Tardiva Hydrangea

'Tardiva' is a late-flowering (early to late autumn) cultivar with loosely-packed, sharply pointed white flower heads that turn purplish-pink with age. It is a vigorous, fast growing deciduous shrub that reaches 8 to 12 feet tall and 7 to 10 feet wide.

This is one of the most cold-hardy species. It may be grown as a single-stemmed specimen or as a multi-stemmed shrub. Flowers are good for cutting and drying.

Grow in moist, but well-drained soil, in sun to partial shade. Blooms on current season's wood; may be cut back to a few buds to form a framework in spring to produce larger flowers, or alternately, allow to grow with minimal pruning.

Planting Instructions - Dig your planting hole twice the diameter of the root ball. You should dig the hole so that once planted it will be at the same level in the ground as it was in its container. Before you place it into its hole, you should loosen the soil around the outside of the root ball. This will help the roots to spread more easily once it is planted. Place your shrub into the hole. Back-fill the hole with soil and pack it down firmly. Water well to help get rid of air pockets in the soil. Add a layer of mulch to your newly planted shrub. This will help the soil to conserve moisture.