Hydrangea Section Macrophyllae Cultivars M

'Maculata'

Sterile flowers white or pale mauve; fertile flowers pigmented. Leaves variegated with a clear white margin, green centre and streaks of grey-green between. Glyn Church thinks it the prettiest of the variegated cultivars, with ‘Tricolor’ looking grey from a distance and ‘Quadricolor’ simply ‘odd’. Japanese origin. (Church 2007; Missouri Botanical Garden 2020; Association Shamrock 2022).

Hydrangea 'Maculata', one of the confusingly similar variegated cultivars (9 September 2021). Image Plant Delights Nursery.

Hydrangea 'Maculata' flowering at Arboretum Het Leen Eeklo, Belgium (21 July 2014). Image © Jan De Langhe.

Like other variegated cultivars, Hydrangea 'Maculata' is best grown in partial shade (Arboretum Het Leen Eeklo, Belgium – 21 July 2014). Image © Jan De Langhe.

This example, labelled Hydrangea macrophylla 'Maculata' and grown at Plant Delights Nursery, North Carolina, leaves many European examples in the shade. Its superiority could be due to environmental factors, or it may be a different clone. 3 November 2025. Image Tom Christian.

A close up on the leaves of the superb plant labelled Hydrangea macrophylla 'Maculata' at Plant Delights Nursery, North Carolina, USA. 3 November 2025. Image Tom Christian.

'Madame A. Riverain'

Flowers light blue / clear pink, blueing readily, ageing green, in sometimes irregular heads. Stems and petioles dark, contrasting well with the green of the leaves; vigorous growth, height to 1.5 m. An early European cultivar selected 1905 by Émile Moullière, France, and still occasionally offered by nurseries. Much like ‘Générale Vicomtesse de Vibraye’ but readily distinguished by the pigmented petioles. (Haworth-Booth 1984; Hydrangea Derby 2024; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)

'Madame Émile Mouillère'

Flowers initially cream, maturing pure white, sometimes ageing bluish/pinkish, with strongly serrate sepals; inflorescence a dense dome; flowering over a long season on lateral shoots for some in milder areas (Foster 2023) but only terminally in upstate New York (Boebel 2011). Vigorous, to about 2 × 2 m, with weak stems giving a lax habit; given a situation where this is an advantage, especially in shade, it is a beautiful plant, still one of the best white mopheads. Introduced 1909 by Émile Mouillère, France. (Church 2007; Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)

Hydrangea 'Madame Émile Mouillère', after more than 100 years still among the best white mopheads (White House Farm, Kent, UK). Image Maurice Foster.

Hydrangea 'Madame Émile Mouillère' flowers sometimes mature blueish or pinkish. Image Maurice Foster.

A range of ageing flower colours in Hydrangea 'Madame Émile Mouillère'. Image Maurice Foster.

Hydrangea 'Madame Émile Mouillère' dates from 1909, but is still one of the best white mopheads (Windcliff Garden, WA, United States; 27 June 2023). Image John Grimshaw.

'Madame Faustin Travouillon'

Flowers pale blue/pink, readily blueing. Leaves pale green; height about 1.5 m. Introduced 1930 by French breeder Barillet. ‘Générale Vicomtesse de Vibraye’ differs in its smaller flowers and leaves (Church 2007; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)

Hydrangea 'Madame Faustin Travouillon' at the Savill Garden, Windsor Great Park, UK, 12 July 2026. Image John Grimshaw.

'Madame Plumecocq'

Flowers with rounded, entire sepals, purplish / soft pink, tending to pink, in large, dense heads. Height 1–1.5 m. Selected by the Belgian breeder Draps (Church 2007; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022). New Zealand-based Glyn Church (2007) enthuses ‘my favorite pink hydrangea […] big, blowsy […] the leaves look lush as lettuce’. Does this commemorate Zelia Plumecocq, who is also a Rhododendron ?

