Sidi Limehouse has collected hydrangeas since digging up some from his grandmother's yard 20 years ago. In two decades, he has collected more than 3,000 plants. He hesitates when asked to choose a favorite, simply saying that he likes them all.
The hydrangea, usually thought of as a Southern plant, actually grows all the way up the East Coast, says Limehouse, who grows them locally at Rosebank Farms on Johns Island. The plant is a flowering shrub that grows from 3 to 8 feet tall and as much as 6 feet wide.
Limehouse mainly has old French hydrangeas, mopheads and lacecaps, which have their origins in Asia and were introduced into France during the late 1700s, he says. But new varieties are popular, too, including the Endless Summer series, which has repeat blooms, and the Cityline series, dwarf hydrangeas designed for the urban dweller with little time prune or space to plant.
Mopheads have plump, round flowers and are the most common hydrangeas in home gardens. Lesser known but equally appealing are lacecaps, which have a flatter, platelike flower. Both belong to the species macrophylla, which means "big leaf."
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