Once all of the polar vortices run their course, I assure you our gardens have the possibility of becoming like a beautiful Fairytrail this year. Some of you no doubt think I just misspelled fairy tale (Microsoft Word does). I am talking about a hot new series of hydrangeas. Those of you in the know may have just gone on alert when I said series, as in more than one.

Last year Fairytrail Bride Cascade hydrangea made its debut in the Proven Winners lineup. Most of us who grew it did so with amazement. The lacy, fertile flowers were attracting pollinators, while the humongous sterile flowers could be seen from a distance across the landscape. It seemed everywhere you looked buds were emerging.

Jason Reeves, horticulturist with the University of Tennessee, explained it this way: This flowering plant is a breakthrough in that the Fairytrail Bride has the ability to produce flowers from every leaf joint. This means a longer bloom season.

At 4 feet tall and wide, this awarding-winning hydrangea has become a must-have, hardy from zones 6-9. It is drop dead gorgeous in beds, draped over walls and the first hydrangea you ever wanted for a container.

Now there are two more you want to place in containers, plant partnerships in the landscape that you never imagined or as reflective beacons in the moonlit garden. Making their debut this year are Fairytrail White Cascade and Fairytrail Green Cascade.

Fairytrail White Cascade is different from Fairytrail Bride, in that the blooms look like cascading globes or mopheads. It is not just that they are cascading but it’s like the blooms are just bubbling forth or perhaps the word effervescing describes it best.

Proven Winners says it this way: The plant appears fluffed up and a fountain-like mass. No lace can be seen, just more flowers than you could dare try to count. It too is 4 feet in height but has a slightly larger spread potential of 5 feet.

Then there is Fairytrail Green Cascade, the color you thought you would never utter in conjunction with a hydrangea blossom. Oh, but as creamy lime you start to imagine it with other colors of hydrangeas: blues, pinks and even white.

You can see soothing combinations with blue-leafed forms of Shadowland hostas like Empress Wu and Above the Clouds. But then all colors of Soprano impatiens will make dazzling partners.

This too is a 4-foot-tall shrub with the potential spread of 5 feet. It is recommended for zones 6-9. The Cascade hydrangeas bloom on old wood so wait until the spring return shows you where dead wood can be cut and removed. These are best in part-sun locations.

I feel like I would be remiss if I did not mention what is coming next year and that is Fairytrail Fresco Cascade. It will be just a little shorter in height and spread. Expect 6 inches less, which will be hardly noticeable. The fluffy cascade habit is the same but the flower color is soil pH dependent. In other words, blue in acidic soil and pink in alkaline. You will think stunning no matter the color.

Keep your eyes open and you may have an opportunity for an early purchase. Can you imagine a planting with all three colors together?

____

(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)

©2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC