Bigleaf Hydrangea, French Hydrangea, Mophead 'Mathilda Gutges'

This is probably my favorite hydrangea ever. Super deeply pigmented (no pastel colors) and supersized sepals! (Massive flower head size t...Read Moreoo). What more could you want? Oh yea, naturally deep green leaves? Mathilda Gutges has those too, in addition to very good disease resistance from what I can tell so far!

(I’m in zone 8b, in coastal South Carolina.) I’ve only had mine for a year, so I can’t speak to its mature size, but I can update in a few years.
- Get your hands on this cultivar, she’s a stunner.

Due to questionable bud-hardiness combined with its apparent dwarf-size, I decided to keep mine in a 5-gallon deco pot. Over three season...Read Mores, it has not surpassed 18" in height. Branch structure is tight and full. Produces advertised multi-colored blooms up to 6" in diameter, that change through stages of pinks, blues and purples as they mature.

The Hydrangea that I have will produce flowers from green, blue or pink depending on the acid level of the soil.

Looking at references on this hydrangea, I seem to find some conflicts. According to the authors of "Encyclopedia of Hydrangeas" C.J. an...Read Mored D.M. Van Gelderen (2004 - Timber Press), this cultivar grows to 3', has serrate sepals, changes color easily and is not easily obtainable in the trade.

In "Hydrangeas for American Gardens," by Michael A. Dirr (2004), it says that this cultivar is 4'-5' tall and has lustrous dark green leaves; flowers mid to late season and may have pink, blue, or violet flowers or a combination of all 3. Sepals are sharply dentate to entire. Dirr notes that this may be the same hydrangea known as 'Royal Purple'.

I have two one-year-old 'Royal Purple' hydrangea given to me by a grower in fall of 2003. In summer of 2004 these had overwintered successfully but did not flower (probably too young), by fall had grown to approximately 12" tall and were well branched.

As no zone hardiness is listed for this hydrangea, I am proceeding by protecting these well and have them in a protected location. I will update this when/if I get my first flowers as to whether these are truely 'Mathilde Gutges' according to descriptions.