All About Autumn Hydrangeas

All About Autumn Hydrangeas

Today on Ask the Designer, we are talking all about Autumn Hydrangeas. All of your questions answered!

I have been getting a lot of questions about my hydrangeas, and the elusive “autumn hydrangea”. What variety are yours? Is the autumn hydrangea a special variety? Does it only bloom in the fall? What can I do with it?  Well here is everything you need to know about my hydrangeas, which just happen to be an autumn hydrangea variety.

Okay, so my hydrangeas seen above are a variety called the Limelight Hydrangea. They are one of the few varieties that actually love the sun, which make them super easy to grow here in the south. Mine are only a few years old and are absolutely gigantic. They are so big that I will probably be transplanting them to a larger area next spring, so I will let you know how that goes.

Updated side note: I did transplant them in to the main garden and they did great! We dug them up at the end of the growing season in the fall, and moved them to their new home. When doing so I cut them way back, almost down to stubs. Most people would have been horrified, but I had faith that they would could back even bigger and they did. 

Keep in mind that all hydrangeas love water, so matter what your variety make sure to water them regularly. They also prefer to drink through their petals and and leaves, as well as their root system. So a nice misting will go along way with this plant. Also after cutting the stems, submerging the heads will keep them looking fresh and hydrated for a longer period of time, prior to any floral design work.

Floral design notes: I have heard urban legend in the field of burn the ends to hold water, using bleach or allum. I will say I have tried all of these techniques and none them work as well as just plain, clean water. Except for submersion which is how they drink, I have brought wilted dead ones back to life before, true story. 

Autumn Hydrangea refers to the color of the actual hydrangea heads plus the fact that they are still on a hydrangea plant in the fall. Some will turn a beautiful pinkish purple tone in the fall months as the plant starts to go dormant. The Limelight Hydrangea, is a prime example of this color change, and are highly sought after by floral designers everywhere. These are the exact same hydrangeas above as they enter into the autumn.Here is a look at the same variation while still on the plants in the summer. You can see the above picture during the prime growing season, of June, they are still a white and lime green combination. Which are very different from my current day hydrangeas as they change colors in September and late October. As a side note, I actually relocated my Limelight hydrangeas out into my yard to give them more space which they needed and sun, since this variety loves the  sun, verses other varieties that do not.
To winterize certain hydrangeas such as the Limelight’s, seen here; I cut back the entire plant, leaves and all completely to the ground leaving only 2-3″ remaining. These hydrangeas can handle freezing weather during their dormant period. I promise they will grow back even stronger the following year. mine have doubled in size every year.  Make sure to mulch around your plants as well, to keep them warm through the winter. Other varieties like Niko Blue, Mop Head and even Oak Leaf tend to only bloom on preexisting branches so I do not recommend this technique.
Another tip is cutting the autumn hydrangea blooms as the plant starts to go dormant. This will allow you to dry them and they will actually retain their shape and color. These blooms above in the white pitcher are actually dried from a previous arrangement from my Bushel and Peck Table seen below, which were fresh cut from the plant. Please note that not all hydrangea will dry up pretty. I covered this more in my how to dry flowers post, so check that out for more information. The fresh white or lime green hydrangea seen in the spring and summer will eventually droop and turn brown. Which are not very pretty dried heads for arrangements. So it is better to cut the heads and dry them individually as the plant begins to go dormant.The versatility of the Limelight variety of hydrangea throughout the year is truly amazing. I can have fresh cut white flowers in early spring, lime green during the summer and then lime with pink/purple highlights in the fall. It is like having 3 plants in one, which is a floral designers dream! Plus as I mentioned above they dry amazing for wreaths and garlands for your fall decor, and you can always spray paint them different colors as well.
Here is a sneak peak at where I plan on using my plethora of dried autumn hydrangea this fall. It will be part of my “Fall Table Decorated 3 Ways” , along with our Fall Home Tour! There may be some copper spray paint involved for a rose gold delight as well, so be sure sign up for designer tips and tricks emails so you don’t miss it!

