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Hydrangea serrata Blue Billow
A Sky-blue Lacecap with a Hint of Rare Turquoise!
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Hydrangea serrata 'Blue Billow'

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The dark green leaves slowly turn an elegant shade of burgundy in fall!

Blooms turn a rich crimson as they mature.
What Does This
Symbol Mean?

If you're searching for a refreshing splash of blue in your garden, look no further than this delightful Lacecap Hydrangea! 'Blue Billow' was discovered in Korea by Dr. Richard W. Lighty of Mount Cuba Gardens in Delaware, and we are ever so thankful to him for bringing us this garden gem.

'Blue Billow' is an early to midsummer bloomer, covering its deep green, pest-resistant foliage with delicate flowers of a rich sky blue (in acid soil) that's occasionally touched with a hint of turquoise -- a rarity in the garden! And since Hydrangea blooms make wonderful cut flowers and everlastings, you'll have uniquely beautiful bouquets to brighten the inside of your home as well!

What's another thing we love about Hydrangeas? That's right, the fact that so many don't believe in just offering us ONE color during the bloom season! 'Blue Billow's broad, azure blooms slowly change to a stunning crimson as they mature, and the dark green leaves become an elegant shade of burgundy-plum as the weather cools in fall -- a gorgeous transformation yo'll look forward to year after year!

'Blue Billow' is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright, spreading growth habit and a rather low canopy. It has a medium rate of growth, reaching a mature size of 4 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide. 'Blue Billow' does best in partial shade to shade, in average to evenly moist conditions, but it will not tolerate standing water. This 1990 PHS Gold Medal winner is not too particular about soil type, but it does have a preference for acidic soil, especially if the truest sky blue blooms are desired!

'Blue Billow' is an excellent choice for gardens in or around urban areas, as it's proven to be somewhat tolerant of pollution. We do recommend applying a thick layer of mulch around the roots in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder zones. A beautiful, rounded shrub, 'Blue Billow' is a wonderful choice for foundations and borders, as either a stand-alone accent or in a mass planting. Its relatively course texture can be used to set it apart from other plants with finer foliage, such as Astilbe and ferns. Relatively low maintenance, it should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's blooms. This lovely Hydrangea has proved reliably hardy in the mid-Atlantic states and even bloomed after severe storms. 'Blue Billow' truly is a rare find!

Genus Hydrangea
Species serrata
Variety 'Blue Billow'
Bloom Season Early Summer - Mid Summer
Zone 6 - 10
Plant Height 4 ft
Plant Width 4 ft - 6 ft
Item Form 2-Quart
Additional Characteristics Award Winner, Fall Color, Flower, Long Bloomers, Pruning Recommended
Bloom Color Light Blue, Maroon
Foliage Color Burgundy, Dark Green
Light Requirements Part Shade, Shade
Moisture Requirements Moist,  well-drained
Resistance Pest Resistant
Soil Tolerance Normal,  loamy
Uses Beds, Border, Containers, Cut Flowers, Fall Color, Foliage Interest, Hedge, Ornamental, Specimen
Restrictions CAN, HI, PR
Hydrangea Incrediball Following just a few simple growing tips for hydrangea will produce healthy plants with fluffy colorful blooms year after year.

Planting Your Hydrangea

Planting your hydrangeas in early spring or in the fall is ideal. When you are planting a hydrangea, remember that the blooms and stems must be protected from strong winds and the hot afternoon sun. Avoid planting in open areas where strong winds could break stems. Planting on the eastern side of a building ensures that, in the afternoon, when the sun is at its hottest, your plants are in the shade.
Make sure your plant has good drainage. If the soil is too wet, the roots might rot, and the plant will die. Incorporate a lot of organic matter and an all-purpose slow-release fertilizer into the soil to give your hydrangea a strong start.

General Hydrangea Care

  • If you plant them in the summer, they need a lot more water in the beginning to establish the root system.
  • Most varieties thrive in full sun to part shade, as long as they are planted in moist, rich soil.
  • Water deeply once a week, and maybe more, if the weather is particularly hot or dry.
  • Hydrangea fertilization needs vary greatly, depending on your intended bloom color. Certain elements of the fertilizer affect the soil pH, which is a major determinant of bloom color in the pink/blue hydrangea varieties.
Hydrangeas can live for many years without ever needing to be pruned, but if your shrubs grow out of bounds or lose flowering vigor, then there are some essential pruning guidelines you must follow to ensure bountiful blooms the next year!

Hydrangea macrophylla and H. quercifolia These generally bloom on old wood and require little pruning. Prune spent blooms immediately after flowering (midsummer), or remove only dead, damaged or unsightly wood.
Hydrangea Endless Summer® Hydrangea macrophylla (Bigleaf, Mophead, or Lacecap Hydrangeas)
These Hydrangeas begin blooming in early to midsummer and can continue until summer's end, so they set their bloom buds during late summer or early fall. When pruning mopheads, you have two options, and will probably end up doing a combination of both:
  1. Cut back the flowering shoots to the next bud, thus giving the branches a trim that removes the spent blooms without damaging the buds that will bloom next year. Do this right after flowering, but before midsummer.
  2. On older shrubs that have lost flowering vigor, cut up to a third of entire stems at the base in late winter to improve flowering vigor. Ideally, you should cut the oldest stems, leaving younger mature stems that are loaded with buds for next year, but sometimes you have a lopsided or crowded Hydrangea that must be pruned to maintain a pleasing shape. The main purpose of cutting off entire stems is to do away with elderly or poorly flowering parts of the shrub, thus letting in more air and light AND encouraging the growth of healthy new branches.In mild climates that may experience warm spells in winter, be careful of the urge to get out in the garden and start pruning before late winter. If you prune too early, you could encourage dormant buds to break, leaving tender growth susceptible to frost and freeze damage.
Exception: If you have a reblooming variety such as Penny Mac that flowers on new wood as well as old wood, you'll want to prune a little every year just to keep the new wood coming.
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Pee Wee' Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea)
You can get away without pruning Oakleaf Hydrageas at all, but if you want to keep them well-shaped, cut dead stems back at the base in late winter or early spring.
Hydrangea arborescens and H. paniculata
These shrubs bloom on new wood and actually produce larger blooms if cut back to the ground in late winter.
Hydrangea arborescens (Smooth Hydrangea)
This is one of the easiest Hydrangeas to prune. Because it blooms only on new wood, you can just cut it back to the ground in late winter, before any new buds appear. If you experience some flopping of flowering branches, then leave a framework of old growth to help support the branches by only cutting stems back to 2 feet from the ground.
Hydrangea paniculata Pinky Winky™ Hydrangea paniculata (Pee Gee or Panicle Hydrangeas)
Prune this Hydrangea in late winter to keep the plants from becoming overgrown and encourage more new growth, more flower buds, and larger blooms. You can remove dead flowers, as soon as they become unattractive and clean up the overall shape of the plant.
Hydrangea petiolaris
Hydrangea petiolaris Hydrangea petiolaris (Climbing Hydrangea)
Climbing Hydrangea requires little to no pruning, but if you need to trim it to keep it in bounds, you should prune it just after flowering. Cut back last year's flower shoots to 1 to 2 inches and pruning out shoots that fail to cling or have pulled away from their support.
Remember, Hydrangeas are shade tolerant, but they do require adequate sunlight and irrigation to bloom properly. In northern climates and coastal areas, Hydrangeas will grow beautifully in full sun, but in warmer southern areas, a location in part shade where the shrub receives full to partial morning sun with protection from harsh afternoon sun is ideal. Placed in the right location, given ample moisture, and pruned using the guidelines above, your Hydrangeas will be an abundant source of gorgeous blooms long into the future.

How to Adjust Hydrangea Color

Hydrangeas may produce pink, blue, or lavender blooms, depending on where it’s planted and how it’s fed. The presence of aluminum in the plant ultimately determines the color, and pH affects the uptake of aluminum. Alkaline soils, pH of 6.0 or more, are more likely to produce pink blooms, and more acidic soils, pH 4.5 to 5.5, produce blue flowers.

Hydrangea Nikko Blue

Hydrangea Endless Summer

Pink hydrangeas can be turned blue by applying aluminum sulfate to lower the pH and add aluminum to the soil. Applying lime to raise the pH level will help blue hydrangeas turn pink. If your soil naturally produces very blue or very pink hydrangea flowers, you may need to grow your hydrangeas in containers or raised beds to achieve the desired color. If you do attempt to change the color of your blooms by adding these minerals, dilute them well, and add sparingly. It is very easy to scorch your plants by adding too much. White hydrangeas are not affected by efforts to change bloom color.

Using Hydrangeas for Cut-Flower Arrangements

  • Cut them just as blooms fully develop.
  • Cut your flowers in the early morning, before the sun comes up to evaporate some of their moisture.
  • Cutting at diagonal will allow the stem to take in the most amount of water, some people will even cut slits or fray the ends of the stems a little.
  • Place your freshly cut flowers in a bucket of cool water to soak for an hour or two before arranging your final product.
  • Use a commercial floral preservative to get the best results. This will feed your flowers, maintain a constant pH, and will serve as an anti-microbial to prevent premature decay. You should be able to find this at a local nursery.
  • Keep in mind that many gardeners and florists complain that hydrangeas wilt faster than other cut flowers and may require a little extra planning.
  • Keep it out of drafty areas and direct sunlight to prevent the flowers from drying. Finally, you can just sit back and admire your new décor or enjoy your special moment.

To download this How-To for yourself, with complete information, please follow this link. Because the file is in PDF format, you will require the Adobe Reader to be able to view it. We hope that you will enjoy this guide and refer to it for years to come.