Smooth Hydrangea

Deciduous Shrub  •  $8 to $11, quart/gallon pot

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Height	3 to 5 ft
Spacing	3 to 4 ft
Sun Exposure	Part Sun to Light Shade
Soil Moisture	Medium to Moist
Bloom Color	White
Bloom Time	May, June, July
Companion Plantings	Early Meadow Rue, Lady Fern, Golden Ragwort
Special Attributes

Hydrangea arborescens

This is one of only two Hydrangea spp. native to Indiana and Kentucky, the other being Ashy Hydrangea, Hydrangea cinerea, which is less common. Large June blooms up to 6″ or more in diameter are pollinator magnets – see the video below- which draw a myriad of bees, wasps, flies, and beetles during the spring-to-summer transition when not much else is in bloom. The tiny fertile flower clusters are sometimes flanked by showy, 3/4″ sterile flowers that can be absent from entire local populations (refer to first 2 photos above). Many cultivars of Smooth Hydrangea exist in the mainstream nursery trade, but many of these varieties only have the showy sterile flowers, which are ecologically useless; do not be lured by these cultivars.

Smooth Hydrangea prefers partially shaded sites with relatively consistent moisture. This is one of only several established native plants that will likely require supplemental waterings during extended dry periods. Plants can tolerate full sun if soil is consistently moist but the foliage may still decline by the end of the growing season.

Propagation

The tiny seeds have no dormancy. Collect the seed by inverting the dried, brown flower heads upside down into a paper bag or tupperware container in late fall/early winter. Store seeds in a cool, dry place. Surface-sow in spring. Germination is high – these plants are easy to grow.

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