Description

Family Hydrangeaceae
Originating from South China to Taiwan.

• A stunning, big and rangy impressively large leaved woodland shrub.
• One of the best late summer profuse flowering displays with amazingly detailed blooms.
• Easy to grow if given shelter from strong sun and wind.

Giant, coarsely furry, rugged, and charming with a huge late-season flowering display. Its deciduous, dusky, rich green broadly oval-shaped leaves can reach 50 cm long and have a coarse, hairy texture, as do its long petioles (leaf stems), borne on wide-spreading branches that have tan-coloured peeling bark.

In mid to late summer, huge purple lacecap flowers appear with a central mass of tightly packed deep purple flowers, surrounded by white ray florets, making the overall flower size around 40 cm. Many blooms are produced with a succession of new buds so that the plant may be in flower for many weeks. The development of the flower buds is fascinating to watch over a period of weeks, from a fat tightly bunched shape into an open and lacy structure with a truly unique colour scheme.

Great in jungle, oriental, and woodland gardens as well in the traditional English style. Vigorous and easy to grow in all except alkaline soil, if given sheltered woodland conditions, preferably in moist humus-rich soil out of harsh sun and strong wind.

Height and spread after 5-10 years: 4m x 4m.