Hydrangea macrophylla Teller Kardinal

Hydrangea macrophylla Teller 'Kardinal', or Hortensia, is a vigorous variety with flat and red inflorescences. It adds interest to gently sunny areas of the garden where its beautiful flowers attract attention. This variety forms a ramified bush, producing large flat inflorescences formed of a crown of bright red florets surrounding a core of bluish buds in acidic soil, red in neutral soil. The plant has the advantage of re-flowering during the summer, from lateral buds. Thick, vibrant green foliage adorns the sturdy stems of this tall bush. It is superb in semi-shaded beds, in non-calcareous soil.

Hydrangea macrophylla Teller 'Kardinal' is part of a series of 'lace-cap' hybrids, with flat inflorescences that bloom at the end of the branches, as well as from lateral buds. The branches are sturdy and ramified, and the flowering is abundant. These hardy plants are derived from the cross-breeding of the species H. macrophylla and H. aspera, among others. All these plants belong to the Hydrangeaceae family, native to China and Japan. 'Kardinal' has a rather well-structured, compact and rounded habit. It reaches a height of about 1.4m (5ft) at maturity, slightly less in width. From late June to September, its small fertile and sterile flowers, with striking dimorphism, form flat inflorescences of 15 to 18cm (6 to 7in) in diameter. They are composed of sterile florets in shades of fuchsia to scarlet red with a small white centre, surrounding a core of fertile florets in white-green buds, taking on a different colouration depending on the soil's pH. In acidic soil, the fertile flowers will have bluer hues and the crown will appear more purplish. The flowering spreads over ample and shiny, vibrant green, deciduous foliage. The leaves are opposite, reaching a minimum length of about 20cm (8in). They are simple, ovate to elliptical, ending in a pointed tip, and coarsely toothed like a saw. Hydrangeas can live for at least 50 years.

'Kardinal' is a vigorous plant, with a solid appearance, whose intense colour creates a sensation in summer flower beds. It tolerates the sun quite well. Its only weakness lies in its short-lived flowering. Hydrangeas are well known for brightening the north side of houses. This one will thrive in a non-scorching east or west exposure, in flower beds as well as hedges. Even though these plants fear limestone, they are not strictly speaking ericaceous plants. Mix them with Magellan fuchsias or annual impatiens, or plant spring-flowering bulbs in front of their round silhouette. Enjoy their sumptuous flowering in the garden or in the house for a long time.