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Deciduous Flowering Shrubs - Part 4, page two continuation

© Marge Talt

Hydrangeas - Part 1, Page 2

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Lace caps

I love the mopheads for their exuberance and color, but the lace cap forms are adored for their intricacy and understated sheer elegance. One of mine is H. macrophylla 'Blue Billow', a selection from Korea, made by Dr. Richard Lighty of the Mt. Cuba Center for the Study of Piedmont Flora in Delaware for its superior form and bud hardiness.

It's a suckering shrub that has put up with no end of neglect, abuse and deer munching and still blooms faithfully. The parent plant is located in too much sun, so the leaves are much smaller, as are the flower heads. Pictured above is a cutting grown child, located in my USDA zone 7 woodland garden, where it receives dappled sun and a few late afternoon rays and has leaves and flowers more typical of the variety.

This close-up of the flower shows a typical arrangement of tiny, more intensely colored fertile florets, surrounded by the large, male, sterile ones, forming the flat topped corymbs of bloom.

An even closer look at the fertile flowers. Not a terribly clear enlargement, but if you squint, you can see that the mature flowers open slightly to reveal dainty stamens that give an overall fuzzy appearance to the center of the flower heads.

My pink lace cap, H. macrophylla subsp. (or var.) serrata is sometimes a bit mauve and sometimes a clear, soft pink, depending on the soil pH.

It also tends to sucker and it's also tough, as the mother plant is in quite a bit of sun, while the flower pictured is from a shade grown cutting.

This sub-species of macrophylla is one that is often found listed as a separate species, serrata.

H. macrophylla subsp. (var.) serrata, the mountain hydrangeas, have many synonyms that are still being used as species names, including:

Hydrangea opuloides var. serrata
Hydrangea serrata
Hydrangea serrata form acuminata
Hydrangea thunbergii
Hydrangea acuminata

While very like the macrophylla species, the serrata forms, who are endemic to Japan, are generally less robust in habit though actually hardier than the species. This makes them more reliable bloomers since their flower buds are not as susceptible to late frosts. Mine bloom every year, even those when I lose my mophead flowers. Their leaves are smaller and narrower than most mopheads and sometimes color in the fall, especially when they get some sun. They will tolerate more sun in northern climates and appreciate shade in southern ones. They are rated hardy from USDA zones 5a to 7 or 9 (depending on resource), (-20F or -28.8 C). Most will form shrubs from three to five feet (0.91 - 1.52 m) tall and will flower well in quite a bit of shade.

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