Bigleaf Hydrangea
Nothing says “Summer is here!” quite like the arrival of pink, blue, purple, white and red Hydrangea blooms. A classic, timeless ornamental known to the avid gardener and the novice alike, the Hydrangea genus has been hybridized, cultivated, and re-imagined many times: from bloom colors, to compact and dwarf cultivars, to climbing species that scramble up building facades, and everything in between. This week, we’d like to take you on a journey into the wild and wonderful world of Hydrangea macrophylla, Bigleaf Hydrangea, highlighting some lesser-known facts and reintroducing you to the time-honored deciduous shrub, with a contemporary twist.
It's important to note that Bigleaf Hydrangeas exist as one of two different types of inflorescent structures: the Mophead hydrangeas, also referred to as Hortensia, that feature large, globose flower heads packed with colorful and sterile florets and bracts, and the Lacecap hydrangeas offering flattened floral clusters with larger sterile bracts acting as a halo on the outer edge, and small fertile florets within the center of the cluster. The mophead form of Bigleaf Hydrangea was introduced as Hortensia in 1788 by British naturalist and botanist Sir Joseph Banks, with the first lacecap form, ‘Otaska’, introduced later in the mid-1800’s by German botanist and physician Philip Franz von Siebold. However, there is some debate as to the true introduction of this species to ornamental horticulture – around the same time as Sir Banks’ discovery, a physician working with the Dutch East India company to locate and acquire medicinal plants known as Carl Peter Thunberg collected some of the first specimens of Hydrangea macrophylla from Japan, originally dubbing the shrub Viburnum macrophyllum. Thunberg is credited as the author of the botanical name, Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunb.)
Almost immediately upon their introduction, Hydrangea macrophylla were prized for the clusters of their large, attractive flowers and long bloom time, typically from June to August in most temperate regions. A rainbow of pinks, blues and purples may often grace the same specimen during their bloom period, creating quite a spectacle in the border, cottage, or formal garden. Hydrangea macrophylla has been cultivated to include many different color varieties of flowers, some known for being consistent bloomers year after year despite soil conditions, all of which make for lovely additions to fresh (and even dried) cut flower arrangements.
It’s no secret that the floral color of hydrangeas relies heavily on the pH of the soil, with more acidic soils producing pink-colored blooms, and more alkaline soils producing blue-colored blooms. Soil amendments are a possibility for achieving one or the either, otherwise when left alone and to its own devices, these shrubs may instead display of large, impressive flowerheads dressed in a multi-color gradient. Historically, hydrangeas in the Victorian ideology of the Language of Flowers were symbols of fertility due to their common palettes of pinks and blues, although individual flower colors were thought to possess their own symbolic meaning. Purity, hope, innocence, and faith are also common interpretations of hydrangea flowers throughout many different cultures and time periods.
Botanically speaking, the term hydrangea means “water vessel”, (derived from hydro- water; aggeion- vessel), which refers to the shrub’s cup-shaped fruit capsules. The species name, macrophylla means, quite literally, “large leaves” (makros - large; phyllon - leaf/foliage). It is these large, glossy leaves that allow this plant to be utilized as a seaside shrub, able to withstand intense salt spray and residue, making it a sure-fire foundation or perimeter planting at the beach house. Interestingly, it is the leaves of this shrub (as well as Hydrangea serrata) that contain a natural saccharide, phyllodulcin, which can be used as a sweetener substitute in culinary endeavors. It is said that a single Hydrangea macrophylla leaf can sweeten one cup of tea – the natural sweetener is significantly stronger in potency than typical white table sugar, thought to be 600-800x sweeter than sucrose (Kunisuke et al. 2010). In fact, these leaves have been used traditionally in Buddhist religious ceremonies in what is called “amacha” (meaning “sweet tea”), also called “tea of heaven” (although Hydrangea serrata is also credited as being part of this tea mixture as well). So, the next time you find yourself in the presence of the big, glossy, dark green leaves of a Bigleaf Hydrangea, and feel the temptation to make a tea or cocktail with some foliage, you wouldn’t be the first one!
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Hydrangea macrophylla Twist 'n' Shout®