In my yard, the mophead hydrangeas—Hydrangea macrophylla—have long since surrendered their sky-blue color to the blue-gray-beige of late summer. The oak leaf hydrangeas—Hydrangea quercifolia—have turned dusty rose. When I look at the edges of individual petals on the huge, cone-shaped flower panicles, I can see that they already have the crispiness of dried blooms and are starting their transition to the brown-beige of fall.
Hydrangea lovers like me have long been enraptured by the beauty in the many species and varieties available for garden culture. In yet another triumph of hope over experience, I picked up a lovely ‘Shooting Star’ hydrangea at the grocery store earlier this summer. It had an alluring big head of mixed sterile and fertile flowers, with plump, star-shaped blooms shooting in all directions from the main flowerheads. I brought it home, where, predictably, it began to wither within the first few days. Loving care was useless and the flowers and leaves quickly withered away. But the stems were still green and being an optimist, I kept caring for the pathetic-looking specimen. Eventually it developed new leaves and now is on its way back to health. Next year I hope my ‘Shooting Star’ will feel up to producing a few blossoms so that I can feel the joy and vindication that comes from facilitating horticultural resurrection.
Even if those blossoms return, they will have absolutely no scent, a trait that ‘Shooting Star’ shares with the majority of hydrangea species and cultivars. With a few notable exceptions, like the cultivar ‘Ayesha’, the scores of available mophead varieties have nothing to contribute to the fragrance conversation. The beautiful lacecap types look as if they should smell delicious, but never do. The smooth hydrangea, or Hydrangea arborescens, whose best known cultivar is ‘Annabelle’, features enormous round flowerheads with no scent.
But we fragrance lovers are tenacious, forever seeking out specimens that tantalize our noses. My nose is twitching now, because outside my window, the “peegee” hydrangea—Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’—is coming into full bloom and its sweet fragrance is calling to me. For those who wonder about such things, the word “peegee” is simply a corruption of the standard trade abbreviation for the species and variety names. “Peegee” sounds like something small and dainty, but, in fact, peegee hydrangeas are not. The plants can be grown as shrubs, but in my neighborhood, at least, they are more often trained and pruned into small trees. The size varies widely according to variety, but peegees in general grow between ten and twenty feet tall. They are upright in habit, but when the flowers are fully opened in the late summer or early fall, the branches arch downward. My peegee is still fairly young and the fully-loaded branches bow down to form a low tunnel between the front and back gardens. Since I am short, the tunnel doesn’t bother me, but my tall husband finds it annoying. I tell him that right now it deters the statuesque Mr. Antlers and his deer posse, and that year by year the peegee will grow taller, eventually eliminating the problem. This mollifies my husband—as long as I am the one who mows under the peegee.
Oak leaf hydrangea—Hydrangea quercifolia—also has some fragrance, though it is not overpowering. The sweet scent only adds to the impressive list of the species’ virtues that includes large white flower panicles, deep green oak-like leaves that turn red in the fall and cinnamon-tinted exfoliating bark. It is truly a plant for all seasons, though its season of scent is late spring. The main problem with the species is that it is big, growing up to eight feet tall and wide. The bushes have a suckering habit and if the suckers aren’t removed, a thicket forms quickly. The suckers are hard to see at the base of the fully leafed-out shrubs, but if you get in close to smell the flowers, it is easier to notice and remove the root suckers. Smaller varieties, like “Pee Wee” are better for container or limited space gardening.
If you like mopheads, the sixty year old cultivar, ‘Ayesha’, is worth seeking out. It has the typical mophead coloration—blue in acid soils and pink in alkaline ones. The flowers, however, are something different. Each petal is curled or cupped, giving the entire flowerhead a tighter, more formal look than that of normal mopheads. The fragrance is pronounced, but not overbearing and the shrub grows to a reasonable five feet tall and wide.
Many gardeners of my acquaintance can’t imagine life without fragrance. A majority of those people also can’t imagine garden life without hydrangeas. With a little forethought, you can have both.
A good source for hydrangeas, including ‘Ayesha’, is Hydrangeas Plus. Find them at PO Box 389, Aurora OR 97002; (866) 433-7896; http://www.hydrangeasplus.com. Catalog $5.00.