2020

Friday, July 10, 2020 8:30 am -12:30 pm Hydrangea University, Heritage Museum & Gardens

Hydrangea University will take place on July 10th from 9:00-12:00. This year’s University will be a virtual Zoom experience. We will be using the same format that we have in the past. Our speakers will give a 45 minute presentation with a 15 minute Q&A. The audience will be able to ask questions through the chat feature of Zoom. The program coordinator will read the questions to the speakers. The camera will be on the presentation with the speaker’s face in a little box on the screen. Each participant will be given a plant (ColorChoice® Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha Hydrangea serrata from Proven Winners® ) which they will receive when they visit Heritage, (ticket includes free admission during Hydrangea Festival week) or they may pick up their plant curbside. Our expert speakers, Stacey Hirvela, Marketing Manager for Spring Meadow Nursery Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs; Joan Harrison, author and founder of the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society; and Mal Condon, Curator of Hydrangeas at Heritage Museums & Gardens, will inspire and entertain while increasing participants’ knowledge of hydrangeas. Tickets will be available shortly on the Heritage Museum and Gardens website. The ticket price has not been established at this time.

For more information and to register for the program, visit: https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/event/hydrangea-university-3/

Sixth Annual Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival: July 10-19, 2020.

The following Cape Cod Hydrangea Society Member Gardens will be open from 10 am - 4 pm on the days specified.

Visit https://www.capecodchamber.org/events/featured-events/cape-cod-hydrangea-fest/hydrangea-fest-events/ for a description of the gardens.

Each garden is $5 (cash) per person.

July 11th - Dan & Linda Pessoni, 4 Driftwood Lane, E. Orleans From Exit 12, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), turn right onto Rt. 6A, turn right onto Eldredge Parkway, go through stoplight at Rt. 28, turn left at next stoplight onto Tonset Rd. turn left onto Driftwood Lane.

July 11th - Mal & Mary Kay Condon, 181 Thacher Shore Rd., Yarmouth Port From Exit 7, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), turn right onto Willow St. At Rt 6A turn right. Turn left onto Thacher St.(across from the Post Office). Turn right onto Thacher Shore Rd.

July 11th – Carol Condon, 85 Wharf Lane, Yarmouth Port Carol’s home is only 0.8 miles west of the Condon’s – just continue on Thacher Shore Road which merges into Wharf Lane 3 ‘doors’ before #85. Parking is ample and should be on the east (marsh) side of the road.

July 11th - Linda Coven, 121 Camp St.#106, West Yarmouth From Exit 7, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), turn left onto Willow St. Turn left onto Camp St.(at Mobil gas station).

July 14th - Mal & Mary Kay Condon, 181 Thacher Shore Rd., Yarmouth Port From Exit 7, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), turn right onto Willow St. At Rt 6A turn right. Turn left onto Thacher St.(across from the Post Office). Turn right onto Thacher Shore Rd. Parking is ample and should be on the east (marsh) side of the road.

July 14th – Carol Condon, 85 Wharf Lane, Yarmouth Port Carol’s home is only 0.8 miles west of the Condon’s – just continue on Thacher Shore Road which merges into Wharf Lane 3 ‘doors’ before #85. Parking is ample and should be on the east (marsh) side of the road.

July 14th - Linda Coven, 121 Camp St.#106, West Yarmouth From Exit 7, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), turn left onto Willow St. Turn left onto Camp St.(at Mobil gas station). Turn right into 121 Camp St.

July 15th - Marsha & George Chapman, 28 Sady's Lane, E. Falmouth From the Mashpee Rotary, take Rt. 28 North (Falmouth Rd.) 4.2 miles. Turn left onto Sady's Lane.

July 16th - Gail Watts, 232 Sesuit Neck Rd., E. Dennis From Exit 9B, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), turn right onto Rt. 134. Go straight at Rt. 6A, turn right onto Sesuit Neck Rd.

July 18th - Marsha & George Chapman, 28 Sady's Lane, E. Falmouth From the Mashpee Rotary, take Rt. 28 North (Falmouth Rd.) 4.2 miles. Turn left onto Sady's Lane.

Past Events

2020

CANCELLED -- Wednesday, May 20, 2020 at 6:00 pm, Spring Meeting, Harwich Community Center, 100 Oak St, Harwich, MA

We continue to work behind the scenes and will keep you abreast of news as it currently pertains to CCHS and we will keep you updated as to the status of previously scheduled events as well. During these challenging times for all, we are continuing to adapt while keeping you informed.

Wednesday, January 29th at 10 am at the South Yarmouth Library

The public was invited a third General Membership Meeting. This meeting was in addition to our annual Spring and Fall meetings.

It was held on Wednesday, January 29th from 10am-12noon. The meeting at the South Yarmouth Public Library in the Leonard Room which is downstairs. The library is located at 312 Old Main Street, South Yarmouth, MA. 02664. Parking is across the street from the library on Old Main Street or around the back of the library off of Mill Lane and bordered by Rte.28.

Unlike our Spring and Fall meetings this meeting will be an informal gathering with no business agenda. It is meant to be informative but with no outside guest speakers. Presenters will come from within the membership and there will be opportunity for discussion as well as Q&A. For this first meeting, Linda Coven will give a Power Point presentation, the topic being, Hydrangeas 101. With growing new members this seems to be the best subject with which to start.

It also provides an opportunity of those of us who have been members for a while to refresh our basic knowledge.

Should you have any questions please feel free to contact us…info@thecapecodhydrangeasociety.org

2019

Saturday, September 28th, 10 am - 12 pm, General Meeting, Harwich Community Center

Our speaker will be Lorraine Ballato. Lorraine will be speaking on THE MAGIC OF REBLOOMING HYDRANGEAS

Lorraine’s love affair with plants comes through in her lectures, social media writings, magazine articles and photographs which you can find in Connecticut Gardener, Edible Nutmeg, and elsewhere. She is an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden and in the Connecticut Master Gardener Program as well as for the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut. Her weekly gardening columns ran for over ten years in local newspapers, reaching more than 15,000 homes in northwest Connecticut. As a professional horticulturist, Lorraine has been a guest on numerous gardening radio programs from Alaska to Connecticut. She speaks at regional symposiums, flower shows, to civic groups and garden clubs, creating talks that are both instructive and highly entertaining on a broad range of subjects tailored to each audience. You can find her listed at Great Garden Speakers where you can read the glowing reviews from happy audiences. In her role as an Advanced Master Gardener, Lorraine works with a sizable team of gardeners of all levels in a 3000 square foot organic fruit and vegetable garden in Fairfield County, CT. From April through October each year, they grow and annually donate over 800 pounds of produce to homeless shelters and food banks, train master gardener interns and assist the gardening public on a weekly basis. It's work she enjoys immensely.

Display Garden Maintenance Team

The Display Garden at Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich began as a partnership with the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society in 2010. It is home to a collection of H. macrophylla, H. paniculata, H. serrata, H. aborescens, H. quercifolia, H. aspera, and H. involucrata.

The first hydrangeas planted in the Display Garden were generously donated by CCHS members, and the garden has grown to include more than 200 hydrangeas. With the ongoing efforts of CCHS members we have established a fine collection with many difficult to find cultivars. All CCHS members are invited to join the Display Garden Maintenance Team and work together to increase our knowledge and enjoyment of hydrangeas, while caring for the hydrangea collection.

Our work includes spring cleanup, pruning, prepping for the Hydrangea Festival, bud counting, weeding, and drying blooms in the fall. Workshops and informational talks are scattered throughout the season. Maintenance work in the Display Garden begins in April, 2019 on Wednesdays. Mark your calendar, and sign up for work days at the General Meeting in May, or contact Paula Rushworth at prushworth85@gmail.com

Work sessions are from 9:30-12:00. Dates for 2019: April 3,10,17, 24…..May 1,15, 29…. June 12, 26….July 10, 24 August 7, 21…September 4,18

Hope to see you in the Display Garden where “Hands on Learning” never ends.

Wednesday, May 15th, 6 - 8 pm, General Meeting, Harwich Community Center

Our speaker was Linda Coven.

Hydrangea University, July 12th, 8:30 am -12:15 pm

Check-in & Coffee: 8:30 am - 9 am

Speakers: 9 am - 12:15 pm

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society (CCHS) and Heritage Museum and Gardens are pleased to again partner and present the fourth edition of our annual Hydrangea University – the premier opening event of the annual Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival.

Speakers:

C.L. Fornari Hydrangeas: Game of Thrones, Moans and Zones New varieties, propagation, flowering, insects and more. Hear The Garden Lady address common questions and concerns about Cape Cod’s Signature Shrub. Find new varieties that are more bud-hardy, shorter, or have unusual flowers. Hear about how to grow Hydrangeas in pots for porch or patio décor. Learn about strategies for floppy plants, chilli thrips management, browning flowers and more. C.L. Fornari is the author of eight books and numerous articles. She’s currently the host of GardenLine, on WXTK and co-host of the Plantrama podcast. CL speaks to horticultural trade shows, gardening groups and public gatherings, and she runs a consultation service and writes for Hyannis Country Garden, an independent garden center on the Cape. Her not-so-secret mission is to get horticulture back into pop culture… in the meantime she cultivates plants at Poison Ivy Acres on Cape Cod and blogs at www.GardenLady.com

Mike DuVall Selecting Plants for Growers and Gardeners: Star Roses and Plants Top Hydrangeas Everyone wants success in their gardens, and choosing the right plants is the key to that success! Learn industry insights on this important topic from someone in the business of choosing plants: Mike Duvall, Woody Ornamentals Program Manager for Star® Roses and Plants. Find out how to pick the hydrangeas that will flourish and bloom in your garden and get the inside scoop on “Cherry Explosion,” this year’s Hydrangea University take-home plant, generously donated by Star® Roses and Plants. Mike DuVall is the Woody Ornamental Program Manager at Star® Roses and Plants. He is a graduate of University of Georgia with a degree in horticulture and has over 34 years of experience in the industry.

Sandra Jones Designing a Year-Round Garden with Hydrangeas Sandra Jonas, garden designer, garden blogger, garden enthusiast will examine some of the best uses of hydrangeas in a garden setting. Sandra is a long time member of the American Hydrangea Society. In fact, she designed the garden of Penny McHenry, the founder of the American Hydrangea Society, for whom the ‘Penny Mac’ hydrangea is named. She will share photos of notable gardens including Penny McHenry’s garden and also that of Margaret Moseley whose garden was frequently included in the annual tour of gardens organized by the American Hydrangea Society in the Atlanta area. Many gardens featuring hydrangeas will be presented and she will focus on the elements that make each garden a success. Sandra will discuss the organizing principles of a garden; that for it truly to be a garden, it must have structure and a narrative. As she says, “Without these organizing principles, one simply has a collection of plants, or chaos.” Her philosophy is that a garden is a refuge, an ongoing work of art to be honed and nurtured. Sandra Jonas is the owner of Recreating Eden Landscape Design. She has been designing noteworthy landscapes for over 20 years, from residential gardens of all types to public parks, cemeteries, and restorations of historic sites. Her garden designs have been profiled as cover stories by Southern Living and Atlanta Magazine’s Home and have been highlighted in the regional lifestyle magazine Oconee Living. The work she did on American Hydrangea Society founder Penny McHenry’s Atlanta garden has been widely photographed, appearing in such notable media outlets as Better Homes & Gardens, Southern Living, and HGTV. A garden she created to complement a stately home designed by noted Southern architect William Frank McCall, Jr. received accolades when the property was chosen to be the LaGrange Symphony Guild’s show house in 2006. An avid plant collector and gardener herself, Sandra has created a sweeping series of gardens around her antebellum home in Hogansville, Georgia. Her own garden, planned for four-season interest, appeared in an extensive photo feature in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Sandra wrote a monthly garden column for 85 South magazine and has also lent her expertise to special projects. Prior to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, she headed the design team for equestrian competition courses. She also participated in an ambitious verification project at Boston’s Arnold Arboretum, helping to identify the exact genus and species of all plants in the living collections. Sandra holds the Certificate in Landscape Design from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts./p

Participants will have the opportunity to tour the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society Display Garden and the North American Hydrangea Test Garden. Admission to all of Heritage Museums & Gardens will also be included with registration, and each participant will receive a goodie bag and a hydrangea plant to take home. Advance registration is recommended, as space is limited. You can register at www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org

Fee: $55 Members and Cape Cod Hydrangea Society , $65 Non-Members

Hydrangea Fest, July 12th through July 21st

Generously sponsored by:

The following Cape Cod Hydrangea Society Member Gardens will be open from 10 am - 4 pm on the days specified. Each garden is $5 (cash) per person.

July 13th - Marsha & George Chapman, 28 Sady's Lane, E. Falmouth From the Mashpee Rotary, take Rt. 28 North (Falmouth Rd.) 4.2 miles. Turn left onto Sady's Lane. Hydrangea plants will be on sale.

July 14th - Mal & Mary Kay Condon, 181 Thacher Shore Rd., Yarmouth Port From Exit 7, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), turn right onto Willow St. At Rt 6A turn right. Turn left onto Thacher St.(across from the Post Office). Turn right onto Thacher Shore Rd. Hydrangea plants will be on sale.

July 14th - Linda Coven, 121 Camp St.#106, West Yarmouth From Exit 7, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), turn left onto Willow St. Turn left onto Camp St.(at Mobil gas station). Turn right into 121 Camp St.

July 15th - Gail Watts, 232 Sesuit Neck Rd., E. Dennis From Exit 9B, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), turn right onto Rt. 134. Go straight at Rt. 6A, turn right onto Sesuit Neck Rd. Hydrangea plants will be on sale.

July 15th - Mary & Roger Bowker, 151 Old Country Rd. East Sandwich From Exit 4, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), from the West, turn left, from the East, turn right onto Chase Rd. Turn left onto Old Country Rd.

July 17th - Marsha & George Chapman, 28 Sady's Lane, E. Falmouth From the Mashpee Rotary, take Rt. 28 North (Falmouth Rd.) 4.2 miles. Turn left onto Sady's Lane.

July 18th - Mal & Mary Kay Condon, 181 Thacher Shore Rd., Yarmouth Port From Exit 7, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), turn right onto Willow St. At Rt 6A turn right. Turn left onto Thacher St.(across from the Post Office). Turn right onto Thacher Shore Rd.

July 18th - Linda Coven, 121 Camp St.#106, West Yarmouth From Exit 7, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), turn left onto Willow St. Turn left onto Camp St.(at Mobil gas station). Turn right into 121 Camp St. Hydrangea plants will be on sale.

July 19th - Mary & Roger Bowker, 151 Old Country Rd. East Sandwich From Exit 4, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), from the West, turn left, from the East, turn right onto Chase Rd. Turn left onto Old Country Rd. Hydrangea plants will be on sale.

July 19th - Gloria Buxbaum, 30 Quaker Lane, S. Harwich From Exit 10, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), from the West, turn right, from the East, turn left onto Rt. 124. Turn left onto Main St., turn right onto Chatham Rd., turn right onto Rt. 28, turn left onto Quaker Lane

July 20th - Dan & Linda Pessoni, 4 Driftwood Lane, E. Orleans From Exit 12, Rt 6 (Mid-Cape Highway), turn right onto Rt. 6A, turn right onto Eldredge Parkway, go through stoplight at Rt. 28, turn left at next stoplight onto Tonset Rd. turn left onto Driftwood Lane. Hydrangea plants will be on sale.

2018

Wednesday, May 16, 6 to 8 pm, General Meeting, Harwich Community Center

Our speaker will be Mal Condon, "Hydrangeas of New Zealand and Australia"

Friday, July 6, Hydrangea University, Heald Auditorium, Heritage Museum and Gardens, Sandwich, MA

CCHS is proud once again to partner with Heritage Museum and Gardens to be the “kick off” event for the 2018 Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival.

Hydrangea University will take place on July 6th from 8:30 to noon. Tickets will be available at www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/ ($65.00 for members of CCHS and Heritage, $80.00 for nonmembers).

This year's event will feature:

• Michael Dirr, PH.D., keynote speaker, professor, expert on woody plants, and author.

• Mal Condon, past president of the Hydrangea Society, curator of hydrangeas at Heritage.

• Natalia Hamill, Bailey Nurseries They introduced “Endless Summer” and changed the industry.

• Tours of the Hydrangea Society display garden and the North American Hydrangea Test Garden

• A ticket includes admission to Heritage Museum and Gardens, a "goodie bag", and hydrangea plant to take home.

Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival 2018-CCHS Member Tour Gardens and Locations--10 am to 4 pm

Saturday, July 7 and Wednesday, July 11 Mal and Mary Kay Condon’s Garden - - - 181 Thacher Shore Road, Yarmouth Port

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society welcomes you to this hydrangea-centric garden in Yarmouth Port. The Condon’s were serious commercial hydrangea propagators and growers for 40 years. They purchased their Yarmouth Port property early in 2014 and have planted over (200) hydrangeas on the property. H.macrophylla is the dominant species with H. paniculata and H.quercifolia in the mix. The Condon’s are serious veggie growers as well utilizing raised beds to produce a wide range of favorites. Fruit is in the mix too – berries and figs (hopefully), and a new orchard of peaches and plums is progressing. Mal ‘The Hydrangea Guy’ and Mary Kay will be giving “Summer Pinch Pruning Demonstrations” at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. This is an optional summer-time pruning technique for H. macrophyllas. Best done in July, this exercise creates a fuller plant, checks plant height, and best of all, increases the potential for more blooming the following summer. Be sure to note the start times; each session will last about 45 minutes.

Saturday, July 7 and Wednesday, July 11 Gail Johnson’s Garden - - - 2390 Main Street, West Barnstable

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society is delighted to have this quintessential antique Cape salt-box cottage and barn and lovely small garden areas on tour. Created and nurtured by Gail over the past four years, there is much to enjoy. The front approach garden features Nantucket Blue Hydrangeas and red geraniums in window boxes. H.macrophylla ‘Zorro’, pink ‘Knock-out’ roses, and an herb garden fill one side of the property. The other more major side has a fenced kitchen / veggie garden and a significant stone wall, with many genera in residence - baptisia, Rosa rugosa ‘Linda Cambell’, skimmia, H.paniculata ‘Angel’s Blush’ and ‘Pinky Winky’, creeping phlox, Darlow’s Enigma roses, and several H.macrophylla cultivars. Behind the house you’ll find kiwi vine and a sizeable H.anomala,ssp.petiolaris climbing hydrangea.

Sunday, July 8 and Friday, July 13 Marcia & George Chapman’s Garden - - - 28 Sady’s Lane, East Falmouth

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society welcomes you to a Garden for All Seasons. Featured in Fine Gardening magazine last year, this property was chosen for its skill in making a mere half acre feel much larger. Winding garden paths lead the visitor through surprising vistas and vignettes. Espaliered pear and dogwood trees and archways of beeches and hydrangeas are some of the many features to be discovered in this 34 year old garden created by the homeowners / professional horticulturists. More than 30 hydrangea cultivars are integrated into the mixed borders. Yearly changes make this garden well worth a return trip.

Tuesday, July 10 Pat & Ulrich Schaafhausen’s Garden - - - 56 Fairview Ave, South Chatham

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society is pleased to have Pat and Ulrich’s hydrangea-centric naturalized garden on tour this year. A sizeable hydrangea collection is featured containing several species with H.macrophylla being the most dominant. Total count exceeds 100 cultivars with most plants having been propagated by the Schaafhausens from cuttings received from friends and hydrangea enthusiasts. Garden art is also prevalent throughout the property with stone cairns and concrete leaf sculptures created by the homeowners. The terrain is gentle and easy – a nice walk around the yard on a soft pine needle lawn directed by shell pathways. Birds are plentiful and friendly.

Sunday, July 15 Dan Pessoni’s Garden - - - 4 Driftwood Lane, East Orleans

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society welcomes you to Dan’s Driftwood Garden in East Orleans. This garden is the outer Cape’s only Nationally Registered American Hemerocallis (Daylily) Display Garden, with 750 different varieties of labeled current and modern daylilies. Daylilies and Hydrangeas are at peek bloom at the same time in July. Wander past the tiered bank of perennials and then relax in the huge shade garden, where over 350 labeled varieties of Hosta are interspersed with Heuchera, Ferns, and Solomon’s Seal. Special beds have been created for small and miniature Hosta. After leaving the shade garden, enjoy Dan’s continuingly expanding Hydrangea Garden with now over 90 labeled varieties. Should you visit the garden mid-spring, 40 different varieties of rhododendrons will be in full bloom. Located throughout the gardens are 15 specimen trees, including Stewartia, Heptacodium, (Seven Son Flower), Heritage Birch, Tricolor Leaf Beech, and Harry Lauder’s walking sticks, green and crimson.

Saturday, September 22, 10 am, General Meeting, Harwich Community Center

Our Speaker was Russ Norton, Horticulture Extension Director, Cape Cod Extension Service, Diseases and Pests Affecting Cape Cod Hydrangeas"

2017

Annual Dinner...MEMBERS ONLY

October 4th @6:00 Old Yarmouth Inn, 6A Yarmouth Port

CCHS Fall Meeting

Saturday, September 9th at 10am at Harwich Community Center

Our speaker will be our Society’s very own Dan Pessoni - The Lilly, Hosta, and now Hydrangea Man. Long in the tooth gardening-wise, he will share some of his lifetime of well learned expertise via a well-illustrated presentation entitled ‘A Walk through Driftwood Garden’. Given Dan’s vast knowledge and expressive style, this promises to be a must attend event.

Third Annual Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival

July 7 – 15
9 days of Hydrangeas from Woods Hole to Provincetown. The 3rd Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival will celebrate these beautiful blue, pink and white blooms at their peak! Take a glimpse into some of Cape Cod’s most spectacular gardens. The festival will include garden tours organized by local nonprofits and museums, along with special hydrangea-themed events and promotions.
http://www.capecodchamber.org/hydrangea-fest
 

Hydrangea University 2017

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that Heritage and the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society partner to present the 2nd annual “Hydrangea University”.

In 2016 CCHS introduced the 1st “Hydrangea U” and it was met with enormous success. This year we are fortunate to have our three professors back with new topics that will entertain and increase our knowledge of Hydrangeas. In addition, we will be adding tours of “CCHS Display Garden” and the new “Hydrangea Test Garden”. Both of these tours will be included with your ticket to this event.

Mal Condon will educate us with “Hydrangea Success-It’s More Than Just Blue” and “Growing Hydrangeas in Containers-So many Pluses”. Species will be reviewed with respect to attributes and shortcomings, pruning specifics, and planting particulars. This discussion will include the following topics; species and cultivar selection for pot culture, pot considerations, planting mixes and amendments, seasonal pruning best practices, and simple winter protection ideas.

Peg Black will discuss “The Evolution of a Cape Cod Garden” A journey through the development of a garden over several decades as told by the gardener who lived within it day-to-day and encountered the changes that came with the seasons and the years. Hydrangeas figured prominently in the later years of the garden’s development.

Joan Harrison will enlighten us on the “Colorful World of Hydrangeas” Why particular hydrangea shrubs have particular colors, or are multicolored, or changeable colors create understandable confusion. Come have the mysteries of hydrangea color cleared up once and for all.

Friday, July 7, 2017 - 9:00am to 3:00pm

Heritage Museums & Gardens, 67 Grove St, Sandwich, MA

8:30 am Registration and Breakfast

9:00 am - 12:00 pm Lectures

Followed by tours of Hydrangea Garden and Test Garden

Tickets: $60 per person, $50 for Cape Cod Hydrangea Society members and Heritage Museum members.

Includes: admission to Heritage Gardens, goodie bag, hydrangea plant, test and display garden tours

Tickets available via Heritage Gardens

CCHS Member Tour Gardens and Locations

Tickets are $5 per garden. Tours are from 10 am to 4 pm.

