Which hydrangea varieties are beautiful, easy to grow, and have a long blooming season? Popular variety recommendations

There are so many kinds of hydrangeas, so let's talk about the popular varieties. Beginners can pick them with their eyes closed and won't go wrong.

Endless Summer: It blooms on both old and new wood, flowering from summer all the way into autumn. The flower balls are big and round, and the key point is that you can adjust the colour. Grown in acidic soil it produces a dreamy blue, while in alkaline soil it turns a gentle pink. It is also especially tough, heat-tolerant and cold-tolerant, so beginners can grow it without any fuss.

Hanatemari: The flower balls are as plump as little pom-poms, and the layer upon layer of petals is extremely delicate. It can also be colour-adjusted, and its stems are very upright, so it is not afraid even of summer sun exposure.

Fairy's Kiss: The petals look like vintage roses, and the double, ruffled layers have a wonderful texture. They open creamy white and slowly turn pink-purple, so you can see several colours on a single plant. However, it blooms on old wood, so never prune the wrong branches in winter.

Kaleidoscope: The flowers have white edges of their own, floating like an ink-wash painting with an ethereal air. But the stems are fairly soft, and the flowers tend to droop after blooming, so remember to put in a support. It blooms on both new and old wood, though old wood produces more flowers.

Mona Lisa: The petal edges have white serrations, and the pink-and-blue colour is especially gentle. It can bloom on both new and old wood, but the stems are not very upright, so it is best to prop them up when there are lots of flowers.

Tree hydrangea: Tree hydrangeas like 'Bella Anna' can grow to 2 - 3 m tall, with an extremely upright tree form. In summer they produce huge white flower balls, up to 40 cm across, which is truly stunning! They are also extremely cold-hardy, so you can plant them directly in a northern garden, where as a background tree they have a huge presence.

Care guide:

Light: Avoid harsh sun. In spring and autumn, 4-6 hours of bright indirect light is enough. In summer you must shade it, otherwise the leaves scorch easily; in winter the light is weak, so you can give it more sun.

Watering: The leaves are large and the plant needs a lot of water, but do not water too often. Water thoroughly once the soil surface is dry. Summer is hot, so besides watering the soil you also need to spray water around it to raise humidity; in winter water less and just keep the soil slightly moist.

Soil mix: It likes loose, airy, acidic soil. Just mix leaf mould and peat moss with a little perlite, and water in some ferrous sulfate every so often to make blue hydrangeas bloom even bluer.

Fertilising: During the growing season apply a compound fertiliser once every half month; in 6-7 months, when the flower buds are differentiating, water in some monopotassium phosphate to encourage blooming; in winter when it is dormant, stop fertilising.

Temperature: It grows best at 18-28°C. In winter, when it drops below 5°C you have to move it indoors to keep it warm, and in summer when it goes above 35°C you need to move it somewhere cool and well ventilated.

Pruning: Once the flowers fade, cut off the spent blooms promptly. For varieties that bloom on old wood, leave 2-3 pairs of buds; those that bloom on new wood can be cut back hard. In winter, also cut out dead and diseased branches along the way.

Pest and disease control: It is prone to powdery mildew and aphids, so just spray with carbendazim and imidacloprid.