Hydrangeas - lacecap - long flwring variety?

annie.nz, Jan 29, 2:54am
I'd like to plant a couple of lacecap hydrangeas adjacent to bush on the edge of our teeny lawn, in an area of open shade.

I've had a couple of lacecaps in the past, but they didn't flower for very long - they looked great for a couple of weeks and then the flowers disintegrated.I don't have a problem with flowers persisting and changing colour to green or red, or spotty red, I rather like that.

I'd like a white and a good blue.Does anyone have any variety suggestions!

gilligee, Jan 29, 4:07am
Buy when in flower.

annie.nz, Jan 29, 5:44am
I'd also like to know which varieties flower longest though.

stevee6, Jan 29, 7:18am
My own experience is that hydrangeas need several years to really get established(they have a socking great root mass when old), but then the flowering goes on until autumn when the flowers fade rather beautifully.

annie.nz, Jan 30, 12:57am
Thanks steve, that may be the answer.

oh_hunnihunni, Jan 30, 1:47am
My generic white mophead is still going, started in October, it's a two maybe three year old in a pot, and extremely well fed. I think that and the pruning to twin buds when cutting is the trick with these. It's been an absolute treasure - and I'm getting another next time I'm at Rogers. I reckon one either side of the front door would be a showstopper.

laurenlee, Jan 30, 8:39am
the advice above is very good-they take a couple of years to really get going,as stevee says.Also when pruning in winter,leave the tallish shootsthat are new that season, because they will be the flowering ones next year,and cut back the stems that have flowered to the lowest two buds.You canget special hydrangea fertiliser and use alum for a deep blue.

stevee6, Jan 30, 8:42am
Georgous. Maybe underplant them with trailing deep blue lobelia(gets a bit carried away).

annie.nz, Jan 30, 10:16pm
I've been driving around my suburb looking at lacecap hydrangeas, and I have to say they are all looking pretty sad, whereas the mopheads still look good, if a bit dry this year.The mopheads I have beside the stars down to my back section have been looking good for at least a month and show no sign of flagging.I suspect this isn't a good area to grow lacecaps.

Thanks for the advice guys, I think I'll get a couple of white mopheads with a good head shape for the spot by the bush - Le Cygne or Bridal Bouquet, and maybe one white lacecap just for the few weeks it will look ok.

laurenlee, Feb 17, 1:14am
Sounds great,Annie.I love the look of white with the green of the bush