Small Hydrangeas

Garden Clippings for August 9, 2025

The world of Hydrangeas is getting bigger in number and smaller in size.

Early this spring, the President of the Lasalle Horticulture Club told me that in her town, you were hardly considered a legit Canadian unless you had a Ford F150 in the driveway and 2 Hydrangeas in the front yard landscape.

Hydrangeas are king of the summertime garden, and their popularity continues to grow with each new season. Top of charts is ‘Incrediball’ an improved version of the old ‘Annabelle’ that Grandma grew in her garden.

‘Incrediball’ is a solid performer with monster-sized white blooms appearing in mid-July and persisting until September. In fall flowers begin to fade, becoming tan-coloured and dried by December.

If there were a negative side to ‘Incrediball’ it would be that the plant grows to a beefy size of 150 cm, which might be too large for smaller landscapes in perennial flower gardens.

Recognizing gardeners’ appetite for dwarf plants, several years ago nursery growers began their quest for smaller Hydrangeas in a variety of colours. The result is a proliferation of Hydrangeas that grow to 100 cm or less, without compromising on hardiness, bloom length, performance and colour.

‘Wee Bit Giddy’ and ‘Wee Bit Grumpy’ are two comically named Hydrangeas growing to an ultimate size of 70 cm high. Both are Proven Winner selections, and both sit comfortably in the macrophylla or Bigleaf category of Hydrangeas. The former has cherry-red softball-sized blooms, while the latter has deep purple-blue flower coloured blooms if growing in acidic soil and red blooms if soil is alkaline.

Bigleaf Hydrangeas have deep green foliage, making the plant handsome looking even when not in flower. They perform best when grown in well drained soil with sun or partial shade.

The new dwarf cultivars of Bigleaf Hydrangeas are rebloomers, practically guaranteeing bloom all summer long. Pruning is not necessary or recommended, for fear of cutting off flower buds.

Also in the Bigleaf category is ‘Cherry-go-Round’ with deep cherry-red flowers arriving in late spring with new flowers appearing until early fall. Similar, but slightly larger at 100 cm is ‘Crimson’ with blooms that open in green, quickly turning to deep red.

For an interesting flower, ‘Pop Star’ and ‘Tiny Tuff Stuff’ have Lacecap blooms flower heads that open wide on the margins and stay closed in the centres. ‘Pop Star’ is delightfully pink while ‘Tiny Tuff Stuff’ tends towards violet hues.

Those who prefer a small Bigleaf Hydrangea in traditional white, should look at ‘Grin and Tonic’ which opens its bloom in lime green, becoming bright white in mid-summer. Flowers contrast nicely with the dark leaves, especially noticeable at nightfall.