Magical Series

An important European series, marketed, protected and mostly selected by Kolster BV, the Netherlands,since 2017 in association with Horteeve Breeding (Magical Hydrangeas 2024). In North America many are licenced through Alabama-based Plants Nouveau, initially in the Everlasting® Series but now as Magical® cultivars. Long-lasting inflorescences seems to have been a breeding aim. Marketed as suiting both the potted plant trade and the open garden, some proved their outdoor worth – at least in the short term – in an RHS trial in southern England (Royal Horticultural Society 2018). Michael Dirr (2021) characteristically dismisses their garden value in North America, while Tim Boebel (2018) treats them seriously without giving his trademark verdicts on flowering performance in Zone 6. The range evolves through time, with some becoming commercially extinct quite quickly. It is hard to know which will persist in gardens; we include the six RHS AGM winners, ‘Kolmagrip’ (MAGICAL® GARNET), ‘Hokomarevo’ (MAGICAL® REVOLUTION), ‘Hortmacodre (MAGICAL® COLOURDREAM), ‘Hortmahar’ (MAGICAL® HARMONY), ‘Hortmarhaso’ (MAGICAL® RHAPSODY), ‘Hortmawin (MAGICAL® WINGS), plus ‘Xian’ (MAGICAL® OPAL) .

The series also includes H. paniculata cultivars, listed there.

'Maiko'

Sterile flowers lilac/pale pink. One of the most commonly grown mophead H. serrata cultivars in the West, a compact grower sometimes staying as low as 30 cm. A wild Japanese find, although the location varies rather between accounts – Mt Daigo near Kyoto is the one most often given (Foster 2023; Association Shamrock 2022). The cultivar name presumably inspired the trade designation LITTLE GEISHA: a maiko is an apprentice geisha. There has been much confusion in Europe with the lacecap ‘Hallasan’ (see for example van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004), and a trawl of internet images (pers. obs. 2024) shows that this is ongoing. ‘Maiko’ has been an important parent of cultivars.

Hydrangea serrata 'Maiko' flowering freely at ground level (White House Farm, Kent, UK; 2 July 2023). Image Jack Aldridge.

Hydrangea serrata 'Maiko' is a very compact cultivar. Image Maurice Foster.

Hydrangea serrata 'Maiko' is the most commonly grown mophead serrata in Western gardens (White House Farm, Kent, UK; 12 July 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Mak2'

(Flair & Flavours Series) Sterile flowers purple / purplish-red; remontant; height to about 90 cm height. Selected before 2016 by Spring Meadow Nurseries, Michigan, but protected and marketed only in Europe (Proven Winners 2024).

'Mak20'

(Tuff Stuff™ Series) Sterile flowers variably double, purple-blue / reddish pink; marketed as hardy to USDA zone 5, remontant, with height and spread to only 0.6 m (Proven Winners 2024). The ever-sceptical Michael Dirr (2021) claimed no evidence of reblooming, but found it the hardiest of the Tuff Stuff Series in his trials. Selected 2009 by Spring Meadow Nursery, Michigan, as an open-pollinated seedling of H. serrata ‘Maiko’ (Google Patents 2024); other attributes suggest that H. macophylla is also involved. The first of Spring Meadow’s successful Tuff Stuff Series; marketed in Europe in the Flair & Flavours Series, as both COTTON CANDY and BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE. Protected by US Plant Patent 24,820 and European Plant Breeder’s Rights.

Hydrangea 'Mak20' (labelled TUFF STUFF) at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire, UK. 14 July 2023. Image Jack Aldridge.

Purplish flowers in Hydrangea 'Mak20' (TUFF STUFF / BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE), a hybrid lacecap (private garden, Argyll & Bute, UK; 22 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Makd'

(Tuff Stuff™ Series) Sterile flowers double, soft blue / pink; marketed as hardy to USDA zone 5, remontant, with height and spread 0.6–0.9 m (Proven Winners 2024). Despite seeing no evidence of reblooming, Dirr (2021) considered it ‘truly impressive in flower’. Selected 2007 by Spring Meadow Nursery, Michigan, as an open-pollinated seedling of H. serrata ‘Maiko’ (Google Patents 2024); other attributes suggest that H. macophylla is also involved. Protected by US Plant Patent 24,842.

Double-flowered Hydrangea 'Makd' (TINY TUFF STUFF™) is probably a hybrid involving both H. serrata and H. macrophylla (Morton Arboretum, Illinois; 8 July 2015). Image Deborah J.G. Brown, Courtesy of The Morton Arboretum.

'Maréchal Foch'

Flowers with entire sepals, in tight round heads, deep blue/pink, prized especially when blue, the colour best in some shade; able to flower on side shoots so long-flowering from an early-season start; flowering well in colder areas. Height to 1.25 m or so. A European classic, introduced 1919 by Émile Mouillère, France; named for the French army general Ferdinand Foch, Supreme Allied Commander on the Western Front in 1918. It remains a favourite in the garden but also in the trade as a pot plant thanks to its good blue colour and ability to be forced into flower out of season. (Boebel 2011; Church 2007; Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)

Hydrangea 'Maréchal Foch' is especially prized when blue. Image Maurice Foster.

