Hydrangea Macrophylla Libelle

Hydrangea Macrophylla Libelle is a deciduous flowering shrub with the RHS AGM. It produces snow-white lacecap flowers in summer and best suits moist shady flower borders with room to grow.

Hydrangea Macrophylla is native to Japan and cultivated into two types of flowers which are the mophead hydrangea with large rounded flowerheads, and lacecaps with delicate, flatter flowers and larger edging petals. Hydrangea Macrophylla Libelle is a lace cap variety with mid-green glossy foliage and bright white flowers all summer long.

In mid to late summer its fertile centre flowers may turn pink in alkaline soils or blue in acidic soil, but they are mostly obscured by the larger white sterile flowers. Hydrangea Macrophylla Libelle holds the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit and brings a snowy white hit of colour to shady borders. It’s an excellent choice in cool, low maintenance gardens.

Height and Spread of Hydrangea Macrophylla Libelle
Hydrangea Macrophylla Libelle can reach a height of 2.5 metres and spread over 1.5 metres in 5-10 years.

How Hardy Is Hydrangea Macrophylla Libelle
This s a hardy, frost tolerant shrub if its roots are well-drained. It needs some shelter from drying winds and does not like full sun.

How To Use Hydrangea Macrophylla Libelle
Libelle is a lovely border filler if it has enough room to stretch out. It looks good in partially shady cottage-style borders and mixes well with brightly coloured summer flowering shrubs. It’s best left to thrive in a mixed border with plenty of nutrients in the soil.
Flower arrangers enjoy the floriferous flowers heads that can be used fresh or left to dry out on the shrub and displayed in cut flowers arrangements during winter.
Hydrangea Macrophylla Libelle can be grown in large, well-watered and fed containers to brighten a deck but should not be allowed to dry out. 

How To Care For Hydrangea Macrophylla Libelle
When it’s planted in a partially shady moist spot Hydrangea Macrophylla Libelle needs little to no maintenance. It needs some shelter from the harshest weather but in the right spot it will thrive with little intervention.
Water well until established and during hot spells, and place a thick layer of organic matter around the roots in early spring to trap moisture and provide nutrients for the growing year.
Intensive pruning isn’t necessary, but you can cut out a few of the oldest stems at the base to invigorate the plant once it’s established Do this in early spring, but be aware that lacecaps flower on last year’s growth and removing too much will result in fewer flowers.