www.HydrangeasHydrangeas.com
Family
Hydrangeaceae
Botanical Name
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Penny Mac'
Plant Common Name
Bigleaf Hydrangea, Largeleaf Hydrangea, Penny Mac Bigleaf Hydrangea
General Description
Excellent hardiness, beauty and a reblooming nature are the main selling points of ‘Penny Mac.’ This compact selection produces many mophead-type blooms of pink or medium blue. It is an older cultivar that was bred by the founder of the American Horticultural Society, Penny McHenry.
Hydrangea macrophylla is a medium-sized, deciduous shrub with attractive deep green leaves that turn shades of burgundy in fall. This eastern Asian native typically produces large flower clusters with small fertile flowers towards the center and showy sterile flowers along the edges, but highly cultivated forms like this one have mostly sterile flowers. Flower color in hydrangeas varies depending on soil pH. Alkaline soils encourage redder blooms and acid soils bluer.
This hydrangea prefers evenly moist, well-drained, humus-rich soil and will happily grow in full sun or partial shade. Unless otherwise noted, bigleaf hydrangeas bloom on the previous year’s wood, so pruning should be done after they flower. This is an outstanding landscape shrub for partially shaded gardens and foundations. Its flowers are great for cutting and very easy to arrange with. They also dry well and can be used as everlastings.
Characteristics
-
AHS Heat Zone
9 - 6
-
USDA Hardiness Zone
5 - 8
-
Sunset Zone
3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
-
Plant Type
Shrub
-
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade
-
Height
4'-6' / 1.2m - 1.8m
-
Width
4'-6' / 1.2m - 1.8m
-
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
-
Native To
Hybrid Origin, China, Japan, Korea
Special Characteristics
-
Bark Texture
Smooth
-
Usage
Container, Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border
-
Sharp or Has Thorns
No
-
Invasive
No
-
Self-Sowing
No
