Hydrangea macrophylla Rendez-Vous Elégance

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Elégance' is part of a series of recent French creations, each more original than the other, ideal for personalising your decor, both in the garden and indoors. Throughout the summer, this hydrangea forms very sturdy stems that bear flat inflorescences with a feathered edge, filled with small white flowers and white-green buds. The abundant and regular flowering occurs on large, dark green, serrated foliage. This highly innovative hydrangea fits equally well in small gardens as on a terrace with a contemporary style, to brighten up a shaded area, in moist, non-calcareous soil. Its flowers last a long time in bouquets.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Elégance' is a very chic hydrangea. It is the result of 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.

'Elégance' is part of a series of cultivars selected for their strong stems, abundant flowering, and ability to be grown both in the ground and indoors. This bush has a compact and rounded, regular, elegant habit. It reaches a mature size of about 1m (3ft) in all directions, with moderate growth. From June to September-October, its small fertile and sterile flowers form flat, somewhat irregular inflorescences of medium size (10 to 12cm (4 to 5in)). They consist of an outer crown of fringed white florets, surrounding a heart of fertile florets in small white-green buds. The flowering extends over shiny, dark green, deciduous foliage. The wide leaves are opposite, reaching a minimum length of about 10cm (4in). They are simple, ovate, ending in a pointed tip, and are coarsely toothed like a saw. Hydrangeas can live for at least 50 years.

'Elégance' hydrangea is delicate but with an assertive personality. It is ideal as a showcase plant in the garden, on a terrace, or in the house. Hydrangeas are well known for brightening up the north side of houses. This one will thrive in a non-burning east or west exposure, in full sun or partial shade, in beds as well as in isolation. This variety is particularly suitable for container cultivation, which can be placed in a beautiful pot on a terrace or near an entrance. Even though these plants dislike calcareous soil, they are not strictly acid-loving plants. Pair them with Magellan fuchsias or annual impatiens, or plant spring-flowering bulbs in front of their round silhouette. Enjoy their sumptuous flowering for a long time in the garden or in the house.