Beautiful, billows of blue from summer to fall pinpoint the hydrangea as an outstanding jewel in the garden. This easy-to-grow plant will thrive in sun or shade as long as it is given enough water. They seem to be everywhere at the shore, and last summer I noticed one garden in Cape May with more than 50 plants, each covered with huge blooms, grown as a garland around both the old Victorian house and the fence. These ice-blue beauties were mostly in the shade, yet were full of flowers.

People are always looking for the longest blooming shrubs as well are for plants that bloom in sun or in shade. Well, this versatile plant is one that really fits the bill. There are so very many hydrangeas that one can plant a nice bed of them for long lasting bloom and color. As the name suggests they do need to be hydrated or watered so it is a good idea to a place soaker hose just under the mulch near them to keep them well hydrated. This is better than overhead sprinklers as it avoids rusts and diseases on the leaves. Thus cared for, they will bloom for a very long time. In fact those watered and fed will bloom until frost. They come in several colors and shapes and are very popular used in both fresh and dried floral designs and wreaths.

As far back as I can remember bright blue hydrangea was a part of my summers. My grandmother had one right next to her back door and always had a ring or circle of “Easter lilies” around it. Both started to bloom for the Feast of Saint Anthony in June. If you want to grow this large, blue-ball type of bloom, plant Hydrangea macrophylla. Keep in mind the more acid the soil the bluer the blooms. She used to bury rusty nails and tin cans in the soil. Today we use bagged aluminum sulfate to do the same thing. Lime insures a lavender or pink bloom, depending on the cultivar. These love a soil that has had lots of compost added to it to retain frequent soakings.

I also remember the huge plants along the Atlantic City boardwalk in the hotel gardens and all along ocean drive from Ocean City to Cape May. This route has often been called Hydrangea Trail. Cape May is still filled with hydrangea plants. Today people at the shore love these bright summer beauties and enjoy them in many bright colors. The secret, as their name indicates, is to water them well.

There are many kinds of hydrangea besides the colorful blue or pink Hydrangea macrophylla. A favorite in this large family is “All Summer Beauty”– a small plant with rich blue flowers when grown in acid soil. For those who like deep colors, there are rosy red varieties such as Cardinal red and glowing embers.

One of the first groups to bloom is one that the Victorians loved to plant called Hydrangea arborescens. These are native from New York to Iowa and south to Florida and Louisiana. There are many cultivars including the 2000 PHS Gold Medal winner “Annabelle” one of the best white ones. Blooming early in the summer, this one is loved for its huge, puffy, snowy white blooms. Like all other hydrangeas, they can take shade and can be seen growing in the wild in areas of Fairmount Park in Philadelphia.

Another late spring, white-blooming plant is Climbing Hydrangea or Hydrangea anomala sub.petiolaris. This plant is very hardy and grows in sun or shade. In the right situation it can go 90 feet or more and has the ability to cover structures, rock piles, or walls. A rather showy plant, this beauty also has a light sweet fragrance when in bloom. It decorates porches, arbors and fences that are in the shade.

Next along the bloom calendar is the Oakleaf Hydrangea or Hydrangea quercifolia. A trouble free plant to grow it is a great garden shrub for shade, especially moist shade. White flowers in late June to August sometimes fade to a pink color later in the summer followed by wonderful burgundy fall color. A native plant to the Southeast, this one adapts to many situations and thrives in the Delaware Valley.

Last to bloom is the Hydrangea paniculata. One of its best cultivars is called P. G. for Paniculata grandiflora. This one is often quite a pendant tree, with blooms at times touching the ground. It starts in mid-July with a greenish booms that turn snowy white and then a pale mauve. They last well into late fall if they are not picked to dry sooner. Limelight and Little lamb are cultivars that add a great deal of variety to the hydrangea garden.

Although all hydrangeas are valued as a dried flower, these dry best. They only need to be hung in an airy, dry spot. The blue and pink ones and early white need to be dehydrated in silica gel in order to dry realistically. All look beautiful in arrangements and wreaths.

All hydrangeas, both the native non-natives do very well in the Delaware Valley. All like shade, but will grow in the sun if given plenty of water. Most like acid soil, with the blue ones becoming more intense when grown in a highly acidic spot. So, if you love showy blooms all summer and like to cut dramatic blooms for a vase indoors, plant hydrangeas now. If you plant some hydrangea now, they will be well established for summer’s bloom time.

Join Lorraine at the nursery for herb classes, plant talks and many other garden and floral classes. www.Tripleoaks.com. Herb Festival weekend May 30 and 31, 2009 free to the public! Herbal presentations and garden tours both days!