Photography by Joy Hagid, unless noted otherwise. Cover photo by Sara Barrett.
Hydrangeas are so iconic to Cape Cod that there is an annual festival to celebrate the blooms: the Hydrangea Festival of Cape Cod. C.L. Fornari founded the event in 2015. We spoke to her recently about both the festival and the beloved plant that inspired it.
Photo by Justine Hand
Q: Why did you start the hydrangea festival?
A:I was inspired by Garden Walk Buffalo. I found out about this event at a GardenComm meeting, and then visited many of those gardens when GardenComm held their annual meeting in Buffalo one year.
A: They do well here because of our maritime climate…we are cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
Q: Why do hydrangeas love the Cape?
A. If your winter temperatures go much below 5 degrees F, the flower buds on these plants will get zapped and you won’t have flowers the following year.
Q:What bit of advice would you give to a beginner or someone new to hydrangeas?
A.In terms of the paniculata varieties, I love Bobo, Zinfin Doll, Firelight, Pinky Winky, and Fire Light Tidbit.
Q: Of all the various types and cultivars, which is your favorite?
A: Not every plant can be grown in every region, and that’s okay. I have to travel to California or Florida to enjoy landscapes that contain citrus trees, and some people will need to come to Cape Cod to get their fix of blue flowering hydrangeas.
Q: Anything else you'd like to add?
At the Hydrangea Festival of Cape Cod, gardens open for local nonprofits, and the entry fee to each garden goes directly to the organization that the garden owner partners with.
The nonprofits collect the $5 entry fee and staff the garden. Some have artists painting in the gardens and others sell plants, crafts or hydrangea-related items to raise more funds. In 2021, $77,000.00 was raised for the 21 nonprofits participating.