AUGUST 2023

DO YOU HAVE AN EVENT for the Kane County Magazine calendar? Reach out to us on Facebook or via email, shawmagazineeditor@gmail.com n LITTLE QUICK FIRE: This is a dwarf form of Quickfire that gets about 3 to 5 feet tall. Poofy clusters of flowers start out ivory and then fade to pink, then ultimately deep pink. The neat thing about this one is that the leaves have great fall color, so you get that added bonus in the fall. It’s a great hydrangea for the front foundation where you may have windows that you don’t want to block. Its similar cousin, Bobo, is a pinch smaller but has more lime green flowers that fade to pink if you like that greenish color of the flowers. Little Hottie is another new introduction that is similar in size. Its pure white flowers stand up to the hot sun and fade to pale pink in fall. All are very easy to keep smaller and require little care. They all tolerate full sun as well.

INCREDIBALL: This is the standard “pom pom” type by which all others are compared. It is a relatively “new” variety compared to the old fashioned Annabelle that has been around about 100 years. The issue with Annabelle is that, after a hard rain, she flopped over. Incrediball is an improved version that has thicker stems and stands up nicely to rainfall. The flowers are even larger than Annabelle. And lo and behold, these types of hydrangea arborescens now come in pink (you don’t have to treat the soil to get it to be pink!). Invincibelle Spirit II and Mini Mauvette are both gorgeous, puffy, deep pink on compact plants. These varieties are shade tolerant but also will thrive in the sun.