These hydrangea companion plants pair well for a colorful, easy-care garden.
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Hydrangeasare versatile landscape plants that bring a touch ofEnglish cottage garden aestheticto a yard.
Here are some favorite companion plants to grow alongside hydrangeas, according to a garden designer.
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Some of these plants are companions for sun-loving hydrangeas; others are better for shade-loving hydrangeas.
Laura Najman Janneyis a garden designer and owner ofThe Inspired Gardenin New Jersey.
Choose companion plants with an eye to how much sun your hydrangeas need.
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A beginner thinks, Will this color look pretty with that color?
If so, Ill put them together.
Choose bigger, looser annuals and tuck them into your garden, Janney says.
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Allium
Alliumshave showy, globe-shaped blooms that make a big statement when planted alongside hydrangeas.
I love Globemaster because its flowers are giant, Janney says.
Astilbe blooms before hydrangeas, so they extend your color, Janney says.
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These have such a classic cottage garden look, and they bloom before hydrangeas, Janney says.
Best of all, they keep blooming all summer if you deadhead and water it well.
Plant them in masses for an explosion of color.
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Janney likes Raspberry Truffle and Pow Wow, a deep pink variety.
They make great cut flowers, too, she says.
Bring them inside and enjoy them indoors as well as outdoors.
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Their bloomsattract butterflies and hummingbirds, and heuchera will cover the ground and suppress weeds.
Plant them in groups of three.
Like some hydrangeas, ferns like a shady spot.
Credit:Carson Downing
Janney recommends lady ferns for their feathery foliage and Christmas ferns because theyre evergreen in most climates.
I likeChristmas fernsbecause they will be green when hydrangeas and other plants are bare wood, Janney says.
Its nice to look outside in January and see green ferns.
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They provide complementary color and texture to hydrangeas, too.
It keeps blooming for much of the summer, so it helps pack more color into your garden season.
Geum works well as a groundcover planted alongside hydrangeas.
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It has a mounding habit and attracts pollinators.
It looks beautiful alongside hydrangeas, Janney says.
Hostas spreading habit complements the elegant, upright shape of hydrangeas.
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Pair shade-loving hostas with hydrangeas to create a mixed or woodland border in your garden.
Ifdeer frequent your garden, you may want to reconsider hostas, Janney says.
Theyre a deer salad bar.
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)is a perennial that produces spiky flowers in shades of white, pink, purple, or blue.
Speedwell is tolerant of different growing conditions and comes in groundcover varieties as well as taller, upright varieties.
There are lots of varieties of spirea.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Credit:Bob Stefko
Credit:Marty Baldwin
