8:15 am-8:45 am Registration

8:45 am-12:45 pm Program

Heritage Museums & Gardens and the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society are pleased to continue our partnership to present the ninth annual Hydrangea University – the premier event of the annual Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival. During this symposium-style event, expert guest speakers will inspire and entertain while increasing participants’ knowledge of hydrangeas. This year’s speakers and topics include:

• Joan Harrison, Author and Speaker
• Russ Norton, Horticulture & Agriculture Educator, Cape Cod Cooperative Extension
• Mal Condon, Curator of Hydrangeas, Heritage Museums & Gardens

For further information on speakers and topics, please click here.

Following the program, participants will have the opportunity to tour the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society Display Garden and the North American Hydrangea Test Garden.

Included with registration:

• Presentations by three expert speakers
• Admission to all of Heritage Museums & Gardens for the entire day, until closing at 5 pm
• Morning refreshments (coffee, tea, pastry)
• A goodie bag
• A hydrangea plant to take home

Advance registration is required, and we expect this popular program to sell out quickly.

Program fees fund both Heritage’s mission to inspire people of all ages to explore, discover, and learn together, and the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society’s mission to share knowledge and enjoyment of hydrangeas with the broader community. Thank you for your support.

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

Joan Harrison, Author and Speaker

Lovely Lacecap Hydrangeas

The popularity of lacecap hydrangeas grows stronger every year, with increased recognition of their beauty and value in the landscape. The steady introduction of new varieties offers opportunities to explore their aesthetic contribution when massed together or featured singly, as elegant specimen plants. Because they are also easy to grow in containers, they are flexible in garden placement. These low-maintenance shrubs provide rich colors in the home garden over a long season of bloom. As a bonus, the lacecap form is attractive to pollinators.

Joan Harrison will present photos and share characteristics of tried-and-true lacecap varieties as well as varieties relatively new to the market, with emphasis on the H. macrophylla and H. serrata species. Learn how to select the best lacecaps for your garden along with tips for success with these elegant garden accents.

Russ Norton, Horticulture & Agriculture Educator, Cape Cod Cooperative Extension

Diseases and Pests Affecting Hydrangeas

Discover how to keep your Cape Cod hydrangeas thriving and beautiful! This informative session will introduce common local pests and diseases affecting hydrangeas, like leaftiers, chilli thrips, and powdery mildew, and teach you how to manage them using Integrated Pest Management. Learn practical, eco-friendly solutions that protect your plants, your health, and the environment. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or new to hydrangeas, you’ll leave with the knowledge to address problems early and maintain vibrant, healthy blooms all season long.

Mal Condon, Curator of Hydrangeas, Heritage Museums & Gardens

Advanced Pinch-Pruning Strategies

Mal will open with a review of the current best pinch-pruning practices, pruning (steps 2 and 3 in the seasonal step approach to pruning) for the H. macrophylla and H. serrata species which occur during late blooming or immediate post-blooming time. Then he’ll share some of the newest trials with H. arborescens and H. paniculata cultivars involving mid-spring “pinching”- prior to blooming – to expand bloom count and improve overall plant form. This is new ground in the “Gardener’s Pruning Program,”and a potentially significant new step for these species.