Hydrangea macrophylla Double Dutch Blue

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Double Dutch Blue' is a recent variety of hydrangea, selected in the Netherlands for its spectacular light blue panicles, composed of a multitude of double star-shaped florets. As with all hydrangeas, the blue colour is more intense when the plant is grown in acidic soil, with the florets turning purple to pink in neutral soil. The inflorescences are so large and numerous that they almost conceal the beautiful, dark green foliage. Its compact and bushy habit makes it suitable for growing in large pots or shaded borders, in non-calcareous soil.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Double Dutch Blue', along with its variations 'Double Dutch Pink' and 'Double Dutch White', is part of an innovative series of hydrangeas presented in 2017 in Boskoop, Netherlands. It is a horticultural plant resulting from cross-breeding between H. macrophylla and H. serrata, among others. All these hardy plants belong to the Hydrangeaceae family and are native to China and Japan.

'Double Dutch Blue' is part of a series of lace-cap cultivars selected for their flat cyme inflorescences. This bush has a compact and round habit, as wide as it is tall, reaching 1m (3ft) in all directions. From July to September, it produces a multitude of inflorescences measuring 25 to 30cm (10 to 12in) in diameter, slightly rounded, composed mostly of unusual-shaped sterile florets. These florets are composed of 2 to 3 overlapping star-shaped corollas, each formed by narrow and pointed petals. These florets are carried by long pedicels in matching colours, ranging from purple to pink, giving a light appearance to this dense flowering. The deciduous foliage is dark green. The leaves are opposite, reaching a minimum length of about 15cm (6in). They are simple, ovate to elliptical, with a tapered tip and coarsely toothed edges. Hydrangeas can live for at least 50 years.

'Double Dutch Blue' is a fashionable plant, highly floriferous and compact, modern and romantic, with great ornamental value. This variety, destined for a bright future, will thrive on a terrace or near a doorway, planted in a large pot. It will also work well in a small hedge or with other flowering or foliage shrubs in a shaded area. Hydrangeas are well known for brightening the north side of houses. This variety will be happy in a non-burning east or west exposure, both in borders and hedges. Although these plants dislike lime, they are not strictly ericaceous plants. Mix them together or with Magellan fuchsias, annual impatiens, or rodgersias. Plant spring-flowering bulbs in front of their round silhouette. Enjoy their magnificent flowering in the garden or indoors for a long time.

Note: The colour of the flowers of Hydrangea macrophylla varies depending on the soil pH. Traditionally blue varieties turn pink in neutral or alkaline soil. To maintain a beautiful blue colour, mix ericaceous soil into your garden soil and apply aluminium sulphate (found in slate) or alum stone every spring.