Needless to say, we love Hydrangeas here at the nursery. Mophead Hydrangeas are the quintessential Nantucket garden plant. The old standard, ‘Nikko Blue’ is a real beauty, but it can get B I G. I’ve stood next to Nikko’s that towered over me, at seven feet or so. Luckily, there are lots of compact Hydrangeas available that won’t cover your window boxes or eat the nice boxwood you have planted at your front entry.
‘Piamina’ aka ‘Pia’: A truly dwarf Hydrangea reaching only 2 to 3′ tall and wide. This selection has deep pink flowers, that stay pink, even in slightly acidic soil.
‘Cityline’ (r) series: These compact Hydrangeas are touted to remain under three feet tall. Their flowers are set against shiny green leaves in shades of pink, Blue, Purple and bicolors. We’ve stocked ‘Rio’ which is blue and ‘Paris’ which is a saturated pink.
‘Mini Penny’ tm: This sweet little re-blooming Hydrangea is named after famed Hydrangea enthusiast, Penny McHenry. ‘Mini Penny’ generally matures at three to four feet tall. Their flowers are pastel pink or blue.
‘Everlasting’ (r) series: A newer series of Hydrangeas that are known to have huge, elegant blooms that make great cut flowers and dry beautifully. We’ve had ‘Revolution’ ‘Amethyst’ and ‘Opal’, all of which come in covered with flower buds. We don’t expect these plants to get taller than five feet.
‘Glowing Embers’: This compact cultivar has lustrous leaves and deeply saturated flowers in purple or pink. They are touted to mature at 5′ tall, but we have seen this plant larger in Nantucket landscapes.
Endless summer (r): By far the most popular Hydrangea we sell, this re-blooming Hydrangea gets five feet tall and wide. It blooms early on over-wintered wood and later on new wood. The flowers are pastel pink or blue.