Scientific Name:
Hydrangea macrophylla
Pronunciation:
hy-DRAN-jee-ah mack-roe-FILL-uh
Common Name:
bigleaf hydrangea
Family Name:
Hydrangeaceae
Plant Type:
Flowering pot plant, Shrub - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Twiggy, deciduous shrub; leaves opposite, broadly ovate, most blades 11-18cm long x 5-10cm wide, margins coarsely toothed, petioles 1-3cm long; inflorescence flattened corymb-like cymes (mop-head or lace-cap), some florets with large blue to pink bracts. Winter ID: buds opposite, large triangular leaf scars with 3 bundle scars; persistent round dried inflorescences (if not pruned).
Habit:
Dense, Spreading, Twiggy
Form:
Round
Texture:
Coarse
Mature Height:
1.3 - 2.0m
Mature Spread:
1.5 - 2.0m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China (Japan)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 6: (-23 to -18 °C)
Exposure:
Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade, Deep shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Alkaline, Well-drained
Water Use:
High
Landscape Uses:
Cut flower or foliage, Group or mass planting, Indoor plant, Mixed shrub border, Specimen plant, Summer interest
Additional Info:
Google.
Cultivars shown or on campus may include
H. 'All Summer Beauty',
H. 'Berlin Rabe',
H. 'Bluebird',
H. 'Kimono',
H. 'Smhmtau' (Let's Dance® - Blue Jangles®)
H. 'Mariesii',
H. ‘Mariesii Variegata', H. 'Teller Blue', and
H. ‘Jon04’ (Tuxedo®).
Some of these cultivars belong to H. macrophylla subsp. serrata (other sources currently group them under H. serrata).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Heavily veined
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous, Pubescent
Colour in Summer:
Green, Dark-green
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Elliptic, Obovate, Ovate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Cuneate
Margins:
Dentate, Serrate
Inflorescence Type:
Cyme, Floriferous, Corymb-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Blue, Violet, Pink (acidic soil -> blue flowers; alkaline soil -> pink flowers)
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug, Sep
Additional Info:
Lacecap or mophead (sterile flowers with showy sepals also in center of infloresence).
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant, Persistent
Bark Morphology:
Prominent lenticels, Multi-stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Tan
Leaf Scar Shape:
Heart shaped
Propagation:
Seed, Softwood cuttings, Hardwood cuttings, Stem tip cuttings, Eye (leaf bud) cuttings
Optimal Temp.:
Medium
Light Level:
High
Maintenance:
High
Other:
Underwatering is a common problem indoors.
Pest Susceptibility:
Abiotic disorder, Fungal leaf spot, Mildew, Mites, Mold, Rust, Scale insects, Slugs or snails (Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant)
Course(s):
- AARB 1012
- HORT 1155
- HORT 1193/1293
- Level 1 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (BUG) BUG garden : cvs. Kimono and Smhtau (Let's Dance® - Blue Jangles®)
- (FEA) Field lab Equipment Area : cv. Jon04 (Tuxedo® Red)
- (GAZ) GAZebo
- (GAZW) GAZebo West : cvs. Bluebird, Preziosa, Mariesii Variegata
- (NRY) NuRserY : cvs. All Summer Beauty, Berlin Rape, Tellers Blue
- (ONW) Overpass North side West : cv. Mariesii