Hydrangea aspera 'Villosa'

It may spend a good part of the year looking dead but when it wakes up it really makes up for it 💜💜💜 #hydrangea-villosa And the bees love it too 🐝 🐝🐝 #bee-friendly

That's magnificent Jacqueline 💜💜💜

Absolutely beautiful Jacqueline 💜💜💜

Thank you Jane 😊 It has become a bit of a beast but it is very slow growing @pelly

I’m glad you think so too 😊 @juliesgarden

Fabulous 😁

It’s beautiful Jacqueline

That’s a fabulous flower- looks like one of those plants in a stately home 🤩

Thanks Christine 😊 @vegandmore

Thanks Joan. It’s having a really good year. Much happier having not been pruned at all though I will have to take some branches out completely at some point I think 🤔 @joanboston

😂 It is rather big isn’t it! @sharonhayden

Who says big is not beautiful, not me.

Turns out of you don’t give it a “little tidy” it flowers really well. Who knew?! 🙄😂 #hydrangea-villosa #autumn-colour 💜

WoW what a beauty….🥰😍

It spends a good part of the year looking dead but once it gets going it’s fab! @wagsmomthompsonbtinternetcom

Liking this one 😁

It’s lovely at this time of year Christine, when everything else is fading @vegandmore

That’s lovely- tough love - my sort of gardening 😂

I’ve got this and I did tidy it up in the spring. Maybe I should leave it to its own devices next year? 🤔😍

As long as you got lots of flowers, I’d suggest you keep doing what you do 😊 @jacaranda

There weren’t that many flowers this year, Jacqueline, and it’s got quite leggy but it’s still a lovely shrub 😍

🤔 Maybe less tidying up needed then. I left mine alone this year and it’s flowering beautifully. In the past I have taken some branches out at ground level and that didn’t seem to upset it, so perhaps that’s an option @jacaranda

😍😍😍

Thank you 😊 It’s looking really good this year @gjones

So few flowers this year and those there are, are hiding. Was it the very late frost or me stupidly "tidying it up a bit” in the spring?🙄

Could be the tidying up in spring, I think. I’m taking one out because it’s growing too big and I keep cutting it back so hardly flowers

I think you’re right Joan. It normally flowers so beautifully. Next year I think I will just take a few branches out right down to the ground... 🤔 @joanboston

Beautiful flowers! #hydrangea #hydrangea-villosa #hydrangea-advice

Thank you Janice 😊 @lovestogarden

28 Oct 2019 • First proper frost of the winter and the #hydrangea-villosa is suddenly sad, the #tuliptree still has most of its leaves though 😃🍂 #mondaymooch though must get some #mondaymotivation and get wrapping

Brrrr, that's a chilly picture ❄❄

Same here!

Beautiful 😍

I didn’t stay out long Jane! ❄️❄️❄️ Though the sun is up now so I’m sure it will warm up @pelly

I love it Joan. Marks the start of the next chapter in the garden 🍂❄️🍂 @joanboston

Thanks Ange ☀️❄️ @anges

It's supposed to be sunny here too, but it's quite full at the moment 🤔🤔

🥶 🥶🥶

Bright sunshine here and I’m watching steam coming off the roof! @pelly

Yikes bit harder than ours...

Thermometer says it got down to -2.7C, so “proper” 😉 @wagsmomthompsonbtinternetcom

11 Oct 2019 • This #combo looked so good in the spring when the #white-honesty was in flower but it’s working well now too #beautyindecay #hydrangea-villosa #honesty

#fadedbeauty 💘😍

A winning combination 💕

Definitely Rachel. I’m so pleased 😃😃😃 @rachelbrooks

20 Aug 2019 • Here are the flowers in more detail. Such a beautiful plant. I forgive it for not doing much until now #hydrangea-villosa

That is absolutely stunning Jacqueline 💜💜💜

Isn’t it gorgeous Jane. And the flowers last well into Autumn just getting paler 💜 @pelly

I think it may have to go on my wish list 💜💜

This one is Stunning! ❣💜❣💜

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous 💜 still love it...still haven’t got it! 🙈

The only challenge is that it takes a long time to come into leaf. This year I underplanted it with white honesty and it looked wonderful. I’ve also planted an alpine Clematis to grow up it but it’s still very small 🤔 @pelly

Thanks Tina. It is pretty fab 😊 @tinaaune

Oh wow beautiful colours 💜💞💜💞

😂😂 Occasionally it produces a plantlet when a low branch roots. Next time it does that I will try and remember and pot it up for you @rachelbrooks

It is worth waiting for Keely 💜💗 @Keely

I wouldn’t have thought of growing a Clematis through a Hydrangea, what a wonderful idea 😍😍

20 Aug 2019 • #hydrangea-villosa Now is your time 💜💚

13 Sep 18 • #purple

💜💜💜

This is so gorgeous!💘😍

Thank you. It is turning #duskypink now but there are still a few purple flowers left @ShelleySnyder

Welcome!💘😍

Thank you Elsie 😊 @auricula

30th October and we've had our first frost. ❄️❄️❄️ Let the #beautyindecay begin ❄️❄️❄️

Morning Jacqueline oh dear definitely makes pretty pictures though 😊❄️❄️

But it does look lovely with a little touch of frost 🌬

Good morning Pauline. I'm not ready for it (never am) but I do love it ❄️💚❄️ @pauline33

Thanks Rachel - especially when the sun is shining, as it is this morning ❄️☀️❄️ @rachelbrooks

Suggestions please!! This is a fabulous hydrangea for autumn colour & in the spring it looks OK underplanted with primroses & bulbs, but... for the next month or so it looks pretty awful, as everything around it is coming into leaf. #suggestions needed for something to grow through it. I wondered about a Clematis Armandii & then chop it down once the H. Villosa comes into leaf. Would that work?

Think the armandii might be and look to heavy for it perhaps a different one might work

Thanks Carol.I wondered that too but all of the more delicate climbers I can think of will come into leaf and flower too late @carolgs

What about an annual climber @awomanonabike morning glory?

The problem with that Kim is I don't think it would get going early enough - or be over soon enough either 😂 @jonners73

Tricky one @awomanonabike I don't think it looks awful 😁

😂😂 That's very sweet of you Kim but it does basically look half dead. Seriously! @jonners73

What about this http://www.taylorsclematis.co.uk/clematis-fragrