Hydrangea macrophylla Star Gazer

The Hydrangea macrophylla 'Star Gazer' is a beautiful novelty, offering compact, bushy vegetation with flat flower heads with porcelain hues. The sterile florets have a triple rank of diaphanous pink petals, or lavender blue, bordered by white, around a bouquet of pink or blue florets, depending on the nature of the soil. Its thick, flawless, glossy green foliage and small size make it an excellent subject for pots and Japanese-style flower beds in semi-shade and non-limestone soil.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Star Gazer' is one of the many hybrids obtained by cross-breeding the species H. macrophylla and H. aspera, among others. All these plants belong to the Hydrangeaceae family, native to China and Japan. 'Star Gazer' is part of a series of cultivars selected for their hardiness and ability to flower on the year's wood in autumn and on one-year-old shoots in early summer. This bush shows a compact habit, as wide as it is high, 1.10 m (3 ft 7 in) in all directions. From June to September to October, these small fertile and sterile flowers, with striking dimorphism, form very light flat flower heads. They comprise triple sterile bicolour florets, whose hue varies depending on the soil. They surround a head of fertile florets in the shape of buttons in a matching colour. These small triple florets, as if hand-painted, are bordered by white but progressively in a highly subtle gradient. The flowers then fade to beige or light brown, in a texture reminiscent of paper. This variety will be more floriferous if care is taken to regularly remove faded flowers. The flowering is accompanied by dark green, shiny, thick, deciduous leaves. The leaves are opposite; they reach a minimum of ten centimetres in length. They are single, ovate to elliptical, ending in a pointed tip, saw-toothed. Hydrangeas can live at least 50 years.

The Kompeito Stargazer Hortensia has excellent hardiness. Hydrangeas are well known for brightening the north side of houses. This variety will thrive in an east or west exposure that is not burning in flower beds and hedges. This variety is particularly suitable for container cultivation, which can be positioned on the terrace or near the entrance. Even if these plants are not fond of limestone, they are not strictly ericaceous plants. Combine them with fuchsias magellanica, 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.

Hydrangea macrophylla flowers come in different colours based on the soil pH level they are planted in. Blue flowers turn pink in neutral or alkaline soil. Add aluminium sulphate (found in slate) or alum stone to the soil every spring to keep the blue colour. You can also mix ericaceous compost with garden soil. This will help to maintain the blue colour.