Skip to content

Top Navigation

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Food and Recipes
  • Culture and Lifestyle
  • Style
  • Holidays & Occasions
  • Home
  • Gardening Ideas
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living Books this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Southern Living

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • The Best New Haircuts to Try in 2022

      The Best New Haircuts to Try in 2022

      Here are the haircuts you'll be seeing everywhere this year. Read More
    • How to Season a Cast-Iron Skillet

      How to Season a Cast-Iron Skillet

      Learn how to season this Southern kitchen staple in five easy steps. Read More
    • 50 Thoughtful Messages for a Meaningful Thank You Note

      50 Thoughtful Messages for a Meaningful Thank You Note

      Not sure what to write in a thank you card? Here's how to show your gratitude with a handwritten note. Read More
  • Food and Recipes

    Food and Recipes

    See All Food and Recipes
    4 Easy Ways to Tell if an Egg Has Gone Bad

    4 Easy Ways to Tell if an Egg Has Gone Bad

    It’s not all in the senses, but they sure can help.
    • Recipes
    • Quick and Easy Dinner
    • Kitchen Assistant
    • Casserole
    • Holiday and Occasion Food
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Desserts
    • Healthy and Light
    • Side Dishes
    • Party Food and Drink
    • Appetizers
    • Meat
    • Breakfast
    • BBQ
    • Drinks
    • What's Cooking
  • Culture and Lifestyle

    Culture and Lifestyle

    See All Culture and Lifestyle
    70 Cute and Funny Nicknames For Your Best Friends

    70 Cute and Funny Nicknames For Your Best Friends

    Let your besties know how much they mean to you with one of these unique nicknames.
    • Quotes and Sayings
    • Biscuits and Jam Podcast
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Healthy Living
    • Coastal Living
  • Style

    Style

    See All Style
    The Coziest Winter Nail Colors for January 2022

    The Coziest Winter Nail Colors for January 2022

    The beginning of a new year often has us all feeling like starting off fresh by taking on better habits, getting rid of old ones, and—most commonly—changing up our look. While others are hitting the squats and going into the salon for a pixie cut, why not start slow and steady with a cozy winter manicure in a color that feels new to you? It takes only a little courage to step outside your usual OPI Lincoln Park After Dark or Essie Bordeaux, which is all you need to kick 2022 off on a fanciful foot.  From new wintry takes on classic dark nail colors to unique pops of color that'll have you feeling the opposite of boring, these are the best nail colors to try this January and tick off all the way into spring. 
    • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Fashion
    • Short Hairstyles
    • Nails
    • Medium Hairstyles
    • Skincare
    • Long Hairstyles
  • Holidays & Occasions

    Holidays & Occasions

    See All Holidays & Occasions
    • Thanksgiving
    • Gifts
    • Christmas
    • Mother's Day
    • Hanukkah
    • New Year's
    • Easter
    • Mardi Gras
    • 4th of July
    • Weddings
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    16 Kitchen Design Trends Southern Designers Predict Will Be Everywhere in 2022

    16 Kitchen Design Trends Southern Designers Predict Will Be Everywhere in 2022

    There's no denying how the pandemic fundamentally changed the world—including how we live (and work) inside our homes. An overall trend toward celebrating the history and originality of our homes is displacing ultramodern aesthetics and sharp lines as we all look to create cozier, colorful, more personalized spaces that better suit our lifestyles. We're turning away from big-box stores and toward vintage items—first, out of necessity due to supply-chain issues, and now, for design reasons—to add charm and character to every room in the house, including the kitchen. Here, interior designers from around the South share their predictions for what's trending in kitchen design for 2022 and beyond.
    • Home Decor Ideas
    • Idea Houses
    • Kitchen Design
    • Before & After Photos
    • Bathroom Design
    • Curb Appeal
    • Bedroom Design
    • DIY Home Decor
    • Color Palettes & Paint
    • House Plans & Builders
    • Inspired Communities
  • Gardening Ideas

