Hydrangea, Fire Island Hydrangea macrophylla 'HORTFIRE' Height: 4 feet Spread: 3 feet
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Hardiness Zone: 4b Other Names: French Hydrangea, Bigleaf Hydrangea Group/Class: Seaside Serenade Series Brand: Monrovia Description: A hardy compact form that is perfect for smaller spaces; features long lasting, bi-color blooms that are white, edged in rich rosy red that matures to pink; foliage has maroon color in spring and fall; Ornamental Features Hydrangea, Fire Island features bold balls of white flowers with red edges at the ends of the branches from late spring to late summer, which emerge from distinctive chartreuse flower buds. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has dark green deciduous foliage which emerges burgundy in spring. The glossy pointy leaves turn an outstanding burgundy in the fall. Landscape Attributes Hydrangea, Fire Island is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage. This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics. Hydrangea, Fire Island is recommended for the following landscape applications; Planting & Growing Hydrangea, Fire Island will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years. This shrub does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. This plant should be periodically fertilized throughout the active growing season with a specially-formulated acidic fertilizer. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. Special Attributes Ideal for foundations, borders shaded in the afternoon Grows best in Eastern Washington and Oregon Desert climate, when shaded from 11 am to 7 pm.
