u/macrymao

Hi everyone! I’m in Houston, TX (Zone 9) and I’ve always wanted hydrangeas, but our heat has made me hesitant.
I have this shady area on the side/front of my house where a small shrub is currently growing (photos attached). It gets mostly shade throughout the day, with maybe a little filtered morning or late afternoon sun. There’s always a patch of moss growing there as well.
Do you think this would be a good location for hydrangeas? If so…
Which type would you recommend for Houston’s heat and humidity?
Would you plant one large shrub or a few smaller ones?
Anything I should do to improve the soil before planting?

I’d love something with beautiful blooms that can handle our climate if given enough shade. Any advice is appreciated :)

My beloved Texas summer sun required me to find a good summer shade. I picked up Versed 6O from Target and I was amazed at how close I got. It was a bit too dark so I mixed 2 parts shade 6O and 1 part of shade 4W. My absolute perfect summer shade.
Also, received my first Phytosurgance order yesterday so today I’m trying Soothe. I love it! Tomorrow, I try shade Plume.
If you like stacking sun protection and tints, give the Versed tint a try. I have been on a journey to find my perfect non-summer shade and have always needed to become an alchemist with green and blue color corrector. Maybe Versed will come out with shade 6O½ ? Literally** **halfway between 6O and the next lighter olive shade would be perfect for my summer shade 😆

Part of my line up from the past year in search of my perfect match (most of these shades are pre-green undertone awareness). Safe to say there’s a lot of mixing going on, including blue and green corrector.
Not pictured unfortunately: Fenty Soft lit 150, Haus Labs 130 light warm and Hourglass Ambient 4 light with warm undertones. Success is imminent, right?