Global Granary

I have been reading about Hydrangea and I must say it is a very interesting plant. It is not only a beautiful shrub with verdant leaves but provide a long lasting bouquets of little flowers in a huge flowerhead.

We have got a few in our garden, we have got the pink variety. Apparently the pink variety has a very romantic meaning which I really love, so much so that I think I or we shall only have pink hydrangea in our garden (unless other colours of hydrangeas have equally romantic meaning, 😉 lol). The pink hydrangea means “You are the beat of my heart,”. Awww

Hydrangea Also Known As Hortensia, The Facts:

It belongs to a genus of between 70-75 species

It originated from southern and eastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea, the Himalayas, and Indonesia) and the Americas. 

Hydrangea flowers from early spring to late autumn.

Hydrangea has at least 600 known cultivars, meaning there are 600 plant varieties that have been produced in cultivation by selective breeding. 

Hydrangea usual flowers are coloured white, but the PH of the soil changes their colour.

Hydrangea can be moderately toxic, so be careful with young children and pets.

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Despite its mild toxicity, some varieties of teas are made from hydrangea, specifically the hydrangea serrata.  This species produce phyllodulcin, a natural sweetener.  Japan make Ama-Cha, literally means sweet tea from the hydrangea serrata.  Ama-cha is then used in a festival celebrating Buddha’s birth, which is thought in Japan to be  8 April.  The ama-cha is poured over the statue of the Buddha to commemorate his birth, re-enacting the acts of  the 9 dragons pouring amrita over him.  Japan use ama-cha as a substitute for amrita.

Korea also make herbal tea from the hydrangea serrata but a more prosaic version without dragons and bathing buddha.  It is called sugukcha  or ilsulcha.

From our photo above, I noticed that the hydrangea planted directly on the ground flowers first than the one on the pot.  I remember buying an identical cultivar, but the one in the pot has turned lighter in pigmentation compared to the more verdant ground dwelling hydrangea.