Hydrangeas are a popular choice for gardens due to their beautiful blooms and hardiness. In this article, we will provide 12 unique ideas for incorporating hydrangeas into your outdoor spaces through various landscaping designs.
Boost Curb Appeal
Hydrangeas have a long blooming season and a beautiful display of flowers, so planting them outside your house in the front garden is a good idea to create an alluring vista that improves the curb appeal of your home. The large blooms of hydrangeas planted around the foundation of the house or leading up to the front walkway will draw people in and make a great first impression.
Increase Privacy
Hydrangeas come in many varieties and sizes so you can choose ones suited to your climate and space. The thick foliage of hydrangeas makes them a good choice if you want more privacy in your yard. Consider areas where you will want visual shielding, such as a seating area, and plant hydrangeas around it to block views and provide a sense of seclusion.
Display Stunning Combinations
You can create beautiful container arrangements featuring hydrangeas along with other plants that have similar care requirements. An eye-catching example is a blue pot combining hydrangea with alyssum and dichondra. The contrasting colors and textures of different flowers, foliage and groundcovers enhance one another's beauty when grown together.
Create an Illusion of Enlarged Space
Planting hydrangeas, which come in cool shades, near the boundaries of your garden like walls or fences gives the illusion of more space. Since cool colors recede visually when used around the edges, this technique makes the space feel more expansive. The hydrangeas also provide a decorative frame around the perimeter.
Grow Them in Containers
Hydrangeas can add pops of color even in the smallest outdoor areas by growing them in pots that can be placed wherever you like. Another advantage is containers allow for overwintering indoors in colder zones to protect the plants from frost. Annual repotting to freshen the soil is recommended.
Best Fence Cover Plants
Tall varieties of hydrangeas make excellent candidates for covering unattractive fences or walls that detract from your yard's aesthetic. Climbing hydrangeas can also be trained upwards, though they are slower growing. The blanket of blossoms transforms an eyesore into a delightful border.
Perfect for Small Gardens
With their compact growth habits, hydrangeas are well-suited for small patios, balconies and tightly-spaced gardens where every inch counts. Dwarf varieties grown in decorative containers provide plenty of visual interest without taking up precious square footage.
Complement Pathways
Line a garden path with hydrangeas for a framed walkway that is as pleasing to the eyes as it is to tread. The blooms draw the attention of visitors taking in the scenery along the way. Pavers or crushed stone provide a base for the plants flanking the route.
Windowsill Specimens
Even without yard space, you can still grow hydrangeas as live decor on a sunny windowsill. A terra cotta pot placed where it can receive full sun and be watered regularly allows enjoying these beauties anywhere indoors or out.
Try Them in Hanging Baskets
While hydrangeas prefer regular soil and drainage, adventurous gardeners can try cultivating them in hanging baskets with specific potting mixes and regular fertilizing for best results. The curtains of flowers cascading over the edges of the container elevate even small balconies into awe-inspiring displays.
Ideal for Borders
Planted strategically along the boundaries and contours of the landscape, hydrangeas serve as an elegant boundary hedge or foundation planting. Partial shade lovers thrive framing pathways or softening the base of large trees where their bold moppets stand out among greenery.
Focal Point Specimens
For maximum impact, grow standout hydrangea varieties in oversized pots or planters and place them in the most visible vantage point to serve as a focal point drawing eyes throughout the yard. Their large statures attract admirers from afar.
