Bigleaf Chinese Hydrangea
Hydrangea aspera “Macrophylla”
Type: Deciduous shrub
Exposure: Light to partial shade
Water: Regular

Here’s one that I found at the UBC (University of British Columbia) Botanical Garden.

Growing to an impressive size of 12ft (3.6m) high and wide (sometimes more), this is not your run-of-the-mill hydrangea. The leaves, which are in keeping with the impressive scale of the shrub, can reach nearly a foot (30cm) long by 8in (20cm) wide. These are covered by tiny hairs that makes them look sort of fuzzy. In mid summer, well-spaced lacecap flowers emerge. These consist of white sterile flowers surrounding a lavender cluster of smaller fertile ones. In keeping with “macro” theme here, these mostly horizontal blooms can get to 8in (20cm) across or larger, and seem almost to hover thanks to the shrub’s fairly open habit. And as if that’s not enough, our overachieving friend here also has attractive, peeling, cinnamon-colored bark so you’ll have something to look at when the leaves are gone.

Cheers,

John