Located in the Hendersonville/Asheville area of Western North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Hydrangea Society provides educational programs and newsletters for its membership and the community.

In addition to the scheduled program events, hydrangea lectures are available for garden clubs, flower shows and the public. Contact Linda Shapiro at blueflowers@blueridgehydrangeasociety.org.

Program Events for 2008

• Saturday, March 15, 2008. Easter Hydrangea Floral Arrangement Design for Baskets and Vases; Your  Hydrangea Questions Answered by Our Panel; Members Meeting
  at the Bullington Center 1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.
  For our presentation opener this year, professional floral designer, Linda Shapiro, will teach and demonstrate how to make hydrangea basket and vase floral designs combining hydrangeas with a wonderful array of complimentary roses, cut flowers, spring bulbs and foliage. Learn how the Florists do it! Great ideas for Easter arrangements. The arrangements will go to the lucky door prize winners!
    Following next, nursery owner of Twin Oaks Gardens, and Past Vice President, Sandy Walden, will join Linda to form a panel to answer your hydrangea questions.
    Our business meeting will include our plans now, and in the future. We would like to hear your suggestions and ideas. Refreshments will be served.
• Saturday, May 17, 2008. “Hydrangea Fever” at the North Carolina Arboretum.
  9:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.
  We welcome you to our annual Hydrangea Plant Sale Extravaganza, filling two huge classrooms with hundreds of gorgeous hydrangeas, all species and varieties for your garden. Great prices.
• Saturday, June 28, 2008. “Container Pot Design with Hydrangeas” at the Henderson Main Library in the Kaplan Auditorium from 1-4 P.M.
  Featuring Floral Designer, Cynthia Gillooly of B.B. Barns. Live demonstration showing how to arrange and design hydrangeas with beautiful foliage plants, annuals and herbs for your container pots.
• Saturday, September 20, 2008. “Eddie Aldridge, Discoverer of the Double Flowering ‘Snowflake’ Oakleaf Hydrangea,” Plus: Large plant sale of ‘Snowflake’ hydrangea prior to the event at the North Carolina Arboretum.
  Plant Sale: 12:00 P.M.-1:00 P.M. / Presentation: 1:00 - 4:00 P.M.
  We are immensely pleased to have Eddie Aldridge of Aldridge Gardens from Hoover, Alabama, for this event. Eddie will have a slide presentation of his world-famous 30 acre hydrangea garden featuring thousands of hydrangeas of all kinds. He will also lecture on hydrangeas, including his ‘Snowflake’ hydrangea which he patented.
  

Join The Blue Ridge Hydrangea Society

Annual dues of $20 per year, per household. New dues each January. Please make checks payable to The Blue Ridge Hydrangea Society, Inc.

Membership Application
 

Publications

The Newsletter is published four times a year and mailed out three weeks prior to each Event. The Newsletter contains highly detailed information and photographs providing our members (beginning gardeners, intermediate gardeners, master gardeners, growers, and all interested) with complete information on growing, maintaining, winter protecting, changing color of, drying, arranging, feeding, pruning, propagating, and variety hardiness of all species of hydrangeas.

Sample Newsletter (February 2007 edition)
 

Meetings/Conventions

Our meetings consist of professional speakers featuring slide presentations, Hydrangea Plant Sales and Auctions, Hydrangea Garden Tours. We meet four times a year, usually at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, NC. The Arboretum is easy access of I-26.

Directions to the Arboretum
 

See Us in the News

Videos of Linda Shapiro, President/Founder of The Blue Ridge Hydrangea Society, on WLOS TV News segment "In the Garden" with Bob Caldwell

Discussing hydrangeas (higher quality, will download slowly)
Discussing hydrangeas (faster download)

Discussing winter protection for hydrangeas (higher quality, will download slowly)
Discussing winter protection (faster download)

Download QuickTime for viewing the video clips

Linda Shapiro - biographical information

Tee Shirt

The Blue Ridge Hydrangea Society tee shirt features the image to the right with Society name, against a white background, on Hanes 100% preshrunk cotton. Shirts are available in medium, large, X-large and 2X-large. All sizes are $10 plus shipping. Use the membership application form to order tee shirts.

The BRHS would like to thank Mal and Mary Kay Condon of Nantucket Hydrangea Farms for donating this photo for our Society Tee Shirt.

Contact Us

Linda Shapiro: President/Founder
Email: blueflowers@blueridgehydrangeasociety.org
Mail: PO Box 326, Horse Shoe, NC 28742

Board of Directors