    Gardening Ideas

    See All Gardening Ideas
    If You Keep Finding Ladybugs in Your House, Here's What You Need to Know

    If You Keep Finding Ladybugs in Your House, Here's What You Need to Know

    Plus a few strategies for keeping them out-of-doors
    • Container Gardening
    • Gardening Flowers
    • Fruit, Vegetable & Herb Gardens
    • Garden Pests
    • Plant Guides A-Z
    • Indoor Plants
    • Fall Plants
    • Landscaping Ideas
    • The Grumpy Gardener
  • News

    News

    See All News
    • Celebrities
    • Local News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living Books this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Southern Living
  2. Gardening Ideas
  3. Dreamy Hydrangeas

Dreamy Hydrangeas

By Charlie Thigpen
Skip gallery slides
FB
Dreamy Hydrangeas
Credit: Photography Joseph De Sciose
Inspired by beautiful blossoms, Wendy White transformed a wooded slope into a garden of flowers.
Start Slideshow

1 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Dreamy Hydrangeas

Dreamy Hydrangeas
Credit: Photography Joseph De Sciose

Late spring and early summer bless us with some of our most beloved flowers-- hydrangeas. These shrubs look rather ordinary most of the year but transform into a magnificent profusion of color that makes our gardens glorious.

Wendy White has a backyard full of these classic beauties. Every year, clusters of pink, purple, blue, chartreuse, and white blooms grace her garden, causing woody stems to arch and strain as they try to support the many heavy flowers.

1 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Amazing Transformation

Amazing Transformation
Credit: Photography Joseph De Sciose

Wendy shows off a giant bloom from 'Hamburg,' one of her favorite selections.

The walking trail she started many years ago directed Wendy down a different path and led her to a gardening adventure. Beautiful hydrangeas prosper under her watchful eyes and nurturing hands. Her backyard getaway is a peaceful retreat where she can be alone and get away from it all. She feels very close to God in her garden, where each day she's able to witness his little miracles as they grow and bloom.

2 of 12

3 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Wendy's Rooting Tips

Wendy's Rooting Tips
Credit: Photography Joseph De Sciose

Cut a 12- to 15-inch piece off a non-blooming branch in July or August. Cut the clipped stem in two or three pieces, making sure that each section has at least two nodes that can be placed into the potting soil. Strip the foliage, except for the top few leaves of each cutting. If the top leaves are large, cut them in half to reduce water loss through foliage.

3 of 12

Advertisement

4 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Wendy's Rooting Tips: Tip 2

Wendy's Rooting Tips: Tip 2
Credit: Photography Joseph De Sciose

Pour rooting compound onto a stripped leaf or into a small container, and dip the bottom end of the cutting into the compound. (Do not dip stems back into the jar of rooting compound, because this could contaminate it.)

4 of 12

5 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Wendy's Rooting Tips: Tip 3

Wendy's Rooting Tips: Tip 3
Credit: Photography Joseph De Sciose

Push the cutting into a 4-inch container filled with potting soil, burying two leaf nodes under the soil.

5 of 12

6 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Wendy's Rooting Tips: Tips 4 & 5

Wendy's Rooting Tips: Tips 4 & 5
Credit: Photography Joseph De Sciose


Tip 5: Set the plant out in a shady location, and keep the soil moist. Leave the cutting in the pot for a year or two to establish a fibrous root system. Some of the more vigorous selections will be ready in a year, while slower growers will take two.

6 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Wendy's Rooting Tips: Tip 6

Wendy's Rooting Tips: Tip 6
Credit: Photography Joseph De Sciose

Your cutting can be left outside during autumn, when falling leaves will lightly cover it, providing insulation in cool weather. During winter, bring the cutting inside the garden shed or garage if temperatures dip into the low teens.

7 of 12

8 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

From Trail to Garden

From Trail to Garden
Credit: Photography Joseph De Sciose

Wendy hasn't always been a gardener. But, as her children grew up, she began to tinker in the backyard. The large, steep, poison ivy-covered area offered a challenge. At first, she just wanted to carve pathways up and across the hillside so she could walk around the house for exercise.

