Bigleaf Hydrangea, Lacecap 'Shooting Star'

I bought this at Harris Teeter (groc store) in Mint Hill, NC, zone 7.5. I thought it was beautiful, but I lost the info tag and wasn't s...Read Moreure if it'd be hardy here, so I kept it under grow lights last winter, and it did fine, of course. Then I thought, what the heck, and planted it in the ground this spring. It is blooming now and is absolutely gorgeous, and I think with some good mulching, it'll survive our (getting warmer) winters. We'll see.

There was a debate long ago on the Hydrangea forum about the "real" cultivar name for Shooting Star. The confusion arose because of seve...Read Moreral look-a-like plants ('Hanabi' 'Fuji Waterfall' 'Hayes Starburst'and 'Fireworks') and due to Trademarked versus Cultivar names.
Per Gene Griffith at Wilkerson Gardens"... 'Shooting Star' is Hydrangea macrophylla 'Hanabi.' ** A tissue culture firm introduced 'Hanabi' as 'Fuji Waterfall' which is really wrong since there is also a distinctly separate plant that is the serrata form Hydrangea serrata 'Fuji-no-taki' (which translated means Fuji Waterfall).
Terra Nova also has H. m. Hanabi--sometimes called 'Sumida-no-hanabi' (which means fireworks over hanabi), hence the confusion as to the 'Fireworks' name.
'Hayes Starburst' is a completely separate plant, of the native species Hydrangea Arborescens, found in Alabama by Hayes Jackson.

I was given a pot of this plant at my bridal shower and I used its flowers in my hair during my wedding. They are *so* beautiful-- perfe...Read Morect white stars and tiny clusters of blue. I repotted it and it survived much neglect and then it bloomed twice this past summer. It tried to bloom a third time but frost cut that short.

Shooting Star exhibits brilliant white multi-petaled 'stars' shoot from the flower like fireworks. Shooting Star is by far the longest la...Read Moresting of all Lace Cap varieties and is suitable for the outdoors in many regions. Special and unique, Shooting Star is bound to cause a stir among friends and neighbors. You're sure to enjoy it!

In its leafless dormant state, 20-50 degrees F. In its growing state, it tolerates 38-90 degrees F, but prefers 55-75 degrees F.

Drench thouroughly when watering. Remove excess water after watering.

In bloom indoors, any light, but prefers medium light. In the garden, morning sun, afternoon shade.

No fertilizer required during blooming. Use acid fertilizer otherwise.

Use peatmoss and topsoil. (2:1 ratio)

Suitable for zones 7-9. For best results in zone 7, cover dormant cane in the winter with a blanket.