Hydrangeas on Clay?

Good point, thanks. I will install irrigation for them, for when they are "young", but probably a good idea to install something permanent to make sure they flower well in dry years.

I have another question:

The path for the area with the planned Hydrangeas is part of a longer vista. However, Iv'e gone off the idea of having a straight path through the Hydrangeas, and think it would be better to have to meander around them. I was wondering if the "ball shape" of mature Hydrangeas would mean that I could plant them either side of the vista, and the "valley" between them would still make for a vista (you just wouldn't be able to walk along it).

This is a shot of where the beds will be:


At the far end is a hedge at an angle across the vista:


the ideas is that this will either have an opening, or a "window", through to the other side. There is another vista, in line with this one, the far side - up to the far hedge that you can see above.

This photo, taken earlier in the year before the hedges were in leaf, illustrates it:


My expectation is that the route between the Hydrangeas would look something like this:




so I could have paths heading off to the right, and to the left, and then meeting back up at the far end, but the (current cut-grass) vista down the middle would just be a "valley" between the Hydrangea plants. Provided they are not more than, say, 3' where they meet then it should be possible to see "through" them

What do you think?

Or would it be better to keep the path up the middle, and maybe also some windy-paths to right & left as well?

 

I like the idea in the last two pictures Kristen, but the shape of the path inbetween depends on whether you want a a more formal straight path or curves. Because the area is quite a length, that gives the impression of making it narrower, so I'd be inclined to create a gentle meander, perhaps like a stretched 'S' shape that curves round to the right at the far end, following the line of the young hedge.

 

Kristen, it's lovely helping someone else to create their garden, we get to do all the easy planning, while you have to put in the graft.

 

Kristen, how spectacular if you could create a vista like that. Seeing those pics reminds me of the walks through Bodnant Gardens which I found absolutely mind blowing with all the different colours and to have a little taste of that in your own garden would be fantastic.

 

I *thought* I had propagated quite a lot of different varieties, but I know realise that I only have a dozen at the most ... and probably not enough of the right "styles" ... so I've been looking at some specialist nurseries ... but whilst they have nice-sounding descriptions they have no photos of anything other than the "obvious" ones ... so more research ...

Perhaps I should just ask one of the larger gardens if I can pay to take a bunch of cuttings of this & that varieties ...

 

The saying goes Kristen.......if you don't ask, you don't get! Give it a try.

 

I am imagining that if these were planted a foot or two closer together they would have left a "valley" down the middle that would create a vista:


and then I could have actual meandering paths, round the hack, a bit like this (but the paths need to be a bit narrower I think):

 

I don't like Hydrangeas Kristen, but I have to admit they do look good when they are planted together like this.

 

Interesting - what puts you off them?

 

I'm not keen on plants with big 'blousey' blooms, Hydrangeas, Rhodo's etc., that also follows through to smaller plants, like the large flowering Begonias, in a way I find them ugly and overpowering. Each to their own I suppose!

 

Hadn't considered that viewpoint, but I see what you mean now.

I'm not mad about the ball shaped "mophead" flowers that just have a single solid pink colour (or solid-blue for that matter), but I do like the ones that have some variation in the flowers, and the lace-caps (florets around the edge, and little bits in the middle), and the white ones that are either ball (smaller florets than the mop-heads) or pointy-shaped ones, as they don't seem to have that "blousey" look - well ... not to my eye anyway!

blousey Mophead:


Anabelle:


Lacecap (type one - flowers "down"):


Lacecap (second type - flowers "up"):


Pointy ones:


Then there are bi-colour ones (not that mad about them, myself):


and the H. aspera ones, that have a very different leaf, but look a bit like lacecaps:


This is the nursery I've got my eye on - they have a decent range, although many have no photo which doesn't help scratch my retail-therapy itch!!
https://sites.google.com/site/millcottageplants/millcottageplants

 

Now, the one in the bottom picture I could live with Kristen.