Hydrangeas are a huge favorite among gardeners from all over. They accent any garden beautifully and can make gorgeous decorations as well. Find out more about low-maintenance, long-lasting hydrangeas in this article by Richard Hawke.

There is no denying the wow factor of the panicle hydrangea, especially when it’s in bloom. The flower trusses are in-your-face big, averaging 6 to 8 inches long, but they can be much bigger. Even better is that the robust blooms sit atop stout branches during the dog days of summer, when other shrubs have finished their show. Panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata cvs., USDA Hardiness Zones 3–8) is a great old-fashioned shrub. I clearly remember having to duck under a huge canopy of blooms while delivering newspapers as a boy. I’ve seen a countless number of different panicle hydrangeas since my paper-route years—a testament to their reliability and popularity. Read more.

How to make a hydrangea wreath

Learn how to make a hydrangea wreath in just 10 minutes with this step-by-step guide.

Materials

• Straw wreath base
• U-shaped floral pins
• Small floral picks
• Hydrangea blooms from your garden—Limelight hydrangea blooms are great to use in the fall. It is best to harvest this variety when it has just started to turn pink, because that means the blooms will dry in place in your wreath.
• ‘Sun King’ Aralia berries—These will also dry in place on the wreath.
• Rudbeckia seed heads
• Panicum grass seed heads—These grasses will dry straight in place.
• Redtwig dogwood—This will bring some nice bright reds into your wreath.
• Hypericum berries—These add a nice finishing touch to your medley of plants.

Process

1. Take some hydrangea blossoms, as well as some pieces of the rest of your garden trimmings to be used in the wreath, and make mini-bouquets out of all of your trimmings.

2. Pin your mini-bouquets to the straw wreath base using a few floral pins.

3. Continue to place more mini-bouquets all around the straw wreath base, covering up the stems as you go.

4. As a finishing touch, add some hypericum berries. Spin your floral picks around the berry stems, and then place them in various spots around your wreath.

5. Hang up your wreath and enjoy!

To learn more about when to prune your hydrangeas, read this.