Floyd County Extension

Behind Every Bloom Is a Story: Penny McHenry and Her Blue Hydrangeas

The Penny Mac hydrangea is an award-winning reblooming mophead hydrangea that showcases large blue flower clusters from summer through fall. Named after Penny McHenry, founder of the American Hydrangea Society, it is prized for its beauty, vigor, and extended blooming season.

But do you know the rest of the story? The Penny Mac hydrangea is only part of the story. To learn more about the woman behind the plant, look to Dr. Gil Watson, who spent time with Penny McHenry and is uniquely qualified to share her legacy, passion, and influence on the hydrangea world.

I have had a lot of good things happen to me and I have known some of the most interesting people. When I was pastor of the Oak Grove Church in Decatur one of my members was Penny McHenry.

She was renowned in the field of blue hydrangeas. She raised nothing but blue hydrangeas. Here Penny Mac hydrangea up and produced a dwarf version which was developed by Michael Dirr of UGA. It is called “mini Penny”, I have one she gave me.

She was a little eccentric. She talked to her booms when walking through her garden. While strolling with me in her garden, she would pause take an especially large bloom in both hands and say,” you are the most beautiful bloom on this plant. “ She turned to me and whispered I have to be very careful not to show favoritism. They get jealous, you know.

She lived next door to the Shallowford Road Presbyterian Church. With a sense of making the world a better, more beautiful place she started rooting and propagating blue hydrangeas in the Loblolly pine thicket next to the church. It was a space larger than a football field and was dense with lob Lolly pines.

She did that for thirty years. And when they bloomed, they were spectacular. Hundreds and hundreds of them all from knee high to chest high and every bush in full and glorious bloom. I said I sure hope they wanted hydrangeas. She said,” I don’t care. I never asked anybody. But they would sure have to be dumb not to”I loved her.

She got two blooming seasons each year. After they first bloomed, she cut the heads off and fertilized them with 10-10-10 fertilizer. I have never tried that with mine but this year I had no blooms in the Spring. That last freeze nipped every one of them.

I have lime greens and Annabells that were perfectly gorgeous. So, remembering what Penny had told me about fertilizing for a second bloom, I decided to fertilize mine and see what happened. Well, I don't have a proliferation of blooms like she did, but I will at least have a few blooms and that far exceeded my earlier production.

So as my first attempt at writing this column as a Master Gardener's, I had to be sure how my hydrangeas reacted to being fertilized out of season. You might try it on your hydrangeas and have a resurrection, too! Until next time !

For more on the hydrangeas please visit:

https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/publications/C973/growing-bigleaf-hydrangea/
https://site.extension.uga.edu/fultonag/2025/05/the-comprehensive-guide-to-pruning-hydrangeas/

Dr. G. Gilman ("Gil") Watson is a well-known United Methodist minister, speaker, historian, and horticulturist and resided in Rome, Georgia. He is best known for serving as Senior Pastor of Northside United Methodist Church in Atlanta from 1994 until his retirement in 2017, after nearly five decades in ministry. Dr. Gil is currently the teaching pastor at Rome First United Methodist Church and a Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer for Floyd County.

The Comprehensive Guide to Pruning Hydrangeas | Fulton From the Ground Up This article is part of Garden Buzz, a series from Appen Media and the North Fulton Master Gardeners, where rotating columnists explore horticulture topics like herbs, insects, and wildlife conservation. Find all Garden Buzz articles here.

Corrective & Rejuvenation Pruning - The When and How
When: Saturday, June 20, 2026
Where: Rome Federated Garden Club Landscape
Time: 10:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Speakers: John Hendrickson, Keith Mickler, & Terry Paige
Bring your pruners/loppers and personal saftey equipment, this will be a hands on workshop.
An Equal Opportunity Instution

Protecting Georgia's animal industry remains a top priority.

While New World Screwworm has not been detected in Georgia, I encourage livestock and pet owners to remain vigilant, know the signs, and report any suspected cases immediately.

Learn more: agr.georgia.gov/new-world-screwworm

Congratulations to Abbie and Carma for the well-deserved recognition they received last week at the Georgia Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals conference. As the Extension Coordinator for Floyd County, it is truly an honor and a blessing to work with such an outstanding 4-H team. We are incredibly proud of the work being done right here in Floyd County. Please join me in congratulating Ms. Abbie and Ms. Carma on receiving multiple honors during the conference. One especially meaningful recognition was Abbie’s receipt of the Spirit of Allie Griner Award. I won’t go into detail about why this award holds such significance, if you know, you know. And if not, I encourage you to investigate it, you’ll quickly understand its importance. Once again, congratulations to both Abbie and Carma. Your achievements reflect your dedication and impact, and your awards are truly well deserved.

Are your shrubs out of control?

Have they swallowed the end of your house or blocked your view when pulling out of the driveway? Maybe it didn’t seem like they’d ever get that big… but now here you are.
If this sounds familiar, this workshop may be the perfect educational opportunity for you!

Rejuvenation Pruning Workshop
Saturday, June 20 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Rome Federated Garden Club

Corner of 100 East 8th Street & Darlington Way SE (If that doesn’t ring a bell, then behind the YMCA)

Warning: Not for the faint of heart!
We’ll be demonstrating major rejuvenation pruning, including possible complete removal of unruly shrubs and trees.
Bring your pruners!

The best way to learn is by doing.

Remember: When in doubt, prune it out.

Join us Saturday, June 20 at 10:00 AM at the Rome Federated Garden Club. We hope to see you there!

ISA continuing education credit hours have been applied for.

University of Georgia is An Equal Opportunity Institution
If you need reasonable accommodations or language access services, contact the Floyd County Extension office at 706-295-6210 or [email protected] at least three weeks prior to the program date.

Congratulations to our newest Master Gardener Volunteers! In addition to finishing the training course, these individuals have completed over 50 hours of volunteer work through community events and local garden projects.

Please join us in recognizing the Class of 2025 Master Gardeners: Dee Noble, Jan Mendence, and Bill Swing.

Thank you for your hard work and commitment!

Floyd County 4-H LifeSmarts team are our 2026 National LifeSmarts champions. Congratulations,

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$4 for 4-H Support Georgia 4-H'ers today with a gift towards a county office, district, or 4-H center!