Locals and tourists flocking to the Northeast to experience a New England summer getaway may notice hydrangea bushes in extraordinary bloom.
The lush flowers of vibrant blue, pink, purple and white are in or nearing full bloom.
Hydrangeas are native to the Western Hemisphere and East Asia, with around 23 known species.
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Garden communicator CL Fornari told Fox News Digital that hydrangeas are great this year in the Northeast for a few reasons.
She said last year’s rainy summer and fall have resulted in all kinds of good flower buds this year. “You have to take the ‘hydra’ part of the name seriously when it comes to these plants,” she said.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, these flowers are common across New England, through Illinois and Missouri into New York and south into Louisiana, Florida, Kansas and Oklahoma. (iStock)
“We had a rainy period followed by a mild winter, so all the flower buds that formed late last summer survived the winter and are now blooming beautifully,” said Fornari, who is based in Massachusetts.
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Mark Richardson, horticulture director at the New England Botanical Garden on Tower Hill in Boylston, Massachusetts, agreed.
He told Fox News Digital that temperature and cultural factors are important.
The New England Botanical Garden at Tower Hill is a 200-acre four-season botanical garden in Boylston, Massachusetts. (New England Botanical Gardens, Tower Hill)
“I think this year in particular we had a lot of rain last year and a very mild winter,” he said, “so those two factors combined to make it a really great year for hydrangeas.”
Wild hydrangeas are usually found in moist forests, especially along streams and rocky areas, but they also grow in drier areas.
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According to the U.S. Forest Service, it is found in a wide range from New England through Illinois and Missouri into New York and south into Louisiana, Florida, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Pink, purple and blue hydrangeas photographed in Nantucket, Massachusetts. (iStock)
Fornari said the peak of hydrangea flowering varies depending on the type of plant.
In North America, mountain hydrangea or hydrangea macrophylla is the most common species.
According to the National Garden Service, the plant produces classic mophead (open lace-cap) flowers that are reminiscent of Cape Cod’s signature plant.
Fornari said the large blue, big-leafed flowers appear to be in full bloom right now.
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Richardson said hydrangeas are a big draw for museum visitors this time of year.
“Early summer is a time when the flowers in the garden tend to quiet down a bit, but hydrangeas fill the void,” he adds.
A horticulture communicator told Fox News Digital to make sure hydrangeas’ estimated size matches their location with proper observation. (Ashley J. DiMera/Fox News Digital)
Fornari said when planting hydrangeas, be sure to observe them properly to ensure the estimated size is appropriate for the area where you’re planting them.
“You can’t shorten the tree, because it reaches a certain height in one summer, and the more you cut it back the less flowers it will produce,” she says.
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Her second piece of advice: “Give your kids the sun, or lack thereof, they desire.”
The hotter the summer, the more afternoon shade the bushes will need, so it’s important to make sure your bushes get all the sunlight they need.
When it comes to preparing for winter, “prayer works better than anything else. It’s also partly down to luck of winter temperatures,” horticulture communicator CL Fornari told Fox News Digital. (Ashley J. DiMera/Fox News Digital)
It is important to water your bushes thoroughly, but watering less frequently and more thoroughly is better than watering a little every day.
Fornari warned people not to rely on fertilizer to grow hydrangeas.
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“This is not a solution to the hydrangea problem,” she said.
“Fertilizing the plant may make it grow a little larger, but it will weaken the stems and the large flowers will get lost in the mud.”
Watering bushes thoroughly is important, but one expert said it’s better to water less frequently and more thoroughly than to water a little every day. (iStock/New England Botanical Gardens, Tower Hill)
When it comes to staying warm in winter, “prayer is as effective as anything else,” Fornari says. “Part of it is down to luck of the winter temperatures.”
She is the founder of the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, which began in 2015 with proceeds going to various local nonprofit organizations.
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At this event, Cape Cordons will open their beautiful gardens to visitors, spanning a swath of land from southeastern Massachusetts to the Atlantic Ocean.
The festival took place over two weeks and began on Friday 5th July.
