Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blaumeise'

This hydrangea - yes, the lacecap with the beautiful blue flowers that will emerge over the next few weeks - is most likely 'Blaumeise' or, as Les of  A Tidewater Gardener wrote, 'Teller's Blue' (here is his comment from a previous post):

It could very well be 'Blaumeise', it is sometimes sold as 'Teller Blue'. It was part of a Swiss series named after birds native to Europe. Literally translated it is Blue Tit or Blue Titmouse, so you see it would be more marketable as 'Teller Blue'.

Mystery solved!

So here is Die Blaumeise (Cyanistes caeruleus aka Blue Tit)  -  and if you look at that beautiful blue, and compare it it to this beautiful blue - well, there you have it.  Hydrangeas named after birds!  Supposedly there are 26 hydrangeas in the Teller Series (and some - I think that I read - are named after insects) - and they were introduced in the late '80s.  How can one not want to be surrounded by such hydrangeas? 

~~~~~

The Teller Series of hydrangeas is an interesting one.  I haven't been able to dig up much detail on them - (but let's face it, this week has been filled with the visit of a microbial genomicist to the lab...and meetings upon more meetings coupled to even MORE ludicrous meetings...so I haven't dug up much on anything at all) - but I sense that they are definitely the hydrangea (or closely related to the hydrangea) that are the 'hothouse' ones that you see for sale in stores, yes, those with huge white, blue or pink lacecaps on relatively small plants.  I recently planted two of these - a white one and a pink one - in my own garden - hydrangeas that people brought to my parent's home after my Mother's death.  As far as I can tell - they might, like 'Blaumeise', be happy in my zone 8b garden.  Last fall I planted H. macrophylla 'Kardinal' - ahhhh!  Another one of the Teller Series I'm guessing. 

I do believe that I want to fill up my southern coastal garden with hydrangeas named after birds!  I need to learn more about this series.      

Comments

[Nancy Bond]

Hydrangeas are such wonderful blooms. And what better thing to name any flower after than birds -- cardinal red, flamingo pink, finch gold, gull grey, robin egg or titmouse) blue, etc. Great post!

[Les]

Pam, thanks for the shout out. Hydrangeas are perhaps my favorite shrub. I have heard that the florist grow alot of Hyd. 'Merritt's Supreme'. The landscape designers at work use this one alot (you would think it is the only one they ever heard of). It has large blooms with big petals, rich color - not pastel, dark green glossy foliage, and all of this on a compact shrub.

[Pam]

Nancy, I wholeheartedly agree. Thanks.

Les - do you by chance have (or know of) the complete list of the 26 Teller Series hydrangeas? I did a quick search, but couldn't find them. I've heard of Merritt's Supreme, but haven't had direct experience with them. As for hydrangeas - they are a favorite of mine too, and they are generally happy in my garden. Over the past two years I've branched out into some different varieties (are you familiar with th Wilkerson Mill Gardens website?) - and can't seem to get enough. (Disclaimer: It is late May in South Carolina - late May and June is ALL about hydrangeas here during early summer).

[Layanee]

Really? Hydrangeas? I like them but they are really only at their best in flower (my opinion) and the rest of the time can look a bit cumbersome. That said, I can't grow many of the ones that you can grow so that may be the cause of my bias.

[Pam]

Layanee, perhaps you need to visit Charleston - say, in mid-June? I'd invite you over for a cocktail (or two) and something fun to eat and you could sit under my live oaks (with no fountain yet) and we could discuss hydrangeas. I think the issue here is a bit geographical - they're happy here, for example, my 'Blaumeise' is about 6' tall and 8' or more in width, doesn't have an insect blemish on it - and will soon be literally covered in gorgeous blue flowers that linger and slowly fade in color through fall. The oakleaf's are also quite nice in the winter (with respect to their branches) - and alot of the hydrangeas get fun fall color. Plus, there are fall-blooming hydrangeas that can grow down here. How fun is that? I never thought much about them at all when I lived up north - but down here, we love our hydrangeas!

[kate]

How can you not want to have hydrangeas when they are named after birds? I am looking forward to seeing the hydrangea in full bloom. I love that colour of blue.

Very few hydrangeas grow here ... so, to me, they verge on the exotic.