Flowers · Perennials and shrubs
Mophead hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla
A rounded shrub with large summer flowerheads, blue on acid soil and pinker on alkaline soil. It likes moisture, and protection from midday scorch and cold wind.
Growing conditions
Soilclay, loam
Moisturemoist
pHacid, neutral
Position
SunPartial sun, Full sun
Aspecteast, west, north
Exposuresheltered
HardinessH5
Size
Time to maturityFlowers reliably from the second year
Max height1–1.5 m
Max spread1–1.5 m
In the garden
Plant in autumn or spring and water through the first summers. In spring, cut out one or two of the oldest stems at the base and deadhead back to a fat bud.
Capsid bugs distort young leaves. Frost can brown the expanding buds on an exposed site.
Colour and scent
A mark in a season means the plant is doing that for at least part of it.
| Season | Foliage | Flower | Scent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Leaves | — | — |
| Summer | Leaves | pink or blue | — |
| Autumn | Leaves | pink or blue | — |
| Winter | — | — | — |
- JanDormant
- FebDormant
- MarDormant
- AprFoliage
- MayFoliage
- JunFoliage
- Julpink or blue
- Augpink or blue
- Seppink or blue
- OctFoliage
- NovDormant
- DecDormant
Jobs
These dates suit a mild southern garden. A northern or Scottish plan shifts spring and autumn jobs by a fortnight.
10 April
Prune lightly
Remove dead flowerheads down to a strong pair of buds, and take out a few old stems.
5 July
Water in dry spells
Soak the root area in a dry June so the flowerheads do not flop.