Hydrangea macrophylla 'Geoffrey Chadbund'

Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Geoffrey Chadbund’   –   Lacecap Hydrangea

‘Geoffrey Chadbund’ is a compact shrub, growing up to 1.5 m high and wide. Unusually for a lacecap, it has rosy red sterile flowers (the outer ones) when grown in neutral or alkaline soils. In acidic soils the flowers are mauve-purple.

The flower heads are rounded, with the sterile flowers usually arranged in a single ring, though a double ring can occur.

Flower heads are also easy to dry. If picked when they are pink, they will be lime green when dried. If blue, they'll dry blue-green.

‘Geoffrey Chadbund’ was introduced in the UK before 1956, by L. R. Russel of Windlesham, England. It is named after the author of a book on flowering cherries who also lived in the general area, but the relationship between the two is not known to us.

Sometimes listed in Australia as a synonym for ‘Mont Jean’, though this is only a possible synonym. Also sometimes considered synonymous with ‘Möwe’, though genetic analysis points to ‘Geoffrey Chadbund’ being a closely related yet distinct cultivar.

Considered to be the lacecap counterpart of the mophead cultivar ‘Ami Pasquier’.

RHS Award of Garden Merit in 1993.

• Height: 1.5 m
• Width: 1.5 m