A Wholesome Little Shrub
A small, soft, and sweet shrub that stands out in the landscape and is incredibly low-maintenance? Count me in! The little beauty I’m talking about is the newest addition to the Wee Bit® series: Wee Bit Innocent™ Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla).
In summer, Wee Bit Innocent™ is covered in large, rounded mophead flowers comprised of double florets, emerging a pale green/creamy yellow before turning to a light pink or soft blue (color will depend on your soil chemistry). Just like all the hydrangeas in the Wee Bit® series, this lovely shrub is compact (2’ tall and 2.5’ wide), growing in a neat and tidy mounded shape. Use it as a low hedge, edging, or even in a container!
Wee Bit Innocent™ is cold hardy to USDA Zone 5 and heat tolerant to USDA Zone 9. It does best in part sun and prefers moist, well-drained soil. Blooms will be pink in neutral to slightly alkaline soil and light blue in acidic soils that contain aluminum.
This little beauty requires no pruning; in fact, we don’t recommend any pruning as any cuts will affect blooming. Spent flowers and dead wood can be removed at any time by cutting about ¼ inch above a set of leaves. Wee Bit Innocent™ makes a lovely cut flower; just make sure you harvest no more than one-third of the plant’s flowers to ensure plenty of growth for the next year.
Water Woes
Knowing how much water a plant needs and determining whether it is getting too much water or not enough can be tricky. Luckily there are signs you can look for to figure out if your plant is getting too much, not enough, or the correct amount of water. Check out Kristina’s “Overwatering vs. Underwatering” blog to learn more about the characteristics to look for.