Hydrangea Daredevil

Hydrangea x serratophylla Daredevil is a beautiful, recently bred hydrangea with a compact habit. From mid-summer, it produces plates of pink flowers, gradually turning to burgundy red. Its dark green leaves also turn to a purplish red over the season, creating an elegant and changing picture until the first frost. Being hardy, this variety will grow in any rich, moist, and limestone-free soil (lime can cause its foliage to yellow). It is an ideal plant for light shade beds as well as pots.

Among the classics for gardeners, hydrangeas belong to the Hydrangeaceae family. Most species are native to Asia, especially China and Japan (although a few species such as Hydrangea arborescens are American). Hydrangea macrophylla and their hybrids are the most sold and popular varieties, especially those with globular inflorescences.

Presented by Boos nurseries in 2019, Daredevil is the beautiful result of cross-breeding between Hydrangea macrophylla 'Julisa' and Hydrangea serrata 'Cotton Candy'. It is therefore a hybrid part of Hydrangea x serratophylla, which gives many easy and generous varieties. Daredevil has a compact habit, and will not exceed about 1.2m (4ft) in all directions. Between July and October, the bush produces numerous plates of pink flowers, measuring 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) in diameter, which then take on beautiful red or burgundy shades. These inflorescences are called "flat-head" or "grandmother's bonnet", and include sterile flowers (with large "petals", actually sepals) arranged flat around tiny fertile flowers. The effect lasts a long time, as the dried plates remain on the bush all winter. Its ovate and pointed foliage is initially dark green and marked by strong veins. At the end of summer, it also takes on purplish or purplish red shades, sometimes even violet. Its purple stems reinforce this shaded picture. 

Sculptural for a long period, Daredevil is suitable for flower beds with an acidic or neutral tendency. Calcareous soils cause chlorosis (yellowing) of the leaves. The plant then loses its appeal and vigour. However, in good soil there is no need to use ericaceous soil, which is too poor and light. Being hardy, Daredevil can be planted anywhere, provided it is protected from cold winds that can damage the foliage and young buds. Avoid the full sun in hot regions. Be careful not to prune the bush in spring as this will remove all the upcoming flowers! These hydrangeas produce flowers during the previous summer and autumn. Remove the faded heads once the last frosts have passed, and shorten the old branches that have become unsightly at the base to regularly rejuvenate the bush.

Combine it with other hydrangea varieties such as 'Wedding Gone', or 'Preziosa', as well as perennials such as Dicentra 'Bacchanal', Liriope muscari 'Ingwersen', or even purple columbines (Aquilegia atrata), for a nuanced picture. Its small size allows it to be used in a large pot on a terrace or patio, which allows its companions to be varied each year.