hydrangea blue billow |Spotswood Greenery

Photo courtesy of Spotswood Greenery

Blue Billow Hydrangea

Spotswood Greenery

Hydrangea serrata 'Blue Billow'

size #3 Pot

🪴 What do #1, #2 & #3 pots mean? →

Price

Save $-79.99

Save 10% on all Hydrangeas

Discount applied automatically at checkout!

Secure payments

In stock, ready to ship
Backordered, shipping soon

Shipping from $9.95 · Free on orders $100+
Leaves our nursery in 1-2 business days

Guaranteed to arrive healthy. details →

Pairs well with

Flat blue lacecap flowers open in early summer on a mountain hydrangea that grows 3 to 4 feet tall and spreads 5 to 6 feet. Hydrangea serrata 'Blue Billow' takes part sun to part shade and is hardy from Zone 5 through Zone 9.

It blooms on old wood only, so the buds set the previous summer carry the whole season's flowers. Bees visit the fertile flowers in the center of each flower head, and the leaves take on burgundy tints as nights cool in fall.

Mountain hydrangeas change color with soil pH the same way bigleaf hydrangeas do. Acidic soil below about 6.0 gives blue, alkaline above 7.0 gives pink, and the range between produces purple or a mix of pink and blue on the same plant. Aluminum sulfate pushes flowers toward blue and garden lime pushes them toward pink, and either takes a season to show.

Hydrangea serrata is a close relative of bigleaf hydrangea, with smaller leaves, finer stems, and flower buds that hold up to cold much better. Buds formed on old wood in late summer come through hard winters and late spring frosts that often cost a bigleaf hydrangea its bloom, and that bud hardiness is the main reason to choose a mountain hydrangea. Prune in summer after the first flowering and no later than August, since cutting in fall or early spring removes next year's buds. Dead stems can come out in spring, once new growth shows which ones are dead.

It spreads well beyond its height, which suits a woodland edge or a mass planting.

Size at Maturity

Height 3'- 4' Spread 5'- 6'

Growing Zone

USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9

Lowest Temperatures -20°F to -10°F

Light Requirements

Part sun to part shade - 3 to 6 hours of direct sun, or dappled light through the day

Wildlife Benefits

Supports Bees

Seasons of Interest

Summer

How to Plant

Give your new plant the best start possible. Click here for general planting instructions.

Grow With Confidence

We stand behind every plant we ship. Click here to view our warranty.

Easy to find what I was looking

Easy to find what I was looking for

Thank you so

Thank you so much!

Found exactly what I was looking

Found exactly what I was looking for

I ordered 2 native plants both arrived on time and with one exception- not under control of

I ordered 2 native plants both arrived on time and with one exception- not under control of vendor- as expected- I’ll check how to deal with this one plant abs and hope it’s resolved and resilient- decent value otherwise and keep it native. -
W R Leigh in NC

Great

Great service

So far

So far, healthy plant.

Received two ornamental flowering almonds

Received two ornamental flowering almonds. They were bigger than expected beautiful lush green and I was totally impressed. I wanted to get a heads up with planting them this August and get them growing so I could enjoy them in the spring. Thank you so much. Absolutely stunning.

I am so happy I found this shop!

I am so happy I found this shop! Every step of the buying experience has been smooth from the very first order. I am a repeat customer and will definitely continue to support this business!

I've received four roses from Spotswood Greenery and each won has been a big

I've received four roses from Spotswood Greenery and each won has been a big, healthy, beautiful plant. Shipping is super quick and prices are reasonable. I'm super satisfied and will be ordering many more!

Exceptional Roses

EXCEPTIONAL ROSES!

Recently, I received a #3 pot Wollerton Old Hall Rose, a #3 Alnwick Rose, and a #2 pot Sweet Mademoiselle rose from Spotswood Greenery. I could not be more pleased and grateful. All plants are in perfect condition. Each is supported by incredibly healthy roots, several Charles Atlas-like stems, and beautiful foliage. Packaging was very secure. Clearly done with care! Shipping was quite prompt. Now, pricing! I've grown roses for 40 of my 67 years. In that time, it's easy for me to say that Spotswood has exceeded every other source without question. I found three roses in stock I had wanted! The quality is champion! The prices are very good, excellent when one buys at the free shipping level! Worth every penny! Thank you, every one, on the Spotswood Greenery Team!
Brian Lowry
Scottsburg, Indiana

Great selection

Great selection, good prices and fast servuce

Great!

Great!

nice to talk to a person who answers the phone

nice to talk to a person who answers the phone and cares and is american

I just received my hypericum red fame and was

I just received my hypericum red fame and was amazed how big it was and just as pretty as my established one I have had a couple years. So happy because the last one I ordered online from another nursery came as a little stub compared to this! I will definitely use Spotswood Greenery for now on!

Wonderful

Wonderful

Quick shipping

Bought a David Austin rose; it arrived quickly however it had some damage upon arrival. Ended up pruning and defoliating a good bit to get rid of the broken cane and pest damage, but I expect it to be a beautiful bush down the road.

Lovely plants

Lovely plants, get with your shipper.

Comfortable ordering process

The information and accuracy of the description of the ordered plants was great. The ability to search for specific plants was nice. Could search for terms not pre-defined and still came up with relevant specimens.

The online ordering process went smoothly.

Wonderful nursery will buy from

Wonderful nursery will buy from again!!!

I ordered ~8 David Austin roses from here

I ordered ~8 David Austin roses from here. They were equal in quality to the ones at my local nurseries (better than some), and $10 cheaper. Established roots, full of buds that have become gorgeous blooms. Will absolutely order from Spotswood again!

Fast shipping and great

Fast shipping and great, full plants. I prefer shipping here vs David Austin directly because of how big and healthy roses arrive.

Beautiful shrub I’ve been looking for and found

Beautiful shrub I’ve been looking for and found it here very pleased

Superb source for DA roses

Superb source for DA roses. Very full and healthy plants. Very secure shipping. Most highly recommended!

Lovely

Lovely choices!

Speedy detailed and efficient

Speedy detailed and efficient.

I would love to share my experience

I would love to share my experience. My Eden’s were packed so carefully and arrived in perfect condition.Shipped quickly and are just beautiful.

This rose bush is beautiful full of blooms this is the first time I received anything like it

This rose bush is beautiful full of blooms this is the first time I received anything like it, I will definitely buy fro this nursery again ☺️

Perfectly packaged roses for shipping

Perfectly packaged roses for shipping. Arrived healthy & thriving even after a 2 day weather delay!Extremely happy with my purchase from Spotswood💜

Buy Again

All beautiful healthy plants that arrived quickly and stable.

Planting and Care Guide

Planting Tips

Plant in spring or fall in moist, well-drained soil in partial shade, spacing 3–4 feet apart. Blue Billow is a compact lacecap hydrangea with beautiful, flat-topped flower clusters featuring blue fertile florets surrounded by larger, white sterile florets. It is notably cold-hardy for a bigleaf hydrangea. Incorporate compost and water well. Mulch generously to protect buds through cold winters.

Care Tips

Keep soil consistently moist. Blooms on old wood. The buds form the previous summer and overwinter on the stems, so pruning in fall, winter, or early spring removes the entire year's flowers. Prune only right after the main flush finishes, and take out dead wood once live buds are visible. Fertilize lightly in spring. Flower color is pH-dependent: acidic soils produce blue, alkaline soils produce pink. Add aluminum sulfate to encourage blue color in neutral soils. The lacecap flower form is more refined and elegant than mophead types. Blue Billow's cold hardiness makes it more reliable than many bigleaf hydrangeas in northern gardens.