Hydrangea serrata 'Darmien' Choco Cherry

Hydrangea serrata 'Darmien' Choco Cherry is a Hydrangea that first captivates with its foliage, an astonishing dark chocolate colour. From June onwards, it develops bright pink flat-headed inflorescences, which evolve into a cherry red when mature. The contrast with the dark foliage is particularly aesthetic, making it an ideal choice for partially shaded borders. Compact and almost as wide as it is tall, it is perfect for growing in a container. In the garden, it will like non-calcareous, humus-rich, moist and well-drained soil, in a spot sheltered from strong sunlight. Hardy down to -18°C, it is a superb shrub for a border, or for forming a low hedge.

Hydrangea is the flagship genus of the Hydrangeaceae family, which owes its name to it, and harbours a few other ornamental genera such as the popular Deutzia or the more unusual Carpenteria. There are several dozen species of Hydrangea native to America or East Asia, particularly China. The vast majority are deciduous shrubs, but there are also a few evergreen Hydrangea species and climbing ones. While Hydrangeas have been cultivated (and revered) since the 8th century in Japan, it was from 1870 that the attention of ornamental plant collectors was drawn to Hydrangea serrata. Nicknamed the mountain hydrangea, this shrub grows in the mountainous regions of Japan and Korea. There it forms a clump 1.50 m tall, exceptionally 2.50 m, which in July-August bears small flat or slightly convex corymbs of central fertile flowers in blue or white, bordered on the periphery by sterile white, blue or pink flowers. 
Hydrangea serrata 'Darmien' Choco Cherry is a recent horticultural variety, as attractive for its foliage as for its flowering. With a compact habit, it reaches approximately 90 to 120 cm in height and 100 to 110 cm in spread. Forming a more or less rounded clump, its size allows it to find a place in the smallest gardens, or it can be grown in a container with slightly acidic potting compost when the soil is chalky. It develops elliptical leaves with a pointed tip and a finely toothed margin. Mostly measuring 8 to 12 cm in length, they have well-marked veins and a satiny surface. The young shoots emerge in purplish brown tones before turning to an extremely attractive dark chocolate bronze hue. The pairs of opposite leaves are carried by short petioles of 1 to 3 cm. In autumn, the foliage takes on lovely reddish to purple shades. 
At the end of spring, flat inflorescences (of the "lacecap" type) form and bloom until August, sometimes even September, depending on the year. Combining small fertile flowers, tightly packed together in the centre, and much larger sterile florets on the periphery, the inflorescences vary in intensity according to the season. Starting in bright pink colours, they evolve at maturity towards a cherry red. The contrast with the dark foliage is simply magnificent. 

Hydrangea 'Choco Berry' is a true gem for small gardens, attractive not only for its summer flowering but also for its dark foliage, which allows superb colour combinations. Philadelphus coronarius 'Aureus', a mock orange with golden-green foliage that dislikes strong sunlight just as much as your small Hydrangea, will make a perfect background screen, creating a powerful contrast in your partially shaded border. Cotinus coggygria 'Golden Lady' is easier to grow and adds the appeal of changing foliage, displaying shades of yellow and orange depending on the season. Buddleja 'Tiny Buddy White' will harmonise more than contrast with its blue-green foliage and its summer flowering in long white panicles. At the foot of these medium-sized shrubs, plant a few clumps of Dicentra 'Burning Hearts', a charming bleeding heart with greyish foliage and blood-red heart-shaped flowers.