Hydrangea macrophylla BLACK DIAMONDS® 'Dark Angel Red' lace-cap hydrangea

BLACK DIAMONDS® Dark Angel Red is a hydrangea with large leaves that are very dark green with deep burgundy brown hues and prominent veins. They turn dark red in autumn. Flowering begins in June and the rather flat inflorescence is bordered with large, sterile flowers, while numerous flower buds of fertile flowers in the middle seldom open. Sterile flowers open rich purple red at margins and almost yellow in the centre and mature to vivid purple red all over. Such colour combination is quite unique and turns this variety into a small specimen plant that does need a companion to make a show. Flowers are produced on stems arising from previous year’s wood so no pruning is recommended if you want to see it bloom. The shrub is very compact and bushy, and grows slowly into a mounded habit.

The flower colour is determined by the soil pH. For pink flowers your soil MUST be alkaline. Otherwise they will change to somewhat violet or even blue in acid soil. Therefore, planting this variety make sure your soil contains lime. Hydrangeas like fertile, always moist but well-drained soil. Never let the soil dry out especially in the first year before it gets established. It will love part shade and shade or filtered sunlight. Good mulch is necessary at all times. BLACK DIAMONDS® hydrangea does not have a long enough history of hardiness testing so its resistance to frost is derived from the species which oscillates around -24°C (USDA zone 6). Future cultivation will show if it can survive stronger frost.

Last update 03-10-2014.