

Haha....I wondered what??? I posted what?

This was SO last year, lol, but I might come see yours, Lisa...this year grass has my attention. :~)

Sharon

Sheesh! I didn't even look at the date, sorry! But you are always welcome!

Lisa