Love this post check out more great gardening post like:

Creating an English Rose Garden

Planting a Perennial Garden

Easy DIY Raised Garden Beds

Vertical Pallet Herb Garden

PIN ME for later and be sure to follow us on Pinterest at Jen @ JENRON DESIGNS

 

Autumn Hydrangea JENRON DESIGNS

101 Comments

  1. Charmaigne

    Is there anything that you can’t do? You are clearly amazing and have wide spread talent over several subject matters. This is one of my favorite reads so far since I love hydrangeas. Great tips on drying them, thank you.

  2. P. Vladermer

    I love Hydrangeas and this post, you blog, and photos is spot on. Thanks for all the helpful information such as the drying and painting, I mean who knew that was possible.

  3. Cilla Nickols

    I did not know this about hydrangeas, you are just a wealth of knowledge. Wow I really scored big tonight on stumbleupon, I am signing up to follow you.

  4. Stephanie McMicheals

    Okay I had no idea this was how you were getting those pretty, dried hydrangeas. Where have you been hiding these magical bushes?

  5. The Fat Hydrangea

    I am a huge fan of hydrangeas, but I did not know all this. Cutting, drying and painting had not crossed my mind at all. You have taken my blog to another level my friend thank you!

  6. Michelle Tabor

    I came out to see you DIY Top Reveal post, and was mesmerized by the pictures of hydrangeas. Now this post has a lot of great information in it. I will pin this post for next planting season so I buy the right ones!

  7. potter of plants

    your hydrangea pictures are fabulous. i love the limelight variety and that they turn colors in the fall. i did not know they could be dried, and preserved with floral paint. see you learn something new every day. best wishes my fellow dirt digger.

  8. Alicia @ What a Difference A Day Makes

    Your hydrangea plants are so pretty. I wish I had a green thumb like yourself. Thanks for the information 🙂

  9. Gardening in near and dear to my heart. While I do not get out much to do it anymore I have found that my yard from years past still keeps blooming and is beautiful with just little maintenance. Thank you for sharing your pretty hydrangeas.

  10. Patriot143

    These are absolutely beautiful, I linked over from your bushel and peck post, which now I have that song stuck in my head…..oh brother. Thanks for all the great growing information I will look for the limelight variety next year.

  11. Penny

    Hydrangeas are my favorite flower. I am so happy you had so much great information about them for me. Thank you!

  12. Ingrid

    Such a pretty yard and flowers. I wish I had a green thumb like you.

  13. Actually, we do live in a neighborhood. Currently the lots on either side of our home are available to build the house of your dreams on, so I guess we are looking for neighbors, lol. The woods behind us back up to a creek, lake and wetlands so it can never be built on. Honestly after living in Gwinnett county for 16 years, we learned a lot about how land builds up, so we were very cautious in picking an area that would be protected when the building boom reaches us.

  14. The Green Shutters

    This is a great post on hydrangeas, with really pretty pictures. I know we use them all the time in vases to fresh up our place. I did not know about the autumn version, I will look for those in the future.

  15. Patty’s in the Kitchen

    Your yard is so pretty, very lush and looks so private. Do you actually live in a neighborhood? It is hard to tell. You house is surrounded by trees and wilderness, so it looks like you might live on acreage.

  16. Kathleen Betancourt

    You have such a pretty blog site with lots of great information. I hope that your become the next Joanna Gaines since she is retiring, so sad.

  17. Little Farmgirl

    There are actually loads of details like that to take inform this post. I had no idea that hydrangeas could be dried. I will look for the Limelights next year, they seem very useful.

  18. Vanessa Prudhome

    Thank you for all the information! Your hydrangeas are stunning!

  19. Brianna Hatch

    So pretty I just love hydrangeas. Thank you for the very informational post, while I love them I had no idea that I could do all these things with them.

