Hydrangea University 2025
Friday, July 11
8:15 am – 8:45 am Registration
8:45 am – 12:45 pm Program
12:45 pm – 1:15 pm Plant pick up
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 include:
- Joan Harrison, Author and Speaker
- Russ Norton, Horticulture & Agriculture Educator, Cape Cod Cooperative Extension
- Mal Condon, Curator of Hydrangeas, Heritage Museums & Gardens
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.
Program Registration: $80 Members of Heritage Museums & Gardens or the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society; $90 Non-Members
Registration will be open to everyone on Wednesday, May 21 at 8 am.
Location: Check in at the J.K. Lilly III Automobile Gallery
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.
Pre-Ordered Boxed Lunches
We are pleased to offer Hydrangea University participants the option to pre-purchase boxed lunches in advance from Lilly’s Café at Heritage Museums & Gardens to save you the time of standing in line! Boxed lunch choices include your choice of sandwich and beverage from the list below, plus a bag of Cape Cod potato chips, and a fabulous chocolate chip cookie for $24.00. A menu will be available on the registration page.
Hydrangea University Digital Recording
Unable to attend in person? You can still experience Hydrangea University through an event recording! Register now to receive access to a digital recording of the Hydrangea University program – including all three expert presentations – to enjoy from the comfort of your home. By July 16 you will receive exclusive access to the full three-hour recorded program via our Heritage Museums & Gardens Vimeo channel.
Your registration includes:
- All three presentations by leading hydrangea experts
- 30 days of unlimited viewing
- A downloadable companion PDF
You will learn, be inspired, and grow your garden of knowledge!
Digital Program Registration: $35 Members of Heritage Museums & Gardens or the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society; $40 Non-Members. Please purchase HERE.
- MEMBER: $80
- NON-MEMBER: $90
- EMAIL: programming@heritagemuseums.org
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Green Spot Garden Center
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Website
https://www.greenspotgardenctr.com/
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Hart Farm Nursery
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Website
https://hartfarmnursery.com/
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Harvest of Barnstable
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Website
https://harvestofbarnstable.com/
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Joyce Landscaping
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Website
https://www.joycelandscaping.com/
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Soares Flower Garden Nursery
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Website
https://soaresflowergardennursery.com/
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Garden Club of Hyannis
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Website
https://www.thegardenclubofhyannis.org/
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Garden Club of Yarmouth
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Website
https://www.gardenclubofyarmouth.org/
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Sandwich Garden Club
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Website
https://www.sandwichgardenclub.org/
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Strictly Hydrangeas
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Website
https://www.strictlyhydrangeas.com/
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Falmouth Garden Club
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Website
https://www.falmouthgardenclub.org/
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Vetorino's
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Website
https://www.vetorinos.com/landscape-services/
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Sesuit Landscapes
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Website
https://sesuitlandscapes.com/
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Ponderosa Garden Center
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Website
https://ponderosagardencenter.com/
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Grass Roots Landscaping
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Website
https://www.grassrootscapecod.com/
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DeMelo Bros Inc.
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Website
https://www.demelobros.com/
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Gardens by Barbara Conolly
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Website
https://www.gardensbybarbaraconolly.com/
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Charlotte Jenner Garden Services
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Website
https://www.facebook.com/cjennerlawnandgarden/
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Crocker Nurseries
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Website
https://crockernurseries.com/
Speakers
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Joan HarrisonAuthor and SpeakerJoan Harrison has been studying hydrangeas for over thirty years. Her passion for hydrangeas prompted her to tour gardens featuring hydrangeas in England, Wales, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Azores. She attended the First International Hydrangea Conference in Ghent, Belgium and was a featured speaker at the 2015 International Hydrangea Conference held at Heritage Museums & Gardens. As the founding president of the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society, she proposed and implemented the goal of creating a hydrangea display garden on Cape Cod, now a featured attraction at Heritage Museums & Gardens.
She is the author of four hydrangea-related books:
Heavenly Hydrangeas, A Practical Guide for the Home Gardener
Hydrangeas, Cape Cod and the Islands
Marvelous Mopheads: Hydrangeas for Home & Garden
Lovely Lacecap Hydrangeas: Elegant Accents for the Home GardenA Master Gardener, she has designed and planted hydrangea-focused gardens in Oregon, North Carolina, and Massachusetts.
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Mal CondonCurator of HydrangeasA lifelong gardener, Mal is locally known as “The Hydrangea Guy” and has been collecting, propagating, and growing hydrangeas for nearly 50 years. He and his wife Mary Kay owned and operated Hydrangea Farm Nursery on Nantucket Island for many years. Early in 2014 they “retired” to Yarmouth Port on Cape Cod and now continue to refine another significant garden creation which is open during the annual Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival. Mal joined Heritage in 2016, and as the “hydrangea whisperer” on the property, he’s especially devoted to the continuing expansion and evolution of the Hydrangea Display Garden and the North American Hydrangea Test Garden. He also loves to teach and regularly shares his wisdom through a variety of workshops at Heritage.
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Russ NortonHorticulture & Agriculture Educator, Cape Cod Cooperative ExtensionRuss Norton is a Horticulturist and Educator for the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and UMass Extension’s Landscape, Nursery, and Urban Forestry Program. He provides technical expertise to agriculture and horticulture professionals as well as the public. Russ has decades of experience working with both ornamental and food crops. He works closely with the Master Gardener Association of Cape Cod volunteers to advance science-based gardening education for Barnstable County residents.