Hydrangea 'Maréchal Foch' growing among other hydrangeas in a private garden, Argyll & Bute, UK (22 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Maréchal Foch' in lilac mode (private garden, Argyll & Bute, UK; 22 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Mariesii'

Sterile flowers white to pale blue / pale pink, but tending towards pink, usually with 4 sepals; fertile flowers blue/pink; inflorescences not always quite a typical lacecap, sometimes with a number of small sterile flowers scattered through. Rather tall, reaching 1.5–2 m (Church 2007; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Haworth-Booth 1984). Listed in the International Register under H. macrophylla (Association Shamrock 2022), but most often considered a hybrid. Introduced to the West from Japan in 1881, by Charles Maries working for the Veitch nursery, UK. Neither common nor first-rate, but important to the history of hydrangeas in the West, especially as parent of Lemoine’s ‘Mariesii Grandiflora’, ‘Mariesii Lilacina’ and ‘Mariesii Perfecta’, all of them classic hybrid lacecaps.

Introduced to Europe in the 19th century, Hydrangea 'Mariesii' is neither common nor first rate, but was an important parent of better cultivars. Image Maurice Foster.

'Mariesii Grandiflora'

Sterile flowers large, white, ageing lightly mauve/pink, with usually 4 sepals which can look almost square; fertile flowers blue/pink. Vigorous, reaching 1.5 m or more in height, and tolerant of full sun, in cool climates perhaps flowering best in sun, sometimes on lateral as well as terminal shoots. A presumed macrophylla × serrata hybrid, an open-pollinated seedling from ‘Mariesii’ introduced 1904 by French nurseryman Victor Lemoine (Church 2007; Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Haworth-Booth 1984; Association Shamrock 2022). Often confused with ‘Veitchii’ (which has 3 sepals per sterile flower); ‘Mariesii Grandiflora’ is probably commoner (Foster 2023), and the better performer in suboptimal conditions. Very often labelled WHITE WAVE or WHITEWAVE, British nurseryman Michael Haworth-Booth’s shameless – if understandable – mid-20th century renaming. ‘Mariesii Lilacina’ and ‘Mariesii Perfecta’ are sister seedlings.

Hydrangea 'Mariesii Grandiflora', an early 20th century hybrid lacecap, usually has 4 sepals per sterile flower (3 in 'Veitchii') (private garden, Ayrshire, UK; 24 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Subtle autumn tints in Hydrangea 'Mariesii Grandiflora' (RHS Garden Wisley, UK; 20 October 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Mariesii Grandiflora' is a vigorous cultivar, often called WHITE WAVE (RHS Garden Wisley, UK; 20 October 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Mariesii Lilacina'

Sterile flowers purplish/pink, tending towards pink, with 4 sepals; fertile flowers blue/lilac, often a good colour contrast. Leaves relatively narrow and tapering. Height to about 1.5 m or more in height; rather tolerant of suboptimal conditions. A presumed macrophylla × serrata hybrid, an open-pollinated seedling from ‘Mariesii’ introduced 1904 by French nurseryman Victor Lemoine (Church 2007; Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022). ‘Mariesii Grandiflora’ and ‘Mariesii Perfecta’ are sister seedlings.

Hydrangea 'Mariesii Lilacina' with characteristic colour contrast between the sterile and fertile flowers (private garden, Argyll & Bute, UK; 22 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Mariesii Lilacina', an early 20th century hybrid lacecap (private garden, Argyll & Bute, UK; 22 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Mixed flower colours in Hydrangea 'Mariesii Lilacina' (private garden, North Devon, UK; 16 September 2024). Image Tom Christian.

Hydrangea 'Mariesii Lilacina' in the later stages of flowering (Darley Park, Derby, UK; 28 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Mariesii Perfecta'

Sterile flowers blue/pink with usually 4 entire sepals, but not readily blueing and more often seen in intermediate or mixed shades; fertile flowers blue/pink; inflorescences held well above the foliage. Vigorous and upstanding, reaching 1.5–2 m in height, and tolerant of sun or shade. A presumed macrophylla × serrata hybrid, an open-pollinated seedling from ‘Mariesii’ introduced 1904 by French nurseryman Victor Lemoine (Church 2007; Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Haworth-Booth 1984; Association Shamrock 2022). Very often labelled BLUE WAVE or BLUEWAVE, Michael Haworth-Booth’s mid-20th century renaming. ‘Mariesii Grandiflora’ and ‘Mariesii Lilacina’ are sister seedlings. Still commonly grown, but a good Teller cultivar such as ‘Blaumeise’ might be a more satisfying choice today (Foster 2023).

