Common hydrangea

This hydrangea is one of the best blue, flowering varieties in mid-and late summer, with the flowers nicely set against the shiny green leaves. The soil chemistry affects most macrophyllas to some degree, with acid soil giving a colour swing to lilac, and alkaline producing pink, with only the whites staying white. Provide shelter from cold, drying winds, and give a radical prune each spring, cutting the plants back to leave just a couple of strong buds, and remove one-third of all stems.