Welcome to Hydrangea Derby
Hydrangea Derby is a group of volunteer gardeners that was set up in 2010 to look after the Hydrangea Garden in Darley Park. Our aim is to create a beautiful and inclusive space in a corner of an exceedingly popular park to which visitors will come again and again. The garden contains the only National Collection of Hydrangea paniculata in the world and our aim is to include every new variety that becomes available while trying to prevent any Hydrangea paniculata disappearing from cultivation. There are many other species of hydrangea in the garden too, and you’ll find out about them as you go through our menu. The garden now holds about a dozen species, more than 450 cultivars and almost 1000 plants.
The garden is in a public park which is open all year with free entry. Part of the hydrangea collection is in a walled garden which is open from early July to the end of October when most of the plants are in full bloom. It is open all day during these months and entry is free.
Please be aware that there is no shop and we do not sell plants.
Click these links to find out more:
An Introduction to Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas have come back into fashion and are now much more than the well-known pink (in alkaline soil) and blue (in acid soil) mop head and lacecap varieties. While these have been cultivated to become more and more elaborate, nurseries have discovered the charms of species that produce cone shaped flower heads, black stems, delicate serrated leaves and chocolate-coloured leaves with bristles. You will find compact hydrangeas for the front of your borders, large woodland ones, ones that climb up walls and ones that attract bees and butterflies. Explore the variety on our Plant Page.