  20. Dotty Mitchell

    Jen, you have a eye for beauty, your home, plants even your pets are cute. You should consider widening your horizons into fashion consulting, it is very lucrative ands I think you would be good at it. Just a thought.

  21. Addison Wheeler

    Good post. I been taught something new on blogs everyday. It should all the time be stimulating to learn content from other writers and observe a little something from their lives.

  22. liplicker

    You have great taste on plants, Do you do you own landscaping of hire a company?

  23. Alicia @ What a Difference A Day Makes

    I enjoy read the blog by you because of your own effort put forth on this web page. My mother takes an interest in gardening and flowers. I will pass this inform on to her.

  24. the film maker

    I do a lot of wedding video and I must say these are some of the prettiest hydrangeas I have seen. I have been trying to create a oasis in my backyard for photo shoots, I will look for this variety and have the landscapers add them into the plan. Thanks!

  25. Mountain Mama

    So pretty are these flowers I wish the would grow here but I afraid its too hot and they will melt. My silly neighbor tried to plant them and put lava rock around the base, fried them within the week. Sad, I mean she literally murdered them. Proves you can’t fix stupid.

  26. Aubrey Andrews

    This certainly is very good post I really love your website, please keep it, I want more and hope you are planning to continue to blog next year, I know you were just trying it out, but you really have a gift for it.

  27. Cindy Tanger

    Your garden is so pretty and those hydrangeas are really amazing. I will pin this article to remember to look for them next spring. I must have them too.

  28. My husband and I actually pick and plant all the items you see in our yard. We enjoy doing it and it is one of our many hobbies. Honestly, you should have seen our last yard, it planted like a botanical garden and actually was a huge selling feature when we put the house on the market. Never under estimate the power of a pretty yard.

  29. Boris1977

    Oh my I really do love hydrangeas, mine all very blue due to my alkaline based soil. I wonder if this kind would hold it’s color and not change to blue, if so I would be willing to try them for variety sake.

  30. I believe this variety would do just that, I highly doubt that they would turn blue. You should get one and try it out, I really think you would like it, and then you could have blue and white hydrangeas which would be gorgeous!!!

  31. Jamie Montauk

    I am in love with these Limelight hydrangeas I must look for them next spring and add them to my year. They are really a beautiful variety. Thanks for all the information.

  32. Boris 1977

    Hydrangeas are my absolute favorite flower. My entire wedding was done in white hydrangeas so they make me very nostalgic. I will have to look for the limelight variety at my local nursery in the spring.

  33. golden goose

    It arduous to seek out knowledgeable people on this subject of horticulture, but you sound like you know what you are speaking about! Thanks

  34. Jessi Joachim

    One of my mama’s favorites she always had them on the coffee table when I was a kid. Happy memories, thanks!

  35. Plink

    Such a a pretty plant. Thanks for the share, I will pin into gardening.

  36. Playing in the Dirt

    This is one of my favorite varieties of hydrangea. While I knew that I could dry them I had no idea that I could paint them. Must be florist trick. Thanks for all the the great advice.

  37. Let’s Play House

    So pretty, I must pin this post to remember the kind of hydrangea you bought, I miss add them to the garden next year.

  38. JimmiNi

    I just wanted to type a quick message in order to express gratitude to you for some of the stunning hints you are giving on this website about hydrangeas.

  39. Sybil Kavanaugh

    Thanks for all of your efforts on this web page and your never ending knowledge about your hydrangeas. I wish I half of your knowledge I seem to kill everything. You have been conducting a stunning job.

  40. Katie Moore

    I truly think this website warrants soooooooo much more consideration.This post and the other I have read today prove you have a lot to share with your followers. Bookmarked to more to read far more, thanks for that info.

  41. Liz

    You must realize it is a lot its almost impossible to find good information on this type of flower. You undoubtedly put a new spin on a topic thats been written about for years without much success. Great stuff, just nice!

