Hydrangea Seaside Serenade Fire Island, 2 Gallon

Seaside Serenade(R) Fire Island Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla 'HORTFIRE'

Height:  4 feet

Spread:  4 feet

Sunlight:  full sun  partial shade

Hardiness Zone:  4b

Other Names:  French Hydrangea, Bigleaf Hydrangea

Description:

A hardy compact form that is perfect for smaller spaces; features long lasting, bi-color blooms that are white, edged in rich rosy red that matures to pink; foliage has maroon color in spring and fall; ideal for foundations, borders and containers

Ornamental Features

Seaside Serenade(R) Fire Island Hydrangea features bold balls of white flowers with red edges at the ends of the branches from late spring to late summer, which emerge from distinctive chartreuse flower buds. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has dark green deciduous foliage which emerges burgundy in spring. The glossy pointy leaves turn an outstanding burgundy in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Seaside Serenade(R) Fire Island Hydrangea is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Planting & Growing

Seaside Serenade(R) Fire Island Hydrangea will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.