Hydrangea Renaissance

Hydrangea 'Renaissance' is an original and highly ornamental hybrid Hydrangea. Not only is its beautiful foliage a bright green and semi-evergreen to evergreen depending on the climate, but its flowering lasts for over six months of the year! The inflorescences, composed of large sterile florets surrounding small fertile flowers, are pink in slightly alkaline soil or blue in acidic soil. This bush forms a beautiful compact clump and can easily be grown in a container to create a magnificent flowering pot. This is especially necessary in cooler climates, as its hardiness is low, only about -10°C.

Hydrangeas belong to the Hydrangeaceae family, which also includes Deutzias and Philadelphus. Native to temperate Asia and North and South America, Hydrangeas come in the form of bushes, climbing plants, and even small trees, deciduous or evergreen, with approximately seventy species, making it a very diverse genus. Hydrangea Renaissance is a hybrid with its parents being H. macrophylla, probably the most widespread Hydrangea with its typical large flower heads, and H. scandens, much less well known. This Japanese species is semi-evergreen, meaning it retains its foliage in climates that do not experience frost. Renaissance has inherited this characteristic, as well as a low hardiness, which does not exceed -10°C to -12°C for a well-rooted plant. When grown in a pot, its resistance is even lower, limited to -5/-7°C.
With a compact habit, this variety forms a dense and bushy shrub, reaching about 1m in all directions at maturity. Its foliage is intermediate between that of H. macrophylla, with large oval leaves, and that of H. scandens, with narrow and elongated leaves. In Renaissance, the foliage is elliptical, with a pointed tip and slightly toothed edges. It is bright green, lighter or darker depending on the exposure, with visible veins and a slightly glossy and shiny surface. From mid-April, the inflorescences appear, beautifully highlighted by the darker vegetation. They consist of flat heads, formed by small whitish sterile flowers grouped in the centre, surrounded by a few large sterile florets on the periphery. Composed of four petals, they are pinkish-white in slightly alkaline soils (with a pH higher than 6.5), and the more acidic the pH, the bluer they become. The flowering typically starts at the end of the branches, but what is more original is that it continues on the lower levels. This characteristic extends the flowering period until October for plants planted outdoors. In climates where the severity of winter does not allow the cultivation of Renaissance in open ground, the constraint of overwintering becomes an advantage, as if the plant is brought indoors before the first frost, its flowering will be prolonged, sometimes until Christmas! Its foliage will then be evergreen and will not shed like it would outdoors.

As unique as it is ornamental, this Hydrangea garners the admiration of all enthusiasts of the genus, both for its beautiful and romantically charming flowering, and for its duration. Its never-ending flowering makes it a truly attractive shrub that will enliven a plant bed throughout the entire growing season. Plant some Azalea mollis alongside it, the superb deciduous Chinese Azaleas with star-shaped trumpet flowers. In the foreground, place a few specimens of Nandina domestica 'Fire Power', with its very graceful foliage and changing colours throughout the season. Acer palmatum 'Redwine', a small Japanese Maple with sculptural leaves that also change colour throughout the season, culminating in a golden yellow and orange autumnal display, will also be a good companion for your Hydrangea.