Looking for an amazing dark colored hydrangea with purple potential?
There's a Houzz thread running about identifying a dark purple hydrangea. In researching purples, I noticed that White Flower Farm is listing Hydrangea 'Color Fantasy'. Their photo is below. The stems aren't black, more dark green with brown flush.
In looking into this further I found this name is used for H. macrophylla 'Merveille Sanguine' (common name in Europe) by Plants Nouveau. The leaf shape and unusual distinctive texture is identical for the White Flower Farm plant.
The Sanguine sub-variety is from a spontaneous mutation discovered for 'Mereville' having much deeper colors than the parent. This is also the same variety as 'Brunette' and 'Bloody Marvelous' (yet another name for it in England).
Do consider growing it! 'Merveille Sanguine' is an amazing standout among hydrangeas for its highly colored flowers and also foliage color. New growth is typically dark green. In shadier locations the mature leaves can be deep green initially, or with more sun stunning bronze red, even blackisk brown. In any light location, the leaves get deeply colored by mid to late summer. Late fall leaf color is bright red. As endearing as their color color the leaves are thick, have a glossy surface sheen, and have a rough corrugated texture.
The saturated flower colors can range from pink, to deep red, and deep purple (easy to get), depending on soil acidity and aluminum content. One UK writer said they saw it with also as a dark cobalt blue. Flower colors tend to be mote intense with more light. With the right additives and enough sun, the flowers can be almost black!
We found a 2' plant last fall locally at Molbaks in Woodinville, WA labeled 'Color Fantasy' with 'Brunette' mentioned in the fine print. It had a couple red flowers.
You can see how our plant contrasts nicely with green plants, that the new growth is green, and a hint of the intensity of the bright red final fall leaf color just starting (left plant in photo). Our tag listed the mature flowering size as 2-3'. Internet lists it as 3-4' final size, with it rarely much over 3'. So this beauty is nicely compact.
Anyone else have experience growing it or photos? I'm halpy with it as a purple. Anyone see it as an indigo or cobalt blue in color?
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6 years ago- 6 years ago
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Dark Purple Hydrangeas
Comments (18)Can't say that I have seen them advertised. Worse, they will probably change names sometimes. European ones may also start in the US with small companies whose budgets are not on the order of the big wholesalers so keep searching every 3-6 months. Purples probably do best in acidic and low phosphorus conditions. May be easier to buy any of the previously mentioned ones if you want a purple as the shade of purple may differ (from the pictures) if your soil's acidic level is much different from the ones given to those plants in the pics. Would be nice if they said what soil pH they had the pictured plants in... then you could try growing in pots to better align pH and phosphorus levels. Which is always incredibly, if not impossibly, difficult! :o)...See MoreKaruchime Purple Hydrangea
Comments (14)Thanks, Bob. Well, I'll see your three and raise you one.... I've seen so many recommendations about how to change the color of hydrangeas that I'm always in a state of confusion about it. For the deepest colors, I've seen to add epsom salts, (magnesium sulphate), dried blood, rusty nails, and one research I saw said that molybdenum was a help in making flowers blue. I hope I will understand it all someday. And aluminum sulphate. I thought three sounded like a lot in comparison to what I thought I had seen recommended, but just now I went toNantucket Hydrangea(scroll down to pH and flower color) and saw that he recommends using FOUR tablespoons in a gallon of water. I hate to sacrifice a hydrangea to find out just how much I could add, but next summer I may have one of the bluest Nikkos you've ever seen or one dead one. Thank you so much Bamabob for sharing this with us. I'm the worse at surfing the internet. I get started looking for something and three hours later I'm off on some tangent somewhere. Aldridgegardens is a well know garden for hydrangea lovers. I'm always seeing it mentioned, in particular for the Oakleafs (which one did they introduce?). They have a site andtheir faqs were interesting reading. They're way down there in Alabama and a lot of their questions were from Floridians, so maybe my Southern friends would find something useful there. One thing I saw, and I still don't think I believe it: "Q. My Oakleaf Hydrangeas have spots on the leaves that look like or similar to rust spots. What can I do to correct this? A. The University of Georgia has concluded that these leaf spots are caused by a combination of sun and water on the foliage and are not harmful to the plant. Think of this as early fall color. It is a genetic characteristic of some cultivars of Oakleaf Hydrangeas. They do not say that the water droplets form little magnifying lens and this acts to concentrate the suns rays and the leaf gets a little hole burned into it. (Just like when I was a kid running around setting things on fire with a magnifying glass). I think this is a myth and simply is not true. But is it? I'd love to actually see the research that they refer to and to understand precisely what they're saying. Off on another tangent. Bye. Hay....See MoreHydrangea Leaves Purple/Burnt
