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Need help with hydrangea companions

9 years ago

Hello. I am putting in a new bed this Spring. It is 32 feet long and ranges from 4.5 to 8 feet deep. It will receive sun until about noon each day, then the fence will shade it. I am in zone 6, Kansas City area. I am putting in 3 endless summer original in the middle and maybe some blushing brides on the end. I am looking for some ideas on what to plant with them. I thought maybe some grasses or hostas. Not sure which ones. They have to be able to take the sun until about noon.

Also I was wondering if there is a big difference between endless summer and forever and ever.

Thanks for any ideas on what specific plants I can use with the endless summer hydrangeas.

Featured Answer

emrogers

9 years ago

Have you started planting yet? Would love to see pics

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Comments (8)

luis_pr
9 years ago
I like to use short Kurume azaleas that bloom before the hydrangeas and are short so they can go in front of or on the sides of hydrangeas like Hino Crimson (nice red color), Christmas Cheer (nice bloom color and awase fall foliage for me). You can also use hostas and camellias that like to grow sideways more than upright. You can also use annuals, holly bushes, daffodils, heuchera, ferns and in bright shade you could add some daylilies. Just make sure they are good in Zone 6.
suz9601
Original Author
9 years ago
THanks so much for your reply. I appreciate the suggestions. The combo sounds lovely. There are so many choices it is overwhelming, but I am excited to get the garden started this Spring.
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The 'Endless Summer' type of hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) is a plant that is best suited to a part shade location. They can be grown in full sun but will typically experience daily wilting in summer that will unnecessarily stress the plant, especially in areas that have hot summers. Even in the very mild and relatively cool summers of the PNW, shade is a recommended location for these. Hydrangea paniculata or arborescens are more adaptable to a full sun location, but these offer only white flowers. Specific plant selection is often something best left to locals.......issues like climatic suitability, soil conditions and potential invasivenss can come into play that are overlooked or unknown in such a wide forum. A visit to a good local garden center as the season progresses should help you with candidates for this situation, as would a visit to any local public gardens or arboreta. Purple-blue is a hard color to obtain from a flowering shrub and for a full sun location. Rose of Sharon is a possibility, as would be Caryopteris (aka blue mist spirea), but pink (even fuchsia or magenta) is a lot easier. Maybe focus on pink as flower color for the shrubs and accent with perennials or annuals - as suggested above - for the purple-blue color you seek. Hardy geranuims are a good source for this - very easy to grow, adaptable to a very wide range of growing conditions and and with a very long bloom season. Look for 'Rozanne', the 2008 Perenial Plant of the Year, and for good reason. If you include roses in your choices for pink/magenta flowers, hardy geraniums are one of the best companion plants.
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I have two Endless Summers planted about 12 ft apart along the east side of my house, towards the south end. The whole area is underplanted with White Nancy Lamium, which makes a very pretty contrast with the large green leaves of the Hydrangeas. In the center between the 2 hydrangeas is a Honeysuckle vine on a large trellis, a couple of small powder blue hostas centered in the White Nancy, and a scattering of various asiatic lilies in shades of pink to red. I add a few bulbs every couple of years since these do not get quite enough sun for them to be really prolific here, but the effect is really very pretty, so I feel it is worth it. I add later color with a few Stargazer (white with deep pink centers) type Oriental lilies and two smallish Monkshoods (dark blue-purple blooms in early August). Sorry, I can't remember the exact names of the hostas or monkshoods and can't look them up today because of computer problems. BTW, I have had fun with the ESs changing the color in various years from pink to blue by adding aluminum sulfate to the soil. My planting scheme works well with either and the overall effect is simple & soothing, but colorful - LOL - if that makes sense to you.
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Prettypetals_GA_7-8
9 years ago
Azaleas is a great idea. I'd look for some encore ones too bc they bloom three times a year. I have roses planted with mine too but they get more sun than that but you might could find some that do good on less than 6 hours of sun. I too have daylilies and host with some of mine. Anxious to see pics when you finish. Judy
suz9601 thanked Prettypetals_GA_7-8
Prettypetals_GA_7-8
9 years ago
I was thinking about phlox too. Not the spring once blooming but it would be pretty in the very front but the summer varieties. If you prune them they will rebloom. I get 3 flushes usually but I have a long blooming time.
suz9601 thanked Prettypetals_GA_7-8
suz9601
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for all the help. I have not started planting yet, it is getting down to 4 degrees here tonight, so I have a ways to go! But I am planning and dreaming while i wait on Mother nature to move the warmer weather in. :)
ophoenix
9 years ago
I use any of the wonderful Pulmonaria family - Lungworts. they come in all sizes and colorful foliage to brighten up the shaded area of the hydrangea planting. Brunnera is another great plant - both are perennials and will slowly spread and keep weeds under the bushes at bay. Depending on your zone, these will almost be evergreen but in our zone 8b, they were sleeping for only a couple of months and are starting to wake up now. These can be a bit pricy but worth it.
suz9601 thanked ophoenix
ophoenix
9 years ago
Hosta, pulmonaria and brunnera as ground covers under hydrangeas. Photo taken early June. The Hydrangeas will cover the fence in a few weeks. Shown are Lady in Red, Ayesha, and Nikko Blue. The fern in front is a native Bracken and impossible to eradicate - so we just learned to love it.
suz9601 thanked ophoenix

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