  42. Oh wow I need to remember these for next year. They are beautiful and make really great indoor arrangements.

  43. Kiki 785

    You made some first rate tips there. It will be what most people will associate with with your website.

  44. Plinks

    This is another great post by you! I learned so much and I will look for the limelight hydrangeas next spring!

  45. Awww thanks Joella, yes I am sure I have knowledge I may have failed to include this time around, so you will just have to check back in to see what we are up too 😀 As for hydrangeas they prefer to drink through there petals verses there stems so if they get wilty submerge them in water for a few hours, they also prefer clean bleached containers and will easily absorb bacteria and die if not kept in clean containers. Oh and burned the ends does not work so don’t even try it. I think thats it….LOL….. for today.

  46. Torri Sykes

    I simply, thought you would be the perfect authority on plants since you have floral company and it seems that I was right. YOU have some really great hydrangea advice, things I have not seen on other posts, is there any information you are holding back on? I feel like you have so much to share you can pick and choose the posts you are wanting to make. Thanks for everything ~T

  47. Addison Longmire

    I actually think this web site needs far more consideration but the public, it really is quite fantastic. I will be back be to learn much more soon,bookmarking thanks for that great hydrangea info.

  48. Wanda Floyd

    This variety is gorgeous I must pin and look for Limelights next season. Thanks for sharing the drying tips too!

  49. Alexandrina Brittcar

    Great post on this plant, the blooms are very pretty and good to know that they can be dried. Thanks!

  50. Autumn Tomasetti

    I love you hydrangeas and all the tips your have provided to the general public about growing, cutting and preserving.

  51. Meg

    I love these flowers and the color is beautiful, I have not seen this variety here so maybe we can not get them.

  52. su.p.e.rvisor20.15

    Just read this over my lunch break and now I am excited for planting season. I did not know that the blooms were able to be dried and kept. So many ideas are swirling now.

  53. This is a lot a really good information I will add you to my good reads list.

  54. Pam Bogdan

    I will have to check out the vanity of Hydrangea this spring. I love the color of the blossoms and the fact that they dry is a real bonus too.

  55. Pink Warrior Walker

    These are a very pretty variety I must have them for next spring. I think they will really look great in our garden since we do not have anything in that color range. It would really break up all the pink and purple nicely. Thanks for the advice and tips.

  56. Crosswords & Coffee

    These are so pretty hydrangea are one of my favorite flowers. I love to just put them in a bog old bowl on the coffee table. Good to know about this vanity I will have to pin it spring.

  57. gigi58

    We love this variety of hydrangea and we have a few in our yard, they are always beautiful. I did not know that they could be dried, so thank you for that very useful information.

  58. Tina

    A formidable share, I have simply given this to a colleague who was doing a little gardening this year.

  59. April Helmsworth

    These hydrangea are so pretty must pin this to remember the variety for this springs planting. It looks as if they grown very big too! Which is surprising for a hydrangea, maybe it is your soil or the admins that you added. Thanks for the info.

  60. Jewel Carter

    I am highly interested in trying to procure some of theses beauties for my year this spring. They are stunningly gorgeous and after reading your post surprising versatile too.

  61. lia

    Many thanks for all the great information!

  62. Maysz

    This has been quite an enjoyable post to read. These care tips and basics, in addition the beautiful pictures, I will have to add this hydrangea to my garden this year. Thanks for all those who may browse through your blog, I know I sure did enjoy it, will be back soon.

  63. snow girl

    These are so pretty, I have been working with a landscape designer to get our yard done this spring, I think I need to add these to my wish list.

  64. I love these plants and the color variegation your achieved.

  65. Elyse Gance

    I am really loving the colour on these hydrangeas do you think I can get them here in Victoria BC?

  66. Hi Elyse! I would think that they should be available there but I am not sure, to be honest. Maybe check with a local garden center. Since you have a colder climate it may be a different variety in those parts.

  67. Seagull Watcher

    You may be interested to know that they also really like sandy soil too. I have a ton of hydrangeas around my home and they love the beach climates.

  68. Morgan Tait

    I love hydrangea it is my favorite flower thesis a very pretty color. I had no idea that they would change color like this for the season.

  69. Allison Buckley

    I am so ready for summer to get here, I am really jonesing to start working in the yard. Love this post and I am now on the hunt for these beauties.

  70. Amy

    I am so ready for spring. This post just made me want to go buy a whole bunch of plants but it just still too wintery here. I love this color variation too!

  71. Theresa Agro

    I am so ready for spring planting season, I will be looking for this beauty to add to my garden this year.

  72. The Delightful Farmhouse

    I just love hydrangeas and this color is divine! I must find them this year, to go with my yellow roses.

  73. Mary Ellen

    I am so glad I pinned this article, now that it is planting season I can make sure to add these beauties to my spring planting list. I can not wait to have the beautiful cut stems this summer too!

  74. Elizabeth O.

    Oh I love hydrangeas and these are an exceptional beautiful variety. I hope I can find some this summer.

  75. Cassandra

    This is such a pretty flower and it has two different color blooms which is super cool.

  76. Seagull Watcher

    I wish that hydrangeas did better here in FL, but I think they do not really like the sandy soil as much. Too bad I love them.

  77. Karla

    I had previously read this post and book marked it for spring, I am back to read up on these beauties so I can go and purchase some. I believe I saw them at my Home Depot but I wanted to make sure they were the same ones.

  78. Erin

    Hydrangeas are my favorite I have a ton of pink and blues ones but none that are this beautiful green color, I must look for this variety to add to my collection.

  79. Andrea Sullivan

    I remembered seeing this post last season and I pinned it so I go back and look up the name of those gorgeous hydrangeas. My local Home Depot has them in stock just like you said!!! So you think it is too early to plant them here in southern Mississippi? I could always keep them in the garage a little bit longer.

  80. Hey Andrea, I know we are supposed to just temps just above freezing on Monday so you might what to wait until next week to plant those lovelies. What a great great way celebrate Earth Day too!

  81. Ariel Corder

    I love hydrangeas and I was happy that you linked this post to that beautiful milk glass dining room table. Great information I will look for this variety for planting soon!

  82. Angie Pickler

    Just wanted to let your know I that I purchased my hydrangeas today, I am so excited about the blooms to come this summer!

  83. Kit Tidewater

    I love hydrangeas they are really one of my favorite flowers of all time. They always make me think of my gran she had them growing in her yard, the purple kind tho.

  84. Hannah Rinstrow

    Hydrangeas are my favorite plant and they always remind me of my grandmother. I really love this color and variety. I need to look for the at my local nursery. I really like all the options you showed with yours, for the holidays.

  85. Helen

    Your hydrangeas are so pretty and love that you have so many optional craft ideas that can be done with them too. I am really enjoying your blog very much, thank you.

  86. Chloe

    Such pretty plants, I wish I was more of a gardener I add these to the yard in a heartbeat.

  87. Urban Farmgirl

    I saw a post the other day about Limelight hydrangeas, I can not remember where it was, but I immediately thought of you and this post. I had to come back as see if it was the same variety and it is, clearly your word has spread to the other bloggers out there and they are taking notes! Way to go my sweet friend.

  88. Hey Madison I have seen a lot post too about these pretties, I guess great minds think alike 😉 Mine are doing so good this year, with all the rain we have been having and I really should post a few pictures somewhere, lol.

  89. Angelina

    5 stars
    Good day very nice site! Beautiful and Amazing I’ll bookmark your blog and I wish to take the feeds too, additionally, how do I sign up?

  90. Kerri

    Howdy! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga group? There’s a lot of folks that I think would really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Thanks

  91. Jaclyn Schonell

    This will help many internet visitors for building a garden filled with beautiful hydrangeas, which are my favorites too!

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