Hydrangea macrophylla Veitchii

The Hydrangea macrophylla Veitchii is a botanical hydrangea introduced from Japan around 1880 by the English plant hunter Charles Maries and introduced by Veitch in 1903. A majestic bush, spreading and upright, it has beautifully sized white flower heads shaped like a lace bonnet, which remain decorative for a long time. The foliage of a dark green is sometimes marbled with white. It's a vigorous, hardy variety, ideally suited for shaded places that it illuminates, including cold regions.

The Hydrangea macrophylla Veitchii belongs to the Hydrangeaceae family. It's a bush with a relatively upright but flexible habit, spreading with rapid and vigorous growth. Eventually, it can reach or exceed 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in all directions under good growing conditions. The flowering extends from July to late September. It takes the form of flat flower heads measuring between 20 and 25 cm (7.9 and 9.8 in) wide. Each of these umbels consists of a crown of large sterile florets with 4 petals surrounding a large heart of fertile florets shaped like green buttons. The sterile florets change from white to purple-pink or brown-red at the periphery over time. The fertile florets open into tiny white flowers, sometimes bluish or pinkish depending on the soil, filled with powdery stamens. The deciduous foliage falls in autumn and reappears in spring. It consists of leaves reaching a minimum of fifteen centimetres in length. They are single, ovate to elliptical, ending in a sharp point, dentate, slightly velvety and traversed by prominent veins. Their colour is a beautiful dark green, sometimes marbled with white.

The Veitchii Hydrangea possesses the charm and robustness of a wild field of plants. Hydrangeas are well-known for brightening up the north side of houses. This superb variety is striking when planted alone, in borders and hedges. Even though these plants are not fond of limestone, hydrangeas are not strictly ericaceous bushes: they like rich, loose, non-limestone and fresh soils in summer. Pair them with magellanica fuchsias, annual impatiens or plant spring-flowering bulbs in front of their generous silhouette. Viburnums also make excellent companions.