Hydrangea macrophylla 'Glowing Embers' - Glowing Embers Hydrangea

This much-desired showy summer-blooming garden shrub produces large deep pink globe-shaped flowers all summer long, somewhat coarse leaves; blooms on old wood so protection of flower buds in winter may be necessary

Height: 5 feet. Spread: 5 feet. Sun: full sun to partial shade. Hardiness zone: 5b.

Ornamental features

Glowing Embers Hydrangea features bold balls of hot pink flowers with red overtones at the ends of the branches from mid summer to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has forest green deciduous foliage. The glossy pointy leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color.

Landscape

Glowing Embers Hydrangea is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Recommended for: Accent, Mass Planting, Hedges/Screening, General Garden Use, Container Planting.

Planting and growing

Glowing Embers Hydrangea will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder.