Hydrangea macrophylla Mousmée

In English, the Hydrangea macrophylla 'Mousmée' is also called Hydrangea 'Young Girl'. It is a recently introduced plant that produces beautiful pink and blue flowers. The flowers are arranged in flat flower heads with violet tones, and their colour may change throughout the season depending on the soil.

The peripheral florets will be bright pink to magenta pink, then turning to blue-violet, surrounding a bouquet of light blue fertile florets, then more brilliant blue. In autumn, the flowers settle on an antique violet-blue tint. Its magnificent vibrant green foliage dresses a beautifully sized, robust and vigorous bush. Perfect for shaded beds in non-limestone soil.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Mousmée' is a recent introduction but already a star. It comes from the cross-breeding of H. macrophylla and H. aspera, among others. All these hardy plants belong to the Hydrangeaceae family, originating from China and Japan. 'Mousmée'is part of a series of 'Lacecap' cultivars selected for their flat cyme flower heads. This bush shows a somewhat erect and ample, regular, arched, graceful habit. It reaches about 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) in height for a 1.20 m (3 ft 11 in) at maturity. From July to September, its small, fertile and sterile flowers, with striking dimorphism, form spherical flower heads 18 to 22 cm (7.1 to 8.7 in) in diameter, very flat. They consist of a sparse row of pink sterile florets arranged around a beautiful central bouquet of blue fertile florets. In acidic soil, the flowers will have brighter and bluer shades. The autumn shades, darker, are a complex mix of faded blue, violet and purple. In neutral soil, the fertile and sterile flowers are pink. The flowering unfolds on ample, shiny, light green, dentate, deciduous leaves. The leaves are opposite; they reach a minimum of twenty centimetres in length. They are single, ovate to elliptical, ending in a pointed tip, coarsely saw-toothed. Hydrangeas can live at least 50 years.

The 'Mousmée' Hydrangea is a graceful plant with a very light appearance. Hydrangeas are well known for brightening up the north side of houses. This variety will enjoy an east or west exposure that is not scorching in beds and hedges. This variety is particularly suited to container cultivation, which can be placed on the terrace in a beautiful pot or near the entrance. Even though these plants are not fond of limestone, they are not strictly ericaceous plants. Pair them with magellanica fuchsias, annual impatiens, or plant spring-flowering bulbs in front of their round silhouette. Enjoy their sumptuous and long-lasting flowering in the garden or the house.