Hydrangeas

mikzxr

Hello everybody, I am trying to cover a difficult area under some very tall Populus tremula ( I think ) there are a lot of tripping hazard roots and I have been told that hydrangea would be a good choice. It’s a very wet area near a river. Any advice would be great as I am getting conflicting info from different sources 

thanks again 

msqingxiao

Not sure if hydrangeas like very wet area... Think the location will need to get some sun too, i.e. not totally shaded.

FlyDragon

You might be better with ferns in that area, they like shade and don't mind damp, hence why you see them growing near rivers 'in the wild'. 

mikzxr

Does hydrangea by name not mean they are trusty and like wet ground ? 

Fairygirl

Hydrangeas do best in moist soil and shade. Very waterlogged soil isn't so good, but unless that's a problem, then hydrangeas could well be a suitable choice 
Have you a photo of the area to let us see how wet it is, and how exposed the roots are? Any other info would help too - is it only waterlogged in winter months for example.

You may need to improve the soil a fair bit, and/or plant smaller specimens to get them in and established. Ferns would certainly be good, and even things like Japanese anemones. They'd be good together. 

steephill

Hydrangeas are named after the shape of the seed pods which were though to resemble ancient Greek water vessels rather than needing lots of water. I have both lacecap and mophead hydrangeas growing in full sun in free draining acid greensand soil. I have never watered them and they have grown well for decades. They may do even better in moister soil and a bit of shade but they will tolerate a wide range of conditions.

Lyn

Same here, I’ve got about 60 round the garden,  some in full sun, some in shade, they all do equally as well, never ever fed them,  we are on a hill and the rain drains away really quickly,  I’ve never watered them. 
They grow very tall and wide, when they get to big I cut the whole lot back to the ground in spring,  they wont  flower in that year but are fantastic the following year.

Elfer

Arum lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) do well in those conditions as long as you have a mild winter, won't grow as big as Hydrangeas though.

Mariam_86

I have waterlogged heavy clay soil. Basically the soil of gardeners’ nightmares. Hydrangea are of the few plants growing and thriving. Mine isn’t in shade, though probably should be.

Fairygirl

In wetter soil they cope with the sun well @Mariam_86. 

Mariam_86

@Fairygirl Oh, well that’s a happy coincidence! Thanks for letting me know… I was originally considering moving it to shade.