Date: June 17, 2002

Bigleaf Hydrangea Survival and Flowering

Dick Bir and Joe Conner
NC State University

The following tables are the result of trials at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station, Fletcher, NC, during three years when winter temperatures did not drop below USDA hardiness zone 7a levels. Trials were three plants of each cultivar grown in full sun on an east facing slope.

If two-thirds of plants from any cultivar did not survive despite one replanting, the cultivar is listed in Survival Table 1. If they did survive, the cultivar is listed in Survival Table 2.

Hydrangea flowering indicates simply that any plant of a cultivar flowered under our conditions. Therefore, those cultivars listed in Hydrangea Glowering Table 1 never flowered during the three years reported in this trial.

Hydrangea Survival Table 1. Hydrangea macrophylla or serrata cultivars that did not survive at least three winters under simulated landscape conditions in USDA Hardiness Zone 7a.
'Alpine Glow''Kastlen''Rose Supreme'
'Altona''Lemon Wave''Schwan'
'Amethyst''Leucht Fuerer''Sister Therese'
'Beni Gaku''Mme Travouillon''Tricolor'
'Blau Meister''Pia''Wave Hill'
'Blue Billow''Pieta''White Wave'
'Bottstein''Quadricolor''Winning Edge'
'Bright Star''Regula''Zaunkoenig'
'Enziadom''Rosarita'

Table 2. Hydrangea macrophylla or serrata cultivars that survived at least 3 winters under simulated landscape conditions in USDA Hardiness Zone 7a.
'Acuminata''Geisha Girl''Merritt Supreme'
'All Summer Beauty''Gen. Vct. de Vibraye''Niedersachen'
'Ami Pasquir''Gertrude Glahn''Nikko Blue'
'Ansley''Goliath''Oregon Pride'
'Ayesha''Grayswood''Otaksa Monstrosa'
'Beaute Vendomis''Hadsbury''Paris'
'Blau Doneau''Hamburg''Pink and Pretty'
'Blue Bird''Harlequin''Presioza'
'Blue Boy''Heinrich Seidel''Red Star'
'Blue Danube''Holstein''Revelation'
'Blue Prince''Kluis Superba''Rose Supreme'
'Blue Wave''LaMarne''Schwan'
'Cardinal Red''Lanarth White''Seafoam'
'Coerulea Lace''Libelle''Shishiva'
'Decatur Blue''Lilacina''Souv. Pr. Doumer'
'Domotoi''Mariesii''Teller Red'
'Emily Mouilliere''Masja''Tokyo Delight'
'Europa''Mathilda Gutges''Variegata'

Hydrangea Flowering

Table 1. Hydrangea macrophylla or serrata cultivars did not flower following winter under simulated landscape conditions in USDA Hardiness Zone 7a.
'Beaute Vendomis''Harlequin''Oregon Pride'
'Bethany Beach''Heinrich Seidel''Pink & Pretty'
'Cardinal Red''Regula''Pink Lacecap'
'Enziadom''Libelle''Tricolor'
'Garten Kuhnert''Mariesii''Variegata'
'Gertrude Glahn''Mme. Travouillon''Wave Hill'

Table 2. Hydrangea macrophylla or serrata cultivars that survived at least 3 winters under simulated landscape conditions in USDA Hardiness Zone 7a and flowered.
'Acuminata''Emily Mouilliere''Niedersachen'
'All Summer Beauty''Europa''Nikko Blue'
'Altona''Geisha Girl''Otaksa Monstrosa'
'Amethyst''Gen. Vct. de Vibraye''Paris'
'Ami Pasquir''Goliath''Pink Beauty'
'Ansley''Grayswood''Pink Libelle'
'Ayesha''Hadsbury''Presioza'
'Beni Gaku''Hamburg''Red Star'
'Blau Doneau''Holstein''Revelation'
'Blaumeise''Kastlen''Rosarita'
'Blue Boy''Kluis Superba''Seafoam'
'Blue Danube''LaFrance''Shishiva'
'Blue Prince''Lanarth White''Sister Theresa'
'Blue Wave''LaMarne''Souv. Pr. Doumer'
'Bottstein''Lilacina''Teller Red'
'Coerulea Lace''Mathilda Gutges''Tokyo Delight'
'Decatur Blue''Masja''Veitchii'
'Domotoi''Merritt Supreme''White Wave'

Acknowledgements: Thank you to Berylwood Nursery, Hawksridge Farms, Heronswood Nursery and Wilkerson Mill Nursery for donating plants. Thanks to The NC and Virginia Nursery Association for support to partially defray the costs of this test.

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