Lacecap Hydrangea

Flattened heads of rich blue to mauve flowers from July to August and coarsely toothed, glossy, dark green leaves. On alkaline soils the flowers of this deciduous, lacecap hydrangea change to lilac-blue or pink. Best in partial shade, it's ideal for a sheltered shrub or mixed border with moist, well-drained soil.Position: full sun or partial shadeSoil: moist, well-drained, moderately fertile, humus-rich soilRate of growth: average Flowering period: July and August Flower colour: rich-blue to mauve (lilac-blue to pink on alkaline soils)Other features: the flower-heads make excellent dried flower arrangementsHardiness: fully hardyGarden care:To enhance flowering prune in spring, cutting back the flowered stems to a strong pair of buds below each flowerhead. Once established, remove a quarter to a third of the old shoots to the base of the plantHydrangeas give their best blue flowers on acidic soil of pH 5.5. When grown on neutral soil, with a pH of 7, flowers will predominantly be pink, although blue or mauve blooms can also be produced. To produce blue blooms, make sure your soil is acidic with a pH of at most 6.5. To make a neutral soil acidic you can treat it annually with aluminium salts. However it's much harder to alter the pH of limey soil (alkaline), so it's easier to grow white or pink hydrangeas
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