Last updated on April 7th, 2022
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Hydrangeas are deciduous shrubs that produce a variety of colours and sizes for their flower heads. Gardeners love the versatility available through the evergreen and deciduous species and the plants grow so large that you can use them to make a hedge. The adult varieties are freestanding specimens that will very quickly assume the space you afford them.
You can find two different types of flowers depending on the variety you choose. You can choose inconspicuous flowers on the inside with a beautiful showy flower on the outside. Most of the Hydrangeas used for making a hedge have the larger flowers on the outside because they grow in a long cone or panicle shape, or a round pom pom shape and give you not only the colour but the privacy you need.
Forming a Hydrangea hedge
Many people use Hydrangeas to create their hedges because there are over 70 species from which to choose. Your hedges can be cultivated from different flowering Hydrangeas and you can pick varieties that grow outwards or varieties that grow upwards depending on the level of privacy you want.
Varieties of hedging Hydrangeas
There are different varieties available to choose from, based on what you want.
- The big leaf Hydrangeas or mophead Hydrangeas are very popular for the large flowers they produce and for their colour. These are great if you want a kaleidoscope of flowers throughout the spring and summer to be part of your hedge. You can even leave the flower heads on over winter and remove them in spring by deadheading.
- If instead, you want a hedge that climbs up and over an existing structure, climbing Hydrangeas are perfect for this. Climbing Hydrangeas are popular because they grow much faster than other varieties and they will quickly fill an existing space.
- If you want something that is modest and blends in with an otherwise stylish country garden you can choose panicle varieties that produce white flowers, complimenting a small cottage garden, brick structure, or fence.
- The Hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ is popular for forming hedges and produces white flowers that are similar to the Big Leaf blue or purple Hydrangeas of the Bodensee. These are also much tougher and tolerant of drought, so if you live in an area where you don’t want to water the hedges actively, this might be best.
Creating Colourful Hydrangea hedges
You can always make a hedge that is comprised of different plants so that it produces a mixture of very colourful flowers. Mixing and matching various varieties and species, for example, the big leaf varieties, will give you a wider array of colour.
With the big leaf varieties, you will get large circular blooms, although you can also find the panicle shaped cone flowers if you’d prefer. Should you wish to change the colours you can grow them in containers along the perimeter where you want the heads to be and alter the soil pH levels so that some containers are highly alkaline and others are highly acidic giving you a mixture of pink and blue flowers throughout the hedge.
Overall, there are plenty of varieties that you can use to create the perfect hedge.
