Hydrangea macrophylla Love

Hydrangea macrophylla Love is a bushy deciduous shrub boasting charming rounded flower heads packed with double rosette-shaped pink florets. Flowering from early summer until frost, this bigleaf hydrangea is a prolific reblooming hydrangea, as it blooms on both old and new growth. Even if old growth buds are winter damaged, the plant still flowers in summer on new growth. The foliage is mid-green with broad, oval leaves. Compact, this elegant mophead hydrangea creates drama in the garden. Perfect to create a lovely hedge or use as a specimen or accent for foundations and other locations near homes or patios.

• Love has received a gold medal at the National Plant Show (UK) and a silver medal at Plantarium 2013.
• Grows up to 24-36 in. tall (60-90 cm) and 24-48 in. wide (60-120 cm).
• Sun to part shade lover, it is best grown in rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils. Full sun is tolerated if constant moisture is provided.
• Perfect from foundation plantings to container plantings. Massed in a sheltered location or as an accent plant. 
• Remove spent flowers to promote new blooms.
• Keep an eye out for aphids, capsid bugs, red spider mites, stem and bulb eelworms, vine weevils, scale insects, honey fungus, gray molds, powdery mildews, and leaf spots.
• To change the color of your Hydrangea, add aluminum sulfate to the soil to make the flowers bluer or add lime to the soil to make them pinker. Treatment should occur ahead of time (late fall or early spring)
• This beautiful deciduous shrub should be pruned after flowering by cutting back the stems to a pair of healthy buds. Prune out weak or winter-damaged stems in early spring.
• Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer, or by hardwood cuttings in winter.
• Hydrangea macrophylla species is native to Japan. It is reported from seaside habitats as well as mountains in Japan, from Honshu southwards. This species has naturalized in China, New Zealand, and the Americas.
• May cause mild stomach upset if ingested, and contact with foliage may aggravate skin allergies. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling.
• Toxic to dogs, toxic to cats, toxic to horses.