Hydrangea macrophylla “Nigra”

Black-Stemmed Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla “Nigra”
Type: Deciduous Shrub
Exposure: Sun / Part Shade
Water: Regular

Hydrangeas belong to a large family of plants that encompasses a wide range of flower types and colors as well as growth habits. This particular plant is a “bigleaf” type (macrophylla), which are native to Japan. What sets this one apart is the profuse, single-stemmed ebony new growth, which contrasts effectively with the big, fresh green leaves. The dense branching habit combined with the large leaves results in a dense rounded shrub, which will get between 4-5ft (1.2-1.5m) tall and wide in colder areas where it dies to the ground in the winter, or a foot or so larger where the winters are less severe (USDA7-8). Flowers are of the “mop-head” variety, are long-lasting like all hydrangeas, and appear in late spring or early summer. Some gardeners feel that the flowers take away from the plant’s impact, and prune these to the ground in the spring to do away with the flowers and encourage more black new growth. I kinda like them, though…

Fun Fact: Your hydrangea’s flower color will depend on the pH of your soil. More acidic soils (pH5.5-5.0) will produce blue flowers, less acidic (pH 6.0-6.5) will produce pink ones. This has to do with the presence and accessibility of aluminum salts in the soil, so that changing the soil’s chemical composition can change the flower color. This is more easily accomplished in a container, by the way, and it doesn’t work with the white-flowered varieties.

Better living through chemistry, right?

Cheers,

John