Hydrangea With Variegated Leaves
Hydrangeas are flowering shrubs native to Asia. Most are deciduous and grow best in the shade. In most species the flowers are white, but bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) and mountain hydrangeas (Hydrangea serrata) bear flowers ranging from pale pink to dark purple. With these hydrangeas, colors vary according to soil pH. Lower pH, or acid soils, produce bluer flowers, while high pH, or alkaline soils, produce pinker flowers. Most hydrangea flowers can be dried for floral arrangements, but make short-lived fresh cut flowers. Hydrangeas are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9.
Bigleaf hydrangeas bear both lacecap and mophead flowers. Lacecap flowers form flat clusters with fertile flowers in the center and infertile flowers on the outside edge, and most variegated hydrangeas are lacecap types. Variegated lacecaps (Hydrangea macrophylla "Mariesii Variegata") produce blue to pink flowers with green leaves edged in white. "Lemon Wave" (Hydrangea macrophylla "Lemon Wave") has similar flowers but new leaves have yellow variegation. "Light-O-Day" (Hydrangea macrophylla "Light-O-Day") has similar flowers, white edged leaves, but it blooms on both old and new wood.
Climbing hydrangeas (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris) have creamy white lacecap-type flowers. These hydrangeas can be trained against walls, fences and trellises, and they leave behind interesting woody stems in winter when the leaves have fallen. "Firefly" (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris "Firefly") has green leaves with a broad creamy yellow edge, and "Mirranda" (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris "Mirranda") is similar but has chartreuse edging. "Kuga Variegated" (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris "Kuga Variegated") has cream flowers and leaves that are streaked and blotched white and cream. Spring foliage displays hints of pink.
Pee Gee Hydrangeas
Pee gee hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora) are more tolerant of full sun than other hydrangeas, and they have large cone-shaped flower clusters. Flower color ranges from cream to pink. The variegated "Summer Snow" (Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora "Summer Snow") bears green leaves splashed and speckled with pale yellow. Another variegated form is "Yuki Ghessho" (Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora "Yuki Ghessho") has similar foliage.
Mountain hydrangeas (Hydrangea serrata) look very similar to bigleaf hydrangeas, and some botanists consider it a subspecies of the bigleaf species. It is slightly smaller that the bigleaf types and has smaller flowers. Both variegated forms have lacecap-type flowers that come in colors raging from blue to pink, depending on the pH levels in the soil. "Omacha Variegata" (Hydrangea serrata "Omacha Variegata") displays green leaves speckled with golden yellow, and "Grayswood Variegated" (Hydrangea serrata "Grayswood Variegated") bears green leaves streaked with yellow.
- National Gardening Association: Lacecaps and Mopheads Hurray!
- Boone County Arboretum: Cultural Details for Hydrangea Macrophylla "Lemon Wave"
- Morton Arboretum: Big-Leaved Hydrangea - Light-O-Day
- Broken Arrow Nursery: Hydrangea Anomola Asp. Petiolaris "Kuga Variegated"
- Wilkerson Mill Gardens: Summer Snow PeeGee
- Broken Arrow Nursery: Hydrangea Paniculata "Yuki Ghessho" - Variegated Panicle Hydrangea
- Quackin' Grass Nursery: Hydrangea Serrata "Omacha Variegata"
- Joy Creek Nursery: Hydrangea Serrata "Grayswood Variegated"
- The Old Farmer's Almanac: Hydrangea
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