Hydrangea addiction can’t be denied

Hydrangeas are everywhere. Surely the most popular shrub in the United States, hydrangeas have captivated the gardening world, and every year dozens or maybe hundreds of new hydrangeas are introduced to the market.

And, of course, many are all hype. It’s enough to turn this gardener off from the ubiquitous branded varieties all together. Heavily branded varieties are not difficult to find, but others, which lack marketing dollars but are still great plants, can require a wild goose chase to acquire.

I made a spring trip to a Madison-area nursery to get two large Hydrangea arborescens ‘Haas Halo’ plants because I couldn’t find them anywhere closer. This native hydrangea with large lacecap disc-shaped flowers was named Mt. Cuba Center’s top-performing native hydrangea, and having grown one for a few years I can understand why.

Stiff stems, beautiful flowers and the ability to attract a variety of pollinators set the hydrangea apart from many others. The two I got replaced another H. arborescens: Incrediball. This Proven Winners variety is promoted as an improvement on the classic ‘Annabelle’ with stiffer stems and enormous flowers, but in recent years I’ve found the stems to be floppier than advertised and the flowers to be so big they were almost distractingly comical. That makes me a very picky gardener, but that’s what a world of a never-ending stream of new hydrangeas will do to a person.

A few weeks ago I found several  gorgeous ‘Haas Halo’ hydrangeas at a local garden center, along with a gorgeous pink lacecap variety I’d never heard of called Pinky Pollen Ring.

Of course I needed both, and then after deciding to make a large native hydrangea planting, I went back for more, somehow adding five more hydrangeas to a garden I swore could not possibly absorb any more.

I planted them before hopping in the car for a trip to a horticulture trade show in Ohio, feeling smug because even though I’d planted more hydrangeas, I deemed these to be worthy varieties that I hadn’t been swayed to buy in a magazine ad.

And then at the show I found Eclipse, a Hydrangea macrophylla introduced by Bailey Nurseries that I predict will take garden centers by storm next year. Eclipse is different because it has nearly black foliage and supposedly it stays that color so long as it’s in enough sun. The flowers are pink mopheads, but I could have cared less what they looked like.

This plant was such a big deal it warranted its own cocktail party to introduce it to the world. Industry insiders oohed and ahhed at the pyramid of black foliage-plants as they juggled cocktails and appetizers, and at one point I misplaced my gin and tonic when I went in for a closer look.

When I got home there was an email waiting for me from the brand’s marketing manager. Would I like to have an Eclipse hydrangea to try?

And at that, any qualms I had about supporting an overstaturated hydrangea market disappeared.

My reply, “Can you send two?”