A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum Shrubs and Trees Hydrangea shrub needs friends.

This is my little hydrangea that I planted last spring.



For such a tiny thing it did well, blooming so well that you often couldn't even see its leaves. It started out blooming pink, then the last half of the summer the blooms were mostly blue. I know that has something to do with the soil PH, but I'm really not sure what. At any rate, it can bloom either color, they were both lovely.

My issue is this: He looks really lonely in that big bed all by himself. Any suggestions as to what would compliment him?



The bed is aproximately 8x8' facing southeast and gets full sun until a little after noon, when the house offers a little shade from direct sunlight.


And I was in the middle of weedeating and weeding out the beds, so please excuse the mess!

First thing is you need to resize your pics, us dial up users can't upload them...thanks

ooops, how do I do that?

I notified a hostess to help you out.

You have to set your photo site to a smaller sized photo before uploading here. As a dial up user, it will only load part way then just disappear and give me a red x instead of a picture.

Are you looking to fill it all in or just a little bit of plantings?

Hydrangeas change colours depending on the acidity in your soil.

I resized them on photobucket. If its still too big, give me a holler and I'll try again!

And I think this shrub will get quite big (I believe the tag said 6' around and 5' tall) so I'm assuming that in a few years it will probably cover the whole bed. I would like to have something around the border that I can leave permantly, even after the shrub has grown, but would like to fill in a bit with things I might transplant later when the hydrangea starts to overgrow it.

it will take more than a "few" years for it to max out size. more like 5-15. so, planting something toward the edges to keep it company would be good, i'm just at a loss as to what right now. kinda brain dead. but i love your beds. no

Here are the other beds in the front, just to give an idea of what I'm working with.




I am trying to keep a structured, ordered, "neat" appearance in the front of the house, so whatever I end up doing will be in "rows". Figured I will let the creative side of me loose in the back yard And have a more informal, cottage garden type of plan.

have you thought of lavender i think it would completment the hydrangea beutifuly!! or you could try petunias or waz begoinias maybe? I would go with lavender... or colored babys breath? i think they have blue in babys breath? or you could go with smaller bushes like lantana its a perrinial i think? i know it is down here they have many colors or you can get it in a single colored i like the multi colored though...

ps u have a very beautiful house!

yes, you do!

mine are just a little taller than that and I've had them planted for about 4 years now

I kept him watered last year through dry spells and that spot does tend to stay moist (the drainpipe for the gutter comes out into that bed, under the gravel). He gets shade through the hottest part of the day (from about 12:30-1:00 on). I thought that meant it was partial shade. Oops.

Haha, if he takes that long to grow, I'd better not plant anything too tall around him, huh? I like petunias, just wouldn't really care to replant every year. Aren't petunias an annual? That's usually what I put in the big containers on the front porch.

I love lavender, have some started in my little jiffy greenhouse from seed, had planned on putting it in the backyard..... I also have sweet williams and maiden pinks started, would they work in that bed? The sweet williams are grab bag of colors, not sure if I want that much "informality" in the front.

Maybe I'll just do more creeping flox, if I can find the colors that I have in the other beds.

Aww, thanks! We actually bought it for our dog, long story.

How about Minuet Weigelas, they are a small shrub, only get 1 and a half feet tall and wide or mini roses.

I love ferns and had thought of putting some under the stairs where they would get more shade. I also thought they would make a nice "backdrop" for the color in the hydrangea and any future flowers planted there. They would probably have enough shade all along that wall, actually. Ooooh, I'm getting inspired here....

And geez, never thought of planting the sweet williams out back until I know what colors they are. See, this is why I need advice!!