Hydrangea macrophylla Star Gazer Blue

The Hydrangea macrophylla Star Gazer Blue is a variety that offers flat inflorescences with triple lavender-blue flowers, bordered with white, evolving to pink depending on the nature of the soil, on a compact and bushy vegetation. Its thick, impeccable, glossy green foliage and its small development make it an excellent subject for pots and Japanese-style flower beds, in partial shade and in a non-calcareous soil.

Hydrangea macrophylla Star Gazer is one of the many hybrids obtained by cross-breeding the species H. macrophylla and H. aspera, among others. All these plants belong to the family Hydrangeaceae, native to China and Japan. 'Star Gazer' is part of a series of cultivars selected for their hardiness and their ability to bloom both on the current year's wood, in autumn, and on one-year-old branches in early summer. This bush has a compact habit, as wide as it is tall, reaching 1.10 m (3 ft 7 in) in all directions. From June to September-October, these small fertile and sterile flowers, with striking dimorphism, form flat, very light inflorescences. They are composed of triple sterile florets, bicolour, whose shade varies depending on the soil, surrounding a head of fertile florets in the form of matching-coloured buds. These small triple florets, as if hand-painted, are bordered with white, but in a very subtle fading manner. The flowers then fade to beige or light brown, with a texture reminiscent of paper. This variety will be more floriferous if care is taken to regularly remove faded flowers. The flowering is accompanied by dark green, thick, deciduous foliage. The leaves are opposite, reaching a minimum length of about ten centimeters. They are simple, ovate to elliptical, with a pointed tip, and serrated. Hydrangeas can live for at least 50 years.

The Star Gazer Hydrangea has excellent hardiness. Hydrangeas are well known for brightening the north side of houses. This one will thrive in a non-scorching east or west exposure, in flower beds as well as hedges. This variety is particularly suitable for container cultivation, which can be placed on the terrace or near the entrance. Although these plants dislike limestone, they are not strictly heather plants. Pair them with bush fuchsias, annual impatiens, or plant spring-flowering bulbs in front of their round silhouette. Enjoy their magnificent flowering in the garden or in the house for a long time.

Note: The colour of the flowers of macrophylla hydrangeas varies depending on the soil pH. Traditionally blue varieties turn pink in neutral or alkaline soil. To maintain a beautiful blue colour, mix heather soil or blonde peat with your garden soil and apply aluminum sulfate (slate contains it) or alum stone every spring.