Hydrangea arborescens 'Pinkerella'
The Pinkerella Hydrangea is a rounded deciduous shrub growing 3 to 5 feet tall and wide. It forms a mound of thick stems, covered in large leaves, which will grow about 3 feet in a single season. The leaves are rounded, with a pointed tip and serrated edges. They have a thick, slightly crinkled texture and they are dark green, and about 6 inches long and 4 inches wide. Even without flowers this bush is attractive, with lovely dense foliage, filling empty spaces in your garden.
By early summer you will see small clusters of greenish buds at the end of every new growing shoot, and by mid to late summer, these will have expanded into very large heads of about 800 flowers, measuring 7 inches across. The buds are deep pink, opening into blossoms over ½ an inch across, of a bright light pink. These flower heads really glow out true pink – no watery ‘pinky-white’ tones. They have a different character to the mop-head hydrangea. A bush in bloom is covered with so many heads the foliage is almost hidden, each standing upright on a strong stem. This color stays, with no fading or browning, right into late fall. If you cut them for drying, the pink color also stays.
Grow in partial shade in your garden. Plant it in beds in front of taller plants, or behind shorter ones, especially those blooming in spring and early summer. Grow it in a row along a fence or driveway. You can also grow it in large tubs for a shady patio or terrace.