Come summertime, hydrangeas are lovely sight in the garden, but it takes a little knowhow to get them to look their best
by Helen Yoest

Come June, the fresh sight of early-blooming hydrangeas has me drawing a deep breath. But simply saying “hydrangeas” can mean so many things! The flowers within the Bigleaf hydrangea family can be globe-shaped (called mophead) or lacecap, in blue, purple or pink; you can also find a cone-shaped white bloom from our native oakleaf hydrangeas.

Most of what I find are the big blue, bodacious mopheads. Why blue? Raleigh’s soil is naturally acidic! If you prefer purple or pink blooms, amend the soil annually, adding one cup of garden lime, sprinkled around the shrub’s dripline, each year. (Give it time: Deep purple will appear first, then slowly transition to pink.) Common mophead varieties to look for are Nikko Blue, Endless Summer – The Original and Let’s Dance Blue Jangles.

When I come across a lacecap variety, I stop to admire it up close. Its elegant, dainty appearance comes from a mix of sterile florets and fertile flowers. Like the mopheads, lacecaps’ color can be adjusted in the same manner. Popular varieties include Blue Bird, Tiny Tuff Stuff and Twist-n-Shout.

In my home garden, I prefer the oakleaf hydrangeas. They provide four-season interest, with longer-lasting flowerheads that fade from white to dusty rose to a russet brown. They also require less water than the Bigleaf varieties and are drought-tolerant once established. 

I’m often asked why someone’s hydrangeas aren’t blooming — the most common reason is improper pruning. Some hydrangeas bloom on new wood, others on old wood. If you’re not certain which kind you have, don’t prune them to the ground! Leave the stems and check for buds in early spring: if you see them, that means they bloom on old wood — leave them be, because if you cut them back, they won’t bloom next year. If you don’t see buds, feel free to cut back and wait a little longer. These blooms will come from new wood, arising from the ground. 

This article originally appeared in the June 2026 issue of WALTER magazine.