An unmatched pair

I never plant pairs of things, whether perennials or trees. Too often one of the pair underperforms and ruins the intended effect. But I am a sucker for variations of a particular plant. Sometimes I scatter them throughout the garden; more recently I put a pair of shrubs very near each other.

They're separated by a Peony, Epimediums and Euphorbia. I like the look of them near each other but not shoulder to shoulder. I planted Hydrangea serrata 'Mountain Mania' last year and immediately fell in love with it. The foliage emerges this wonderful warm orange with pinkish-yellow flower buds.

The foliage is a bright, slightly yellow green for most of the summer

The open flowers are two inches across. 

Every time I went out to look at this plant the flower color had subtly changed. It's not often you can fall in love with a shrub that is still so small. 

The foliage on Hydrangea macrophylla 'Game Changer Picotee' emerges bronze and changes to a deeper green than 'Mt. Mania.' The flowers look similar to the other Hydrangea but these are a much more dramatic three inches across.

You can see how close they are to each other but they won't both really be visible at once for quite a while. 

The view from the other direction. Since they are at the edge of the Upper Pool you can't get close to them from this side. I was standing in the gravel/symbolic water to take this photo. 

My pair of dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangeas are right next to each other to make a substantial "groundcover" shrub. I am still hoping to find H. arborescens 'Mary Nell' which is considered one of the best for pollinators. She is not an easy gal to get ahold of.

Comments

[Kris P]

You're so thoughtful with your planting strategy, Linda. I need to learn to do more of that - I tend to fall in love with individual plants and bring them home, assuming I can cram them somewhere appropriate.

[Linda Brazill]

KRIS — If I order plants online in the winter I always know where I will put them. This spring I planted them all just where I planned. And in the last week, I think I've moved almost every single one to a spot I like better. Either it looks better with the nearby plants or the conditions are more suitable. I think I spend as much time planning as replanting.

[Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening]

Your mention of Mary Nell sent me to the Mt. Cuba report on hydrangeas. Interesting to see how the ones I already have fall on the pollinator scale. I'm going to try to be more mindful of this trait if/when I add other hydrangeas to my garden.

[Linda Brazill]

KATHY — I think the day after I wrote that post, I got an email from a place that specializes in Hydrangeas. I'd told them to let me know if Mary Nell became available. They had 5 of them, so I ordered one. 'Haas Halo' came in No. 1 on the Mt. Cuba trials but it has flowers that are 10 inches across, which is just too out of scale with the rest of my plants.