Big Daddy Hydrangea

This pretty shrub is a flowering "beast"! With enormous flower heads held on tight, sturdy branches, Big Daddy makes an impressive visual impact. You'll love the way it reblooms, first on the old wood from last year, then on the new growth from this year.

If you demand an oversized performance from your landscaping plants, use several Big Daddy Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'Big Daddy') to help anchor your flower beds. Give it a planting spot with morning sun and afternoon shade and then watch out.

Even the rich, dark-green foliage stands out. Every polished leaf is large and beautiful. When all is said and done, Big Daddy is a highly ornamental variety that shines all season long.

Even when not in bloom, Big Daddy Hydrangea will be an attractive deciduous shrub in your landscape with its large, glossy, dark green leaves and gently rounded form. It's a perfect height—not too tall and not too short—for many garden applications.

At 12 to 14 inches wide, a single bloom fills a vase! Don't let another year go by without them in your landscape. Order Big Daddy from Nature Hills today!

How to Use Big Daddy Hydrangea in the Landscape

Use this fantastic plant in your landscape as a specimen, a container plant, near water gardens or ponds… or even in mass plantings.

Create an outstanding solid hedge by planting several Big Daddys 3 feet apart on center. Measure from the center of one to the center of the next.

Or, create a series of informal groupings along the length of your garden border. Use at the back of shorter perennials, or near the front of a mixed shrub border. Try a loose, triangular planting plan. Vary the spacing from 4 to 6 feet on center.

They'll add a lot of interest planted on the east or southeast aspect of taller evergreen trees. You'll want to 'mound them up' so their roots won't have to fight for competition from the more established trees. Add additional soil to a heaped 18 inches and plant directly in that mound.

Try Big Daddy in a wonderfully modern foundation planting on the east side of a house. If your windows are low, use a single Big Daddy at the corner of your house to help ground the structure.

Use several as a flowering privacy screen at the back of your patio seating. You'll instantly set the stage for an amazing get-together with family and friends. Simply rely on Big Daddy's huge blooms and healthy foliage as a conversation starter.

Plant enough to have armloads of blooms every summer to decorate your interior tablescapes too. With multitudes of delicate florets, each flower cluster brings a chic sense of charm. Go simple with 1 or 3 blooms in a vase, or splash out with large, lavish displays.

Why not dry the pretty flower clusters for winter ornamentation? Place them in your vase first, then add evergreen tips and other dried material for texture and color. Enjoy the benefits of Big Daddy all year long.

#ProPlantTips for Care

These heat-tolerant plants will do best in sheltered locations with part shade in the afternoon. Morning sun is preferred, and In USDA Zone 6, you may be able to give it a bit more sunlight.

Ensure Big Daddy is grown in well-drained soils. 'Mound up' as discussed above if you suspect poor drainage, or see puddles that remain long after a rain. Who doesn't love raised garden beds?

If your soil is hardpan or clay, try adding soil conditioners and organic compost according to directions. These plants respond well to being mulched. Provide 3 to 4 inches of mulch spread to 3 feet outside of the canopy to keep roots cool and moist in warmer summer climates.

As with other Bigleaf Hydrangeas, the blooms are pink in alkaline soils and blue in acidic soils, but both colors are certainly lovely in any setting.

Those wishing blue blooms in alkaline soils should add Hy-Yield Aluminum Sulfate to adjust the soil pH lower. Follow label instructions for proper amounts.

For those in acid soils desiring pink blooms, add Lime and follow label instructions to help raise the pH in your soils over time.

Little pruning is recommended for this Hydrangea. If needed to shape or clean up winter-damaged stems, prune in late winter or early spring, and only if needed.

Because Big Daddy is a remontant variety that flowers on both old and new wood, be careful not to cut back too much. You'll risk removing the spring blooms.

If you want to control the size, wait until after the first big spring flush of blooms is finished. Use a thoughtful hand, and plan your pruning cuts first. The goal should first be to remove crossing branches and branches that point back into the interior of the shrub. Hide pruning cuts by dipping your shears below the leaves, and vary the height of your cuts for the best-looking results.

Unlike Hydrangea which only blooms on old wood, you can even cut back the remontant Big Daddy to the ground. You'll likely still see blooms later that summer on new growth. What a nice feature of this improved variety from Southern Living®.

In the colder climates of Zone 5, Hydrangeas can be successfully grown with winter protection. Wrapping the plant in burlap or circling it with chicken wire packed with straw can help the plant overwinter without causing damage to the flower buds.

Big Daddy Hydrangea's lush leaves, elegant form, and magnificent flowers make it a joy to own. Once established, it will be a carefree addition to your yard. Just sit back and enjoy its yearly display without any fuss on your part.

Order plenty today to begin reaping the unique and beautiful rewards of this amazing plant. But hurry, people are hunting for our top-grade, healthy plants shipped directly from the field to your doorstep.