Comments (2)I think your plant is ok -srt of-, caramlefloat. As we approach reduced light levels and cooler temperatures in late summer to early Fall, chlorophyll production goes down and the leaves begin to shut down and turn ugly. The leaves turn different shades of greens and yellows. Leaf spots that may have been "invisible" before then become visible and show some purplish/brown/dark colors in blotches throughout the leaf surfaces. Eventually, the leaves will eventually brown out and dry out. The browned out, dried out leaves eventually fall down on their own. I have one shrub that did this already and it too suffers from leaf spot. As the leaves started to fall or brown out, I either picked up the leaves from the floor or cut them at the petiole. The petiole is the stalk that connects the leaf to the stem. I do not cut the stem (especially the ends of the stems) because that is where the invisible hydrangea flower buds for 2015 reside. I then throw away the leaves in the trash (not on the compost pile where the leaf spot fungi could spread). If the leaf looks nasty enough, you can accelerate the process by cutting it away now. The point is to prevent the spread of spores (as much as you can) when the leaves fall down and decompose. Other things that you can do: Always maintain 3-4" of mulch up to the drip line or a little further. Try not to overwater. Minimize overhead waterings to reduce leaf spot and powdery mildew. Replace the mulch with new mulch in cases where the leaf spot infestation is severe. Remove plant debris under the hydrangea to reduce places where the fungi can reside. Reduce moisture levels if they are high since fungi likes high humidity levels; examples of high humidity: plants in the area may suffer from fungal infections or the soil may appear to be wet often. Water the soil early in the mornings (as opposed to watering the leaves). For a plant such as yours, I would water 1 gallon of water per watering. There are some fungicides out there that one can use for Cercospora Leaf Spot (aka, leaf spot) but they can be expensive and, at this time of the year when the leaves are falling & shutting down, it may not be worth it. See additional information on Cercospora Leaf Spot on the link below. Luis Here is a link that might be useful: Diseases of Hydrangeas This post was edited by luis_pr on Tue, Dec 9, 14 at 9:08...See MoreComparing a few dark purple-y pink/red roses that hold color well
Comments (23)Cori Ann, how wonderful to line up these lovelies for a little beauty pageant and some easy comparisons. I love them all, but only grow Young Lycidas. I'd go for Falstaff, but Munstead and The Prince will have to do for me and my lack of space. However, I'm nuts about Pretty Lady. I need a large bloomed HT with long stems for bouquet making. This is something I've neglected, and she would fill the bill, I think. And Polarnacht is so fabulous. It can certainly compete with the roses. Diane...See More- 6 years ago
- 6 years ago
- 6 years ago
H. 'Selina' backed by H. nigra in a shady spot is below. Both are dark stemmed with 'Selina having red/brown new growth, shifting to dark green if not enough sun.
We have over 80 kinds of hydrangea. 'Selina' is one of few that I have in multiple places due to that red/brown leaf color. And sun tolerance more like a Paniculata. Blooms in shade too.
- 6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
- 6 years ago
Didn't know Mathlida Gutges is same as LA Dreaming! Great I can take that one of the list. I've almost picked it up 2-3 times. We moved about 70 hydrangea when we moved here from another WA area. They divide and can be moved easily in tubs.
There are a lot of blue hydrangeas in acid soil that can be shifted to purple with the right amount of dolomite lime addition. The more color pigment in the blue the deeper the purple potential. Go too far and these can go pink or red. Three favorite examples follow.
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Enziandom' is highly pigmented (as os 'Rhythmic Blue'). It's a stunner mophead in any color.
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Eisvogel' is a beautiful blue lacecap in the Teller Swiss series that makes a nice purple.
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blaumeise' ('Teller Blue') is a larger petal lacecap with interesting past prime after colors. It goes pink easily with lime. But if you've careful at adjustment a purple is possible.
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Leuchtfeuer' (translated "Firelight") is an old timer that likes to be a red. However, It's easy to take it towards a purple or it can be pushed to a blue. It will flower less densely in the shade as in the photo below, but can be covered with flowers with more sun. Uneven pH range in a 8' wide bush gave this. The florets centers are white at first and color fills in as it matures.
Below is an unlabeled hydrangea that I couldn't resist getting. It had four 8+" mopheads on a 12" tall plant in a one gallon pot! There was nice pigmentation with a blue and pink flower each. Looking at the petal tips, purple potential is obviously there. I need to grow it in the yard to a larger size to see it's full potential. I will grow it with uneven pH distribution to try to get the multicolor effect again. I prefer unknowing the plant name. But this one had such large full florets, nice pigment density and a pearl like sheen to the petal base color.
I have and have seen a lot of hydrangeas but not this one before. '(Blue) Enchantress' is a newer variety with larger than average mopheads and nice dark stems (we have a big one). The flower heads on the unknown are larger and fuller and more impressive than the 'Hamburg', 'Penny Mac'*, and some other larger flowered mopheads such as the 'Merrit's ____' series I've seen locally and at home. Flower size is more in the 'Gerda Steiniger' class size.
There are larger cluster heads out there. *'Penny Mac', 'Nikko Blue' and 'nigra' compound mopheads can get as large or larger, when grown with an abundance of fertilizer and moisture. This results from side branch minimops adding into the cluster making them more dense panicle shaped than round.
- 6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
Re: Hydrangea flower color chemistry to make a purple or other colors.
- 6 years ago
garyz8bpnwOriginal Author