Hydrangea aspera 'HOT CHOCOLATE'^®

Hot Chocolate^® is a long-awaited novelty in the field of rough-leaved hydrangea. It bears very attractive leaves that are deciduous, felt-like, narrowly ovate, dark green with a notable chocolate-brown overlay when mature, and silvery green to light olive green when young. The added value is a dark burgundy red colour of their reverse.

Flowers are flattened corymbs composed of tiny, violet, fertile flowers in the centre, surrounded by rich pink, sterile flowers. They come out in July and decorate the plant for as long as 2 months. Another interesting feature of this plant is the colour of stems, leaf stalks and veins which grades from deep orange to bright red.

You can tell by the name that hydrangea needs a lot of water, therefore we suggest planting it is semi-shade. It will like full sun only with regular watering on hot, sunny days. It prefers humus-rich, acid soil, neutral is fine, too, but it will not do well in limey ground. Pruning is usually not needed, but you can thin out old plants or shape them if unsightly in early spring. Hardy to approx. -29°C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 05-02-2013