Hydrangea macrophylla: The classic ball-flowered Hydrangea. A deciduous shrub 1 - 1.5m tall and wide with large, glossy green leaves. Large, rounded flower heads are produced from late October until December. Acid Soils will produce blue flowers (you may need to add Hydrangea Blueing tonic – Aluminium sulphate – to maintain the colour in Canberra). Alkaline soils will produce pink, purple and red-coloured blooms. White flowers will always be white. All flowers mature and age to green. In winter prune each stem back to two plump buds. These Hydrangeas prefer morning sun to full shade and well composted, moist soil.
There are many colours available including Blue, Pink, Purple, Red, White and newer varieties with stunning black stems (Storm Cloud and White Knight).