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Tag: hydrangea serrata

Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’ (2 of 2)

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From “H. Serrata ‘Bluebird'” in 1001 Plants to Dream of Growing, edited by Liz Dobbs:

“A delightful summer-flowering shrub, H. serrata ‘Bluebird’ is the perfect choice for any garden that does not have the space for one of the larger lacecap hydrangea varieties. ‘Bluebird’ is a slender shrub, with upright tan-colored stems and painted dark-green leaves flushed purple red. In midsummer the delicate lacecap flower heads appear; these are purple-pink on alkaline soils, but bright gentian-blue on acidic soils. Each flower head consists of a flattened cluster of tiny fertile florets surrounded by larger, showier, sterile or ray florets. ‘Bluebird, along with other H. serrata varieties, has smaller, more refined flower heads than familiar lacecap hydrangeas. As the season progresses, the color of the flowers changes to purple-green, and the wine-red color of the foliage becomes more intense toward fall.

“‘Bluebird’ is a lovely hydrangea to grow in sun or in light shade with perennials and roses. Its compact habit makes it suitable for narrow borders…. H. serrata ‘Tiara’ is similar in habit to ‘Bluebird, but it has more sterile florets in each flower head. The flower color is more mauve, and the fall foliage more intensely crimson in the sun. H. serrata ‘Rosalba’ has fewer, large sterile florets, which are initially white but soon change to crimson. Its fall foliage is rich purple-red. H. serrata ‘Miranda’ has very dome-shaped flower heads, which turn a vibrant shade of blue in acidic conditions.”

From Seasons of Light: A Collection of Haiku by Dermot O’Brien:

The withered blossom
on a bedraggled hydrangea
surprised by purple buds

Hello!

This is the second of two posts with photos of Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’ — from my garden. The first post is Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’ (1 of 2).

I took most of these photos a little later in the season than those in the previous post, and — as is described in the quotation at the top — you can see how many of the tiny flowers have shifted color from mostly-blue toward a mix of purple, pink, and light green. I had actually thought the color-shift was from soil variations (as hydrangeas are known for their fascinating color changes), but this may be a late-summer seasonal change, since mine are all planted together.

If you’d like to see the color variations presented by some of the Bluebird’s close relatives (those mentioned in 1001 Plants to Dream of Growing above), click these links:

H. serrata ‘Tiara’
H. serrata ‘Rosalba’
H. serrata ‘Miranda’

Rosalba looks especially scrumptious: that mix of red and pink among the flowers and the florets (which are white or very light blue in the Bluebird hydrangea) may just earn them a place in my garden next year.

Thanks for taking a look!

Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’ (1 of 2)

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From “Hydrangea serrata” in Hydrangeas: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden by Naomi Slade:

“A near neighbour and relative of H. macrophylla, H. serrata hails from the wooded mountains of Japan and Korea, where it is sometimes called ‘tree of heaven’. In the uplands, well away from the sea, temperatures often dip below freezing so, for garden purposes, it is noticeably hardier than its cousin….

“While the vulnerability of H. macrophylla comes from the length of its growing season, starting too early and going on too late, H. serrata has a much shorter growth period so it is hardier in the face of cold — although it is no fan of blazing sun.

“Like H. macrophylla, H. serrata likes partial or dappled shade so it can be used in a similar way in the garden. It is less tolerant of exposed, windy or very warm locations and it doesn’t thrive in wet soils, which makes it less suited to coastal and boggy sites. On the other hand, the plants tend to be smaller, at around 100cm (40in) tall, so are suitable for compact modern gardens.

“The species has lacecap flowers and serrated leaves — hence the name — and does well under trees. A number of cultivars, specifically Grayswood, Preziosa and Glyn Church will go through several colour changes throughout the season — but since they are not susceptible to pH, these are consistent in their inconsistency. The white cultivars will remain white regardless of soil pH, but the other pink and blue cultivars are moderately susceptible, so situations arise where, for example, Bluebird, grown on alkaline soil, will produce flowers that are noticeably pink.”

From The Windbreak Pine: New and Uncollected Haiku by Wally Swist, edited by John Barlow:

the deepening blush
of hydrangea flowers
late August chill

Hello!

Here we have the first of two posts featuring Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’ — most commonly referred to as the Bluebird Hydrangea — from my garden. I have about six of these plants at a boundary between shade and sun in my back yard, where most of the time, they seem pretty happy. They bloomed well for several years running, then they got frozen and failed to bloom for one season, then this year returned once again. I always like to see them in early summer, and they look especially nice in late afternoon and early evening, when their white florets glow and the cluster of blue and pink flowers look more saturated as the sun goes down.

The part of this lacecap-style hydrangea that usually catches the eye includes both the cluster of tiny flowers at the center and the white florets that seem to float around them. Technically, only the lacecap portion contains flowers; the white florets are produced (the hydrangea tells me) to demand the attention of pollinators by providing some white-on-dark contrast.

These baby Bluebirds can be hard to photograph, and when I look at their photos from previous years, I see that I’ve often struggled to get the colors and focus right. Focusing at close range is difficult because the cluster of flowers may extend five inches or more from front to back, and the flowers in the cluster are extra-tiny, entangled with each other, and hard to differentiate in the camera’s viewfinder. And they move easily in the wind, making my eyes wobble.

Examine, if you like, the first two photographs, and you’ll see what I mean: the foreground white floret is in focus as are some of the blue flowers, but as the distance from the camera increases, the cluster of flowers becomes blurrier as do the two background florets. If I use a narrower aperture, I can get more of the flower cluster in focus — but then too much of the background also ends out in focus and it becomes difficult to separate the flowers from the background.

As you move through the galleries below, you can see how I handled that: by either moving in closer and eliminating many of the wee flowers from the image; or by moving back and taking a wider shot, where the fact that some of the flowers are out of focus becomes less apparent. I have sometimes tried adding LED light or using a flash, but then they look like they’re studio portraits rather than nature photos. So while I wasn’t entirely satisfied with these images, I decided to post them despite being unable to achieve perfection — whatever that is!

Thanks for taking a look!