Locals and tourists who flock to the Northeast for a New England summer vacation may notice an exceptional bloom of hydrangeas.
The lush, bushy flowers in bright blue, pink, purple and white are in full bloom or are currently in full bloom.
Hydrangeas are native to the Western Hemisphere and East Asia. There are about 23 known species.
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Garden communicator CL Fornari told Fox News Digital that the hydrangeas in the Northeast are great this year for several reasons.
She said that with a wet summer and autumn last year, there have been lots of good flower buds this year. “With these plants, you have to take the 'hydra' part of their name seriously,” she said.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, these flowers are common from New England to New York, through Illinois and Missouri, south to Louisiana and Florida, and into Kansas and Oklahoma. (iStock)
“We followed that wet harvest with a mild winter and all those buds that they formed last year in late summer survived the winter. Now we have spectacular flowering,” said Fornari, who lives in Massachusetts.
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Mark Richardson, director of the horticulture department at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, Massachusetts, agreed.
He told Fox News Digital that temperature and cultural factors are important.
New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill is a 500-acre, four-season botanical garden in Boylston, Massachusetts. (New England Botanic Garden on Tower Hill)
“I think this year in particular we had a lot of rain last year, and we had a very mild winter,” he said. “The combination of those two things has really made for a great year for hydrangeas.”
Wild hydrangeas are usually found in moist woodlands, often along streams or in rocky areas, but they also grow in drier areas.
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According to the U.S. Forest Service, they are common from New England to New York, through Illinois and Missouri, south to Louisiana and Florida, and into Kansas and Oklahoma.
Pink, purple and blue hydrangeas photographed on Nantucket, Massachusetts. (iStock)
According to Fornari, peak flowering of hydrangeas depends on the type of plant.
Large-leaved Hydrangea or Hydrangea macrophylla is the most common type in North America.
According to the National Garden Bureau, they have a classic ball-shaped or open lacecap-shaped bloom reminiscent of the signature Cape Cod plant.
According to Fornari, the large blue flowers with large leaves now appear to be in full bloom.
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Richardson said hydrangeas are a big attraction for visitors to the museum this time of year.
“At the beginning of summer, it's often a bit quieter in the garden, in terms of what's in bloom. The hydrangeas fill that gap,” he added.
A garden communicator told Fox News Digital that they had to make sure the estimated size of the hydrangeas matched the location by observing them properly. (Ashley J. DiMella/Fox News Digital)
Fornari said that when planting hydrangeas, you should make sure that the estimated size matches the location by placing them in the right place.
“You can't cut them back. They'll get to their full height in one summer and the more you cut them back, the less flowers you'll have,” she said.
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Her second piece of advice is to “give them the sun or lack thereof that they want.”
The hotter the summer, the more afternoon shade the shrubs will need, so it is important to make sure they get enough sun.
Garden communicator CL Fornari told Fox News Digital that when it comes to winter preparations, “prayer works as well as anything else. Part of it is the luck of the draw of winter temperatures.” (Ashley J. DiMella/Fox News Digital)
It is important to water the shrubs sufficiently. However, it is better to water the shrubs less often than a little every day.
Fornari warned people not to rely on fertilizers for hydrangea bushes.
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“It's not a solution to the hydrangeas problems,” she said.
“With fertilizer you can sometimes make the plant a little bigger, but then the stems become weaker and the large flowers end up in the mud.”
According to an expert, it is important to water the shrubs sufficiently. But watering less often and a lot is better than a little every day. (iStock/New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill)
When it comes to winter protection, “prayer works as well as anything else… Part of it is just how lucky you are with the winter temperatures,” Fornari said.
She is the founder of the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, which started in 2015 and whose proceeds went to several local non-profit organizations.
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During the event, the Cape Coders open their beautiful gardens to visitors from all over southeastern Massachusetts to the Atlantic Ocean.
The festival lasts two weeks and starts on Friday, July 5.
