Mopheads are a traditional Mother’s Day gift. This bigleaf hydrangea begins blooming in May as if to gift mother directly from the garden on her day of recognition.
Mopheads and Lacecaps
Hydrangea macrophylla is a deciduous shrub native to Japan. Macrophyllas come in two flower forms: mopheads and lacecaps. The flowers of both types come in a spectrum of colors from white to cream, pink, red, magenta, purple, lavender and blue.
Mopheads have mounded or globular flowerheads which were named for the old-fashioned kitchen mop used for washing floors.
Typically, mopheads have mostly sterile flowers. They are formed primarily of sepal flowers which tend to live on and on.
Lacecaps have a flat flowerhead similar to the lacy caps worn by Victorian housemaids. Lacecap flowerheads have many small central true flowers surrounded by a ring of sterile ray-flowers. Since the true flowers fade after pollination, lacecaps have a shorter flower life. Lacecaps are used in wildlife gardens under and around trees and shrubs.
Hydrangea Acid Test
Bigleaf hydrangeas are a gardener’s litmus paper. This most common blue or pink hydrangea changes color depending on soil conditions. If you have acid soil, mopheads will be blue or purple. Red and pink mophead hydrangeas indicate alkaline or lime soils. Soil acidity is measured in pH units with a soil test.
The Ideal Shrub
Hydrangeas share some of the most admirable characteristics of the ideal mother: reliability, versatility, and longevity.
Mopheads flower from late spring to mid-autumn, longer than any woody shrub except, perhaps, the rose. In addition they give fabulous cut flowers in summer and dry arrangements in winter.
Since hydrangeas adapt to the space they are given, they can be found in containers on apartment balconies, city roof-tops and townhouse terraces. Given more space in a suburban yard or country estate, they serve as hedges, massed plantings, accent specimens or single elements in mixed or herbaceous borders. They become the nymphs of a woodland garden.
Mopheads grow almost anywhere: in acid or alkaline soils, in sun and shade, in wind and sea-salt spray. Experts recommend siting mopheads in north and east sides of a house to get morning sun and afternoon shade. Dappled sunlight is the preferred lighting for macrophyllas. They need well-drained soil and, although they like water, ‘wet feet’ causes root rot.
Practically carefree and seeming to flourish with neglect, mopheads have minimal pest and disease problems. Powdery mildew can erupt in some environments. Since hydrangeas become dense shrubs, their foliage spread suppresses weeds.
Feeding
Feed mophead hydrangeas with a slow-release 10-10-10 fertilizer like Osmocote or Nutricote in late winter to early spring prior to leafing. Apply at the base of the plant outward to the drip line. One additional light application after flowering is sufficient for the entire season.
Propagation
Propagation of hydrangeas is easily achieved through cuttings in water or sterilized soilless potting medium, the latter requiring the use of rooting hormone like Rootone or Dip ‘N Grow.
In recent years when hydrangeas made their appearance in wedding bouquets, brides placed the bouquets in vases while away on the honeymoon. They returned home to root romantic cuttings for their new home and life.
Layering is achieved by bending a branch still attached to the parent plant into a small hole in the ground, covering the branch with soil and holding it in place with rocks, bricks or wood. Roots form on the buried branch and can be cut off from the parent plant the following year.
The American Hydrangea Society in Atlanta, Georgia offers up-to-date information on this well-loved flowering shrub.
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