cherry laurel

Winter’s the perfect time to plan your spring garden. So get out your crayons (or online layout program like the one at bhg.com) and play - with new additions, renovations and plant combinations.

And what garden couldn’t use another big-bloomed, shade-tolerating, sturdy hydrangea? Especially the new dark rosy-red, white-centered lacecap, Strawberries and Cream from Tesselaar? Even though it’s sold as a long-lasting indoor gift plant or centerpiece, it’s equally at home on your patio or in your landscape.

Hardy to Zone 7, this mounded, 3- to 4-foot-high bush thrives in full morning sun with afternoon filtered light up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. And its tolerance for both sun and shade give it plenty of potential companions on its dance card. The hard part is choosing just one - or two - or five…

And to get the creative juices flowing, here are a few favorite companion plantings for hydrangeas mentioned by gardeners on iVillage’s GardenWeb forum (with links to images and information from plant developer Monrovia).

·         Try pink shrub roses, daylilies and pink dianthus. For all-season color, use evergreens like inkberry, holly, and cherry Laurel.  

·         A winning combination? Hydrangeas, azaleas and pink potentilla.

·         For shade, plant with hosta, heuchera and astilbe.  And for all-season beauty, deer-resistant pieris japonica and winter daphne (in a high, dry spot).

What’s your favorite companion plant (or plants) with hydrangeas? Let us know, or post a pic of them from last season’s garden!