Colours and shapes
Red, pink, purple, white, green and blue hydrangeas all appear in the first half of the year, as well as hydrangeas which combine several colours. In the second half of the year, flowers appear in green, red and brown tones. These are good flowers to dry, as their seasonal hues are excellent for decorating the home in autumn and winter.
There’s also plenty of choice when it comes to flower shape. Choose between single and double petal varieties, globe-shaped hydrangeas, edge bloomers (small flowers in the middle and large petals on the edge) or hydrangeas shaped like a feather plume.
Symbolism
The hydrangea represents gratitude, grace and beauty. It also radiates abundance because of the lavish number of flowers and the generous round shape. Its colours symbolise love, harmony and peace. The flower lends itself naturally to floral arrangement for weddings and birthdays, but is also equally suitable for memorial bouquets.
Origin
The modern hydrangea is native to Asia and South America. The flower was brought back to Europe on the first Dutch East India Company ships. Interestingly, its name comes from ‘hydro’ (water) and ‘angeion’ (pitcher), because the hydrangea’s shape is said to resemble that of a traditional water pitcher.