Hydrangea Facts

25th November, 2015

Hydrangeas are a popular garden shrub, much loved for the abundance of flowerheads they produce for many months, well into autumn. There is many different varieties. Here is some facts about Hydrangeas!

There is 70 species of Hydrangea in the wilds of Asia and the Americas. The highest number can be found in Japan, China and North Korea.

Faial island in the Azores, 800 miles west of the Portuguese mainland became known as the 'Blue Island' after Hydrangeas were introduced and spread across the countryside.

Although most Hydrangeas are shrubs, there is also climbing varieties. Hydrangea a. petiolaris can grow between 30 to 50 ft (9 - 15 metres) tall in the wild in Asia where it grows up the sides of rock faces and trees.

The colour of Hydrangea flowers can be affected by the ph levels of the soil. For most hydrangea cultivars, blue flowers will be produced in acidic soil (pH 5.5 and lower), whereas neutral to alkaline soils (pH 6.5 and higher) will usually produce pink flowers.

With Hydra in the name it will come as no surprise that they are a plant that requires plenty of water.

Whilst most Hydrangeas are deciduous and lose their leaves in winter, there are some evergreen varieties that do not shed their leaves. For example the climbing variety, Hydrangea seemanii.

Hydrangeas are a popular dried flower. It is best to cut them from the plant in autumn as they begin to dry naturally on the stems.

The world's largest collection of different types of Hydrangeas is the 'Shamrock Collection'. The collection is located in Varengeville-sur-Mer, near Dieppe on the coast of Upper Normandy, France. It has 1,200 varieties of Hydrangea on a beautiful 2 hectare site. The garden is open to visitors.

The Darley Park National Collection of Hydrangeas is the UK's largest collection of Hydrangeas and is the third largest in the world. It has 430 different types of Hydrangea and still growing. It is located in Derby, East Midlands.

BUY HYDRANGEAS

The image at the top is Hydrangea arborescens 'Incrediball'. It has massive ice white flowerheads and can grow up to 2 metres in height. It flowers from July until September. Available from Thompson & Morgan £13.99. To order click on the image or HERE.

To view their whole Hydrangea collection view HERE.

Image credit; Hydrangeas of Faial, Luca Nebuloni