To enhance the walking paths, she set out a few plants, and a garden was born. She says that after a few years of working with different kinds of shrubs, perennials, and annuals, the hydrangeas spoke to her, and she wanted more. Today, Wendy has more than 100 different selections. She learns about each one as it grows. It's hard for her to pick a favorite because they are all special, but she really likes 'Hamburg' and 'Veitchii' French hydrangeas ( Hydrangea macrophylla) and says they perform extremely well in her garden.

8 of 12

9 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Location, Location, Location

Location, Location, Location
Credit: Photography Joseph De Sciose

Wendy and her husband, Bew, have an extremely hilly lot that's covered in large trees. A mixture of pines and hardwoods creates high shade, allowing just enough filtered light to sift through the branches.

Each year, Wendy removes low limbs to make sure the garden doesn't get too shady. She says the hydrangeas that get more sun bloom better but tend to become stressed by the summer heat and need more water. They seem to do best when they receive morning light but are shaded from the hot western sun. The backyard has dappled light, fertile, well-drained soil, and a willing gardener, so it's the ideal spot for a hydrangea garden.

9 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Get a Good Start With Small Things

Get a Good Start With Small Things
Credit: Photography Joseph De Sciose

Wendy likes to set out young plants. Many of the hydrangeas she sets out come from mail-order nurseries, so the plants are little when they arrive. She also plants small cuttings that she has rooted. The smaller plants seem to be easier to establish. She does most of the work in the garden herself and doesn't want to haul big plants up the hillside. To ensure that each one gets a good start, she mixes peat and manure with the soil surrounding the root-balls.

In early spring, she top-dresses her plants with a granular 10-10-10 fertilizer. Wendy has a sprinkler system she uses when necessary. The hydrangeas let her know when they're dry. If they wilt in the afternoon, they are usually okay, but if they're flagging early in the morning, they need a drink.

10 of 12

11 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Many Color Tricks

Many Color Tricks
Credit: Photography Joseph De Sciose

Wendy doesn't try to manipulate the colors of her French hydrangeas. She lets them do what they want. If you want to change or intensify their colors, try these tricks. For blue hydrangeas, dissolve 1 tablespoon of aluminum sulfate in a gallon of water, and drench the soil around the base of plants in March, April, and May. For pink hydrangeas, dissolve 1 tablespoon of hydrated lime in a gallon of water, and soak the roots in April and May. Avoid getting the lime mix on foliage.

11 of 12

12 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Pure White

Pure White
Credit: Photography Joseph De Sciose

If you want white hydrangeas, plant selections such as 'Annabelle' smooth hydrangea ( H. arborescens 'Annabelle'), 'Snowflake' oakleaf hydrangea ( H. quercifolia 'Snowflake'), 'Tardiva' ( H. paniculata 'Tardiva'), or 'Le Cygne' French hydrangea ( H. macrophylla 'Le Cygne').

This article is from the May 2005 issue of Southern Living.

12 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Charlie Thigpen

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 12 Dreamy Hydrangeas
    2 of 12 Amazing Transformation
    3 of 12 Wendy's Rooting Tips
    4 of 12 Wendy's Rooting Tips: Tip 2
    5 of 12 Wendy's Rooting Tips: Tip 3
    6 of 12 Wendy's Rooting Tips: Tips 4 & 5
    7 of 12 Wendy's Rooting Tips: Tip 6
    8 of 12 From Trail to Garden
    9 of 12 Location, Location, Location
    10 of 12 Get a Good Start With Small Things
    11 of 12 Many Color Tricks
    12 of 12 Pure White

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print
    Southern Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • About Us
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Books from Southern Living
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    MeredithSouthern Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. Southern Living is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab All Rights Reserved. Southern Living may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Southern Living. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.southernliving.com

    Sign in

    View image

    Dreamy Hydrangeas
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.