Hydrangea macrophylla So Long Sunny

Hydrangea macrophylla So Long Sunny, also known as Hydrangea macrophylla 'Tk02', is a new variety of hydrangea appreciated for its originality and long flowering period, which starts in July and continues until late in the season. Unlike most hydrangeas, So Long Sunny blooms on both old wood and new shoots, allowing its flowering to escape late frosts. Carried by sturdy stems, its balls of flowers with bi-coloured and fringed petals, display a palette of colours ranging from red, white, light pink, chartreuse green, and brick red. It brings something new and glamorous to shaded borders or terraces, in non-calcareous soil.

So Long Sunny is a recently obtained variety in Japan by Yasuhiro Takahashi. Like many cultivars, it is the result of cross-breeding between Hydrangea macrophylla and H. aspera, among others. All these hardy plants originating from China and Japan belong to the Hydrangeaceae family. The bush has a compact and rounded, regular habit. It reaches about 1 m (3.3 ft) in all directions at maturity. The flowering starts in July and continues until September-October, supported by strong stems that prevent the plant from collapsing under its weight. The globular inflorescences, of medium size, are slightly flattened. They are composed of multiple tightly-packed sterile florets, intensely fringed at the edges. Each floret opens in white with a pink-red border, then turns to rosy-cream with a pink border, and finally chartreuse green with a brick red edge. The flowering spreads over wide and shiny foliage, dark green in colour. The leaves are opposite, reaching about 15 cm (5.9 in) in length. They are simple, ovate to elliptical, ending in a tapered point, and regularly toothed like a saw. The foliage turns yellow before falling in November. Hydrangeas can live for at least 50 years.

So Long Sunny is a strong, generous, and fanciful plant, perfect for brightening up shaded areas of the garden. It looks wonderful in pots. 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 borders as well as hedges. This compact variety is particularly suitable for container cultivation, which can be placed on a terrace in a beautiful pot, or near the home. Although hydrangeas dislike lime, they are not strictly acid-loving plants as they need fertile soil; ericaceous soil is very nutrient-poor. Pair them with magellanica fuchsias, annual impatiens, or plant spring-flowering bulbs (tulips) or summer-flowering bulbs (lilies) in front of their round silhouette. Enjoy their sumptuous flowering in the garden or in the house for a long time.