Hydrangea macrophylla 'Early Blue'

A compact shrub producing bold ball-shaped flowers of intense blue-violet that cover the plant; ideal for the shrub border or foundation garden; perfect for patio containers; blue color is dependent on acidic soil. 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. Early Blue Hydrangea features bold balls of blue flowers at the ends of the branches from late spring to mid summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has forest green deciduous  foliage. The glossy pointy leaves do not develop any appreciable fall colour.

Early Blue Hydrangea 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.

Early Blue Hydrangea will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

Early Blue Hydrangea makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.