2026 Hydrangea as garden plants Pt 1

Jack Aldridge joins us to cover the first part of hydrangea as garden plants in the UK: history and progression from H. macrophylla towards more modern trends in H. paniculata, H. arborescens and H. quercifolia

We recommend that you start with

• Introduction to Hydrangea with Tom Christian

and after this one:

• Hydrangea as garden plants Pt 2 covering: Hydrangea aspera and friends (the H. aspera species complex), including H. villosa, H. strigosa, H.kawakamii, H.sargentiana, H. robusta, H.sikokiana Hydrangea involucrata, Section Petalanthe and the species recently lumped into Hydrangea: Dichroa, Deinanthe Cardiandra & Decumaria. The climbing hydrangeas.

Formerly with RHS Wisley, Jack recently moved to the Royal Parks where he is their first Horticultural Curator.

Jack has recently been appointed a trustee for White House Farm in Kent, the arboretum and garden of legendary plantsman Maurice Foster, who he considers one of his great mentors and friends. In common with Tom, Jack received the RHS Roy Lancaster Award, which recognises individuals aged 35 or under who have made an exceptional contribution to horticulture. Jack  is a plantsman and horticulturist with a very keen interest in all plants hardy in the temperate world, with woody plants his particular focus. 

Much of his spare time is spent photographing, reading or writing about woody plants, including articles for publications such as the RHS Plant Review and regular contributions to Trees & Shrubs Online: the International Dendrology Society’s ambitious online encyclopaedia project. 

The video has corrected and embedded captions in English - the transcript has not been edited and will contain errors.

Visit Trees & Shrubs Online Hydrangea page

Read the De Smet paper from 2015

Plant Heritage National Plant Collection in Derby

Maurice Foster's White House Farm

International Code for the Naming of Cultivated Plants (Ninth Ed.)

Hortax Plant Names leaflet (some info may be out of date)