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', and
H. 'Teller Blue'.
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, SMHMTAU (Let's Dance - Blue Jangles)
- (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