Saturday, July 8th

181 Thacher Shore Road, Yarmouth Port, Mal and Mary Kay Condon’s Garden

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society welcomes you to this hydrangea-centric garden in Yarmouth Port. This is a comparatively new garden; the Condon’s were serious commercial propagators and growers for 40 years. They purchased their Yarmouth Port property early in 2014 and in that autumn and during the 2015 growing season, over (200) hydrangeas were planted. H.macrophylla is the dominant species with H. paniculata and H.quercifolia in the mix. The Condon’s are also serious veggie growers utilizing raised beds to produce a wide range of favorites from tomato and eggplant through beets and carrots. Fruit is in the mix too – berries and figs (hopefully), and a new orchard of peaches and plums has been recently planted. But Mal is ‘The Hydrangea Guy’ and he’ll be giving “Summer Pinch Pruning Demonstrations” at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. This is a little practiced pruning technique for H. macrophyllas. Best done in July, this exercise creates a fuller plant, checks plant height, and best of all, increases the potential for more blooming the following summer. Be sure to note the start times; each session will last about 45 minutes.

Saturday, July 8th

121 Camp Street, Unit 106, West Yarmouth, Linda Coven’s Garden

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society is delighted to have Linda’s superb example of a small property landscape. Giving up your big family home may be easy but giving up your big garden of your treasured well-loved plants collected over many years may be more difficult. Come view a small free-standing Master Gardener’s condominium garden. Fulfilling a 17-year dream to move to Cape Cod, this 2 year old garden is a hydrangea lover’s dream boasting 65+ hydrangea cultivars - the quintessential woody ornamental genus of the Cape.

Monday, July 10th

28 Sady’s Lane, East Falmouth, Marcia & George Chapman’s Garden.

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society welcomes you to a Garden for All Seasons. Featured in the April 2017 ‘Fine Gardening’ magazine – this garden was chosen for its ability to make a mere half acre feel much larger. Winding garden paths lead the visitor through surprising vistas and vignettes. Espaliered pear and dogwood trees and archways of beeches and hydrangeas are some of the many features to be discovered in this 33 year-old garden created by the homeowners / professional horticulturists. Beds and container plantings change yearly, adding additional interest for the returning visitor. Take away ideas on layering plants and creating a four season garden. 30 hydrangea varieties are integrated into the mixed borders.

Tuesday, July 11th

Barberry Knoll, 455 Turtleback Road, Marstons Mills, Barbara & Noel Spillane’s Garden.

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society welcomes you to this delightful garden. Down a dirt road and through the stonewall entrance you will find this informal “Little Piece of Heaven’ for visitors and a “Haven” for birds located on 4.5 acres of land on Mystic Lake. The site includes a working cranberry bog in front of a farmhouse style home, a substantial rock garden behind the house that extends for almost 150 feet, and a private sandy lakeside beach. Be sure to notice the local Rabbit Band on the front porch and walk through the back garden via the fieldstone stairway passing by andromedas, rhododendrons, birch trees, hydrangeas, and rosa regosa. Stop for some refreshment on the back deck and proceed down the driveway taking note of the weeping blue atlas cedar. And there’s plenty of room to stroll around the bog or leisurely walk down to the lake and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Tuesday, July 11th

Gullane Road, Mashpee, Liz O’Shea’s Garden.

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society is delighted to have the O’Shea Garden on our tour list. This is a new effort for the O’Shea’s, having purchased the property just two years ago. They inherited a well-established landscape featuring a mix of woody ornamentals and evergreens. Hydrangeas are of particular interest and several new varieties have been added to the sizeable existing plantings. Currently, the outstanding hydrangea on the property is a very major Hydrangea anomala petiolaris specimen surrounding a major pine near the front roadside. This substantive climber is in superb condition, now reaching upwards of nearly 40 ft.

Wednesday, July 12th

1222 Stony Brook Road, Brewster, John Posey’s Garden.

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society is pleased to welcome you to this interesting and expansive property at the junction of Route 6A and Stony Brook Road in Brewster. The house – plus barn and carriage house - sits on nearly 5 acres and was built by sea captain Elisha Foster in the early 1800’s. About half of the land area is cultivated; the remainder being natural woodland. The significant plantings include several varieties of Kousa dogwood, major southern crape myrtles ‘acoma’ and ‘hopi’ (John’s special favorites), viburnum, and increasingly more hydrangeas in recent years. Perennials are gaining prominence too, especially vitex and peonies. All of the ‘new’ has been well blended with the older genera on the property.

Sunday, July 16th

4 Driftwood Lane, East Orleans, Dan Pessoni’s Garden.

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society welcomes you to Dani’s Driftwood Garden in East Orleans. This garden is the outer Cape’s only Nationally Registered American Hemerocallis (Daylily) Display Garden, with 750 different varieties of labeled current and modern daylilies. Daylilies and Hydrangeas are at peek bloom at the same time in July. Wander past the tiered bank of perennials and then relax in the huge shade garden, where over 350 labeled varieties of Hosta are interspersed with Heuchera, Ferns, and Solomon’s Seal. Special beds have been created for small and miniature Hosta. After leaving the shade garden, enjoy Dan’s continuingly expanding Hydrangea Garden with now over 90 labeled varieties. Should you visit the garden mid-spring, 40 different varieties of rhododendrons will be in full bloom. Located throughout the gardens are 15 specimen trees, including Stewartia, Heptacodium, (Seven Son Flower), Heritage Birch, Tricolor Leaf Beech, and Harry Lauder’s walking sticks, green and crimson.

CCHS Spring Meeting

Wednesday May 17: 6:00 pm at Harwich Community Center

2016

2016 CCHS Display Garden Volunteer Dates

Time: 10am - noon
All members are invited to join the CCHS Display Garden Team at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich to help in our beautiful display garden. This is our bi-weekly “hands on” opportunity to work and learn in the garden. We work closely with Mal Condon, the garden Curator, to learn the latest in hydrangea garden techniques. We can’t guarantee that he will be in the garden at every work session, but he will pop in at times to help, to teach, and to guide us. Mal is a generous teacher, always happy to share his extensive knowledge of hydrangeas and all things garden.

Working in the display garden is a wonderful chance to see the CCHS hydrangeas as well as to see all that Heritage has to offer. Heritage has acres of gardens, including the famous Dexter Rhododendrons, and collections of day lilies, hosta, heather, and many varieties of mature trees, plants and shrubs. Heritage also has a lovely carousal, antique autos, and early American art.

Helping in the garden is a great way to meet other gardeners and to really take ownership of our garden. One of our members said it this way, “I feel like we belong there”.

Plan on joining us this summer!

Second Annual Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival

Hydrangea University

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society proudly announces “Hydrangea University”.  This is the “Kick Off” event for the 2^nd annual Hydrangea Festival. Hydrangea University is a seminar that will both inspire and educate gardeners on the genus hydrangea.   It will be held from 8:00-12:00 on Friday, July 8, 2016.  Hydrangea University will register participants and serve a continental breakfast from 8:00-9:00.  Each participant will receive a goodie bag and a hydrangea plant. The cost of attending is $45.00 per person.  Knight Auditorium at Barnstable High School will be the setting for this comprehensive learning experience.  Mal Condon, plantsman, will educate participants about the care and planting of hydrangeas in his talk, “Success with Hydrangeas”.  In her talk, “Designing with Hydrangeas”, landscape designer Peg Black will teach the best ways of incorporating hydrangeas into your garden.  Joan Harrison, author, will identify which hydrangeas to consider for your home garden in her talk, “The Best of the Best: New Varieties and Old Favorites”.

The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society - Propagation (members only)

Propagation 101 Taking cuttings from mature plants and striking (sticking, planting) these in appropriate soil mix.

Pinch prune young plants to encourage new branches for a fuller plant. With all types of hydrangea, it pays dividends to build a strong bushy plant before you worry about flowers. The first few years after being planted are the most important for pruning, because it builds the foundation for years to come. As a young plant, it is best to prune or pinch your plant in order to build a full bodied, well-branched plant. Every time you cut off the growing tip of a plant, you get twice as many branches and thus in the long-run, more flowers.

Propagation 201 Transplant 1 and 2 year old plants into larger containers; once again appropriate soil mixes are essential.

CCHS Pot Luck Dinner

CCHS Fall Meeting at the Harwich Community Center

Annual Dinner - Members Only