Hydrangeas for the Home Garden

Hydrangeas are a mainstay of the summer garden ranking high among flowering shrubs. Grown worldwide, they are versatile plants with long bloom periods and a range of flower colors. They are ideal as specimen plants, in shrub or mixed borders, in woodland or pollinator gardens, and in containers. Hydrangea blooms are long-lasting cut flowers and dry well too. 

Learn how to identify the different types of both native and non-native hydrangeas, as well as the new remontant (reblooming) cultivars. This presentation by Penn State Master Gardener Silloo Kapadia covers how to grow, prune, and propagate these incredible shrubs, their pests, and related FAQs, such as how to change flower color, what causes yellowing of leaves, and reasons why they don't bloom.

Registration is required.

Silloo Kapadia is an Allegheny County Penn State Master Gardener (2012) and past Chair of Garden Hotline. In 2018, she earned the Penn State Extension Master Gardener Advanced Certification in Woody Plant Identification. Silloo obtained her first Master Gardener Certification in 2007 at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (where she remains a docent) and the Certificate of Sustainable Horticulture in 2013. She is a member and past Chair of the Western PA Unit of the Herb Society of America with an interest in Culinary Herbs and Spices. A retired physician and Professor of Pathology (UPMC and later at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center), Silloo acquired her medical degree at Chennai (Madras), India, and did her Pathology residency at UPMC.