Hydrangea 'Mariesii Perfecta' is vigorous and upstanding, here in more or less full sun (private garden, Argyll & Bute, UK; 22 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Mariesii Perfecta' (BLUE WAVE): this is about as blue as it gets, on an unambiguously acidic soil (private garden, Ayrshire, UK; 24 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Mariesii Perfecta' in pink mode (Darley Park, Derby, UK; 28 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Mariesii Perfecta' flowering to perfection in Darley Park, Derby, UK (28 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Tall, robust Hydrangea 'Mariesii Perfecta' growing in dappled shade (private garden, Ayrshire, UK; 24 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Mathilde Gütges'

Flowers with slightly serrate sepals, cobalt blue / indifferent pink, prized in its blue state; heads somewhat flattened. Leaves a good dark green. Compact, height to about 1 m. Introduced 1946 by August Steiniger, Germany (Boebel 2011; Church 2007; Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)

Hydrangea 'Mathilde Gütges' is a very compact cultivar (Avenue Cottage, Ashprington, Devon, UK; 17 October 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Merritt's Supreme'

Flowers with up to 6 serrate, strongly overlapping sepals, purple-blue / purplish pink, ageing attractively and drying well. A tolerant plant with stout stems, height about 1.5 m. A seedling from Draps, Belgium, named before 1950 by Baltimore hydrangea nurseryman Joseph Merritt; much more widely grown in North America than in Europe (Church 2007; Lawson-Hall & Rothera 1995; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)

'Merveille Sanguine'

Flowers purple-pink / deep red-pink, with entire sepals. Leaves dark red-purple, especially when young, a glowing red in autumn. Quite short and slow growing, with thick, erect stems; at its least attractive a gaunt, twiggy thing. Introduced 1939 by Henri Cayeux, France, a sport from his own ‘Merveille’ which has similar but less intensely coloured leaves (Church 2007; Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004). A chancy plant, darkly beautiful at its best but too often an unattractive mess. Maurice Foster (2023) thoroughly sums up the difficulties, and we quote him in full: ‘the flowers rot if it is too wet and curl if it is too dry; too much shade and flowering is inhibited, too much sun and growth is inhibited’. In Britain it is customary to comment ‘bloody marvellous’ or ‘it’s a bloody marvel’, sometimes ironically, sometimes in genuine appreciation.

Hydrangea 'Merveille Sanguine', a temperamental plant, is darkly attractive at its best. Note the reverted shoot near the base. (White House Farm, Kent, UK) Image Maurice Foster.

Flowers of Hydrangea 'Merveille Sanguine' tend to age badly, even when it has looked great at peak flowering (Avenue Cottage, Ashprington, Devon, UK; 17 October 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

The "bloody marvel": Hydrangea 'Merveille Sanguine' (Logan Botanic Garden, Dumfries & Galloway, UK; 25 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Merveille Sanguine' in purple mode (Logan Botanic Garden, Dumfries & Galloway, UK; 25 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Temperamental Hydrangea 'Merveille Sanguine' can too easily grow gaunt and twiggy (Logan Botanic Garden, Dumfries & Galloway, UK; 25 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Winter emphasises the strongly erect habit of Hydrangea 'Merveille Sanguine' (The Garden House, Devon, UK; 19 January 2024). Image Julian Sutton.

'Mikanba-gaku'

Sterile flowers white to pale pink, with deeply toothed sepals; fertile flowers lightly pigmented. Leaves distinctive, thick and very shiny, without teeth on the margins; semi-evergreen. Japanese origin (Pépinière AOBA 2024; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022).

The thick, glossy leaves of semi-evergreen Hydrangea 'Mikanba-gaku' have entire margins (Darley Park, Derby, UK; 28 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Mikata-yae'

Sterile flowers double, with long, broadly lanceolate sepals giving a starry effect, blue/pink but tending towards pink if not on strongly acidic soil. Height under 1 m. Collected by Akifumi Hamada on Mt. Hachibuse, Honshu. (Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)

Double flowered Hydrangea serrata 'Mikata-yae' tends towards pink (Savill Garden, Surrey, UK; 24 June 2024). Image Julian Sutton.

A group of Hydrangea serrata 'Mikata-yae' at the Savill Garden, Surrey, UK (24 June 2024). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea serrata 'Mikata-yae' in lilac (Savill Garden, Surrey, UK; 24 June 2024). Image Julian Sutton.

'Mikawa-chidori'

A mophead sport of wild H. macrophylla. Flowers small and starry, with pointed sepals, light blue/pink; blueing readily, and very free flowering even in shade for Maurice Foster in Kent, UK; height about 1.25 m (Foster 2023; Sous Un Arbre Perché 2024). Found beside the Tenryū River, C Honshu, by Takiko Fujita (Association Shamrock 2022).

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Mikawa-chidori', a mopheaded wild find. Image Maurice Foster.

'Mini Penny'

(Royal Majestics® Series) Flowers mid-blue/pink. Claimed as remontant, although less so than its parent ‘Penny Mac’, from whose open-pollinated seed it was selected as a more compact alternative. Height to about 1.25 m. Selected before 2002 by Michael Dirr, University of Georgia. Protected by US Plant Patent 15,744 and European Plant Breeder’s Rights. (Dirr 2021; Google Patents 2024; Association Shamrock 2022)

Hydrangea 'Mini Penny' (Plant Introductions International, Georgia, USA; 24 May 2012). Image Michael Dirr.

'Mirai'

(Hovaria® Series) Flowers white with a thin pink to red edge, apparently never blueing. Red tints in the young and autumn leaves; height to about 1 m. Selected before 1990 by Mototeru Yatabe, Japan, a counterpart to the lacecap ‘Love You Kiss’ (Hovaria 1999; Association Shamrock 2022).

Hydrangea 'Mirai' with strongly erect stems (Avenue Cottage, Ashprington, Devon, UK; 17 October 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Mirai' has sepals with a distinct pink to red edge, apparently never blue (Avenue Cottage, Ashprington, Devon, UK; 17 October 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Mirai' leaves often have reddish or purple tints (Avenue Cottage, Ashprington, Devon, UK; 17 October 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Miranda'

Sterile flowers clear blue/pink, the fertile flowers unusually almost exactly the same shade. Vigorous and free-flowering, to 1 × 1 m; best in some sun. A seedling selected before 1960 by Michael Haworth-Booth, UK for ‘limpid blue flower and a strong, bushy habit’ (Haworth-Booth 1984). For Maurice Foster it is ‘a gem, my touchstone for colour in blue H. serrata’ (Foster 2023). Not to be confused with the climbing H. petiolaris ‘Mirranda’!

Hydrangea serrata 'Miranda' was selected for the quality of its blue flower (private garden, Argyll & Bute, UK; 22 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea serrata 'Miranda' in lilac mode; whatever the colour, fertile and sterile flowers are the same shade (RHS Garden Rosemoor, UK; 6 September 2021). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea serrata 'Miranda' (Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire, UK; 23 June 2024). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea serrata 'Miranda' is vigorous and bushy (Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire, UK; 23 June 2024). Image Julian Sutton.

'Miss Belgium'

Flowers purplish-blue / rosy-pink, the pink state considered more attractive; early. Compact, 1–1.25 m, good for pots though sometimes weak stemmed. A 1935 introduction by Draps-Dom, Belgium (Church 2007; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022). Paradoxically perhaps, the Miss Belgium beauty pageant was not held in 1935 (Wikipedia 2024a), but the most celebrated Miss Belgium of that period was the 1930 winner actress Netta Duchâteau, who went on to become both Miss Universe and the ‘flapper’ model in a celebrated advertising poster for Belga cigarettes (Wikipedia 2024b).

Hydrangea 'Miss Belgium' is perhaps more attractive when a more definite pink than here (Arboretum Het Leen Eeklo, Belgium – 3 July 2005). Image © Jan De Langhe.

Hydrangea 'Miss Belgium': this purplish shade is about as blue as it gets (Arboretum Het Leen Eeklo, Belgium – 3 July 2005). Image © Jan De Langhe.

'Miyama-yae-murasaki'

Sterile flowers double, blue to purple/pink; fertile flowers blue/pink. Vigorous and potentially large, to 1.5 m tall with broadly spreading habit. Found around 1950 by Isamu Satoh on the Horikoshi Pass near Kyoto. One of the finest H. serrata cultivars with coloured, double flowers. The trade designation PURPLE TIERS is used only in North America. (Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022; Staels 2024)

Hydrangea serrata 'Miyama-yae-murasaki' in blue mode (White House Farm, Kent, UK, United States; 12 July 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea serrata 'Miyama-yae-murasaki', one of the finest H. serrata with coloured, double flowers (nursery stock at Windcliff garden, WA, United States; 27 June 2023). Image John Grimshaw.

'Monmar'

(So Long® Series) A sport on ‘Bailmer’ with dark purple-black stems, otherwise very similar; flowers blue / pink in heads to about 15 cm across, remontant; height to about 1.5 m. Selected 2007 by Marc and Marcella Ulrich, California. Protected by US Plant Patent 25,209 and European Plant Breeders’ Rights (SAPHO 2024; Dirr 2021; Promesse de Fleurs 2024;Google Patents 2024). Flowers well for Boebel (2018) in upstate New York (Zone 6).

'Montgomery'

Flowers packed into small heads, colour notably variable from magenta-purple with bluer centre to ruby-red, ageing attractively. Height to 1.5 m or so. A 1945 introduction by the Draps-Dom nursery, Belgium. ‘Holehird Purple’ is similar and might be an inadvertent renaming; the name ‘Montgomery’ is still current in Australia and New Zealand, but ‘Holehird Purple’ is more often seen in Britain (Church 2007; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022).

'Mousmé'

Sterile flowers purplish/pink, sometimes streaked or spotted, never really blue, with initially concave sepals opening flat and overlapping; fertile flowers blue/purplish; all ageing to interesting, subtle shades. Dark green leaves on a shrub to about 1.5 m, probably best in some shade. Selected by Louis Cayeux, France; introduced 1967. (Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Promesse de Fleurs 2024). ‘Mousmé’ is a europeanized form of the Japanese musu-me (むすめ) – daughter or young girl – as seen in Van Gogh’s portrait ‘La Mousmé’, for example. The cultivar (but not the above word) is usually spelled ‘Mousmée’ (which makes little sense), while the French-based International Register (Association Shamrock 2022) uses ‘Mousmé’. Without having traced the original publication, we follow the Register.

Hydrangea 'Mousmé' (private garden, Ayrshire, UK; 24 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Mousmé', a beautiful lacecap whose sterile flowers are never really blue (private garden, Ayrshire, UK; 24 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Mousseline'

Flowers light blue / light pink; long flowering. A larger plant, exceeding 1.5 m. Introduced 1909 by Émile Lemoine, France, a seedling of ‘Rosea’. Very like its better known contemporary ‘Générale Vicomtesse de Vibraye’, but lacks the latter’s prominent lenticels (Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)

Antique tints in ageing flowers of Hydrangea 'Mousseline' (Avenue Cottage, Ashprington, Devon, UK; 17 October 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Hydrangea 'Mousseline' in an intermediate lilac shade (private garden, Argyll & Bute, UK; 22 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

'Möwe'

(Teller Series, introduced 1964) Flowers tending towards red, purple but never properly blue on acidic soils; inflorescences large, sometimes with a double ring of sterile flowers. A sturdy plant to about 1.5 m in height, suitable for the open garden (Foster 2023; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004). Möwe translates as ‘seagull’. An unlabelled plant bought from a florist’s shop by British gardener Geoffrey Chadbund gave rise to the widely used synonym (Bean 1981).

Hydrangea 'Möwe' sometimes has a double ring of sterile flowers. Image Maurice Foster.

Hydrangea 'Möwe' never has properly blue flowers, purple is the closest it gets on acidic soils (White House Farm, Kent, UK; 12 July 2024). Image Julian Sutton.

'Mrs W.J. Hepburn'

Flowers purplish pink / pink, not blueing readily, in large heads, ageing attractively. Height to about 1.25 m. An old British cultivar still occasionally seen in the trade, introduced 1927 by London nurseryman H.J. Jones. (Church 2007; van Gelderen & van Gelderen 2004; Association Shamrock 2022)

Hydrangea 'Mrs. W.J. Hepburn' at its bluest. This is one of the few surviving early 20th century British cultivars (private garden, Ayrshire, UK; 24 August 2023). Image Julian Sutton.

Music Collection

A series bred, produced and marketed across Europe from 2012 by Schroll Flowers, Denmark. Marketing seems aimed at the pot trade, with colour-matched pots and guitar shaped tags; claimed features also seem focused on pot plants – copious long-lasting flowers on young plants, intense colours, sturdy branching. Cultivars – all protected by European Plant Breeders’ Rights – include ‘Schrolla02’ (DEEP PURPLE DANCE), ‘Schrolla03’ (RED REGGAE) and ‘Schrolla06’ (PINK POP) (Schroll Flowers 2021; Association Shamrock 2022)