Hi there, I am wondering how difficult it is to start planting/growing white hydrangeas in time to have cut flowers ready for my wedding in July? Should I plant now or wait until the spring? Is it very easy to plant white hydrangeas? (I know that hydrangeas can be blue or pink depending on the acidity in the soil.....) I live in Vancouver. Thanks!
Ordinarily you would plant now as fall is by far the best planting time for hardy shrubs and other hardy plants. However, not all kinds of white hydrangeas are fully hardy in this region. Buy big plants (at least 5 gallon, which may be the biggest you can find) of a cultivar thought fully hardy here and plant immediately. Be sure to place in a suitable soil and exposure, mulch well after planting. A "vicious" winter is being predicted. Depending on which one(s) you choose, you may need to hunt around to find multiple specimens of a suitable variety at this time of year. Since even a 5 gallon size may have a comparatively small top with thinner stems than the plant will produce later in life, depending on how many flower heads you want and how big you want them to be you may have to plant a number of the bushes in order to reach your goal.
http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/annabelle.html has info on the big white Annabelle hydrangea. You might try contacting http://www.gardenworks.ca/app/public/contact.cfm to see what GardenWorks has available (stock and advice).
I went looking to see if Anabelles actually bloom in July and was reassured by this: http://www.everchanginggarden.ca/PLHydrangeaAnnabelle.html