Hydrangea aspera Kawakami

The Hydrangea aspera 'Kawakami' is a majestic bush hydrangea, distinguished by its large size and wide, slightly rounded flower heads, resembling a grandmother's bonnet, reaching a diameter of 35 cm (13.8 in). They are more or less fragrant, reddish-purple, adorned with white florets, as their colour is not greatly influenced by the soil's pH. They bloom from the end of August and continue flowering throughout the month of September, accompanying the mauve stars of asters. Its foliage is also striking, medium green and lightly hairy, deeply veined. It is a variety that is not demanding in terms of soil, as long as it is moist, and does not require pruning. Definitely worth discovering.

Native to a large part of southern and eastern Asia, where it shows great variability, the Hydrangea aspera is a hardy large shrub belonging to the hydrangea family, and a close relative of the large-leaved hydrangeas with ball-shaped flower heads.

The Kawakami variety is a beautiful bush that can grow up to 3 metres in all directions. It has an upright and dense habit. The flower head is dense and shaped like an umbrella, with small flowers. The sterile flowers, larger and fewer in number, form a sparse crown around the fertile flowers. The fertile flowers look like small clustered buds that open into tiny violet flowers from the outer to the inner part of the corymb, forming a grandmother's bonnet. The leaves are similar to those of Hydrangea aspera macrophylla but lighter. They are large and lanceolate, serrated, downy, and marked by fairly deep veins. The leaves surround the stem at their base to a greater or lesser extent.

This bush thrives in cool shady or semi-shady environments, but it is one of the few, along with Hydrangea quercifolia and its varieties, that is indifferent to the presence of limestone in the soil and enjoys sunny, non-scorching exposures. Naturally, it will also thrive in an ericaceous bed alongside other hydrangeas, Kalmia, or Azalea, for example. Hydrangea aspera 'Kawakami' allows you to decorate a free hedge or the edge of a grove, woodland, but plant it near a pathway or a window, as it would be a shame not to enjoy its magnificent flowering, when very few shrubs are still blooming in September.