Hydrangea macrophylla Hovaria Fireworks White

Hydrangea macrophylla Fireworks White, also marketed as H. macrophylla 'Hanabi', has received the RHS Award for Garden Merit. It is exceptional in its adaptability to different cultivation methods, both in the ground and in large pots, both outdoors and indoors. Its delicate flowering is composed of large inflorescences with white double stars surrounding a large bouquet of tiny fertile florets whose colour varies depending on soil pH. The flowers bloom late in the season, on a rounded bush of modest size adorned with dark green foliage.

Hydrangea macrophylla Fireworks White is a recent creation, resulting from the cross-breeding of H. macrophylla and H. serrata, among others. All these hardy plants belong to the Hydrangeaceae family, native to China and Japan.

Fireworks White is part of a series of lace-cap cultivars selected for their flat cyme inflorescences. This bush has a rounded habit, as wide as it is tall, reaching 1 to 1.2m (3 to 4ft) in all directions. It blooms from July to October, producing some flowers in autumn if the weather remains mild. Its small fertile and sterile flowers, with striking dimorphism, form spherical inflorescences measuring 25 to 30cm (10 to 12in) in diameter. They are finely arranged. The sterile florets are double star-shaped and located on the periphery, carried by long pedicels that give them the appearance of shooting stars. Pure white for several weeks, they then take on a greenish hue. The 'flower' centre consists of tiny fertile florets that are bluish in acidic soil and pink in neutral soil. The flowering contrasts beautifully with the dark green, shiny, deciduous foliage. The leaves are opposite, reaching a minimum length of 15cm (6in). They are simple, ovate to elliptical, ending in a pointed tip, and coarsely serrated. Hydrangeas can live for at least 50 years.

Fireworks White is an elegant plant with an airy flowering, superb in the garden but also well suited for indoor cultivation, a rare quality among hydrangeas of this type. Perfect for brightening up the north side of the house, it will also thrive in a non-scorching east or west exposure, in flower beds as well as hedges. This variety will also do well in a beautiful container, which can be placed on a terrace or near an entrance. Although these plants dislike limestone, they are not strictly acid-loving plants. Pair them with Magellan fuchsias or annual impatiens, or plant spring-flowering bulbs in front of their rounded silhouette. Enjoy their sumptuous flowering for a long time in the garden or in the house.