Hydrangea Recommendation
I'm looking to plant a Hydrangea that can handle mainly shade and will grow to approximately 2m height. The height does not have to be exact.
I looked online at the Hydrangea paniculata Limelight which size wise looks ideal but it appears it will only tolerate dappled shade so I was concerned my spot may be too shady.
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You can keep any down to 2 metres, just prune them every year, I have a long row of them. just ordinary, not Paniculata, in complete shade, they love it, they stay damp there.
Limelight is fine in shade as long as it is gets some light. Vanille Fraise would be another good choice.
Both flower on new season's wood so can be pruned back hard every spring either to the base or to a low pair of buds if you prefer and then give them a good feed of pelleted chicken manure and mulch with garden compost after giving a good drink. This means they should grow and flower well but never get beyond the size you want.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
I have vanilla fraise and bought it as a straggly discount plant last year. Cut it right back and it bloomed lovely this year. I treated myself to Annabelle, can grow big, but can be pruned back, has enormous blooms ?
Thanks for the suggestions.
Would it be a good idea to buy and plant now, or best waiting until spring?
Plant now so it can spend winter getting its roots established before they have to go into overdrive to provide energy for the new spring growth. Be sure to soak the pot thoroughly and prepare the hole well and tease out the roots so they spread into the soil. Water again after planting and give it a mulch of well-rotted garden compost/bough compost or well-rotted manure. Prune back to a couple of healthy buds in spring - when no frost is forecast.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw