I absolutely love this hydrangea. I have quite a collection of hydrangeas and this one, if not my very favorite, is very near the top. ...Read MoreActually, I can't think of another hydrangea that I like better. It was especially gorgeous with beautiful deep pink (we have alkaline soil) mophead flowers in late spring/early summer that held the color for weeks, then gradually turned greenish and now in the fall are turning a magnificent red. I visited Heronswood Nursery in 2005 when Dan Hinckley was there on a day that they were featuring lectures on hydrangeas and had all of their beautiful hydrangeas in bloom to choose from. Unfortunately I was not able to attend the lectures (which I regret to this day) but I did purchase several of the hydrangeas with the most gorgeous blooms and 'Hamburg' was one of those. It has been the best of the purchases. It has stayed quite compact--after 4 yrs. without any pruning it has slowly increased each year and is now about 2 1/2 ft. tall and wide. I do protect it in the winter (zone 5/6) by enclosing it with 2 1/2 ft. tall woven wire fencing covered (not over the top--just the sides) with landscape fabric or burlap. After encircling the plant with the fencing (wired together and then anchored with a short rebar post) I pile coarse bark mulch (the free kind tree trimmers provide) to cover the plant. I do this with all my macrophyllas that bloom on old wood. I am not sure if 'Hamburg' blooms on new or old wood (if you know please let me know) but it does bloom more reliably than other macrophyllas that get the same winter protection including 'Endless Summer' and 'All Summer Beauty.' In fairness, my 'Hamburg' is probably planted in an area that is a bit more protected than the two others that I mentioned.
From the "Encyclopedia of Hydrangeas," (Van Gelderen -2004)," A strong growing shrub with massive foliage. Flowers deep pink or purple,...Read More or blue, in huge corymbs, sepals serrate. Flowering time is from Auguest to September. This cultivar is easily confused with its sister seedlinger 'Europa' and 'Altona'. The differences are minor. Still in cultivation. Bred by H. Schadendorff, Germany, in 1931. RHS Award: AGM 1992. Rampp Nursery introduced a different plant (light pink flowers in a tight corymb) with same same in the CITY-LINE series. This ractice is against the ICNCP rules of nomenclature."
No hardiness zone given
In "Hydrangeas for American Gardens," by Michael A. Dirr (2004), it says flowers last an unusually long time and turn red in autumn.
I absolutely love this hydrangea. I have quite a collection of hydrangeas and this one, if not my very favorite, is very near the top. ...Read More
From the "Encyclopedia of Hydrangeas," (Van Gelderen -2004)," A strong growing shrub with massive foliage. Flowers deep pink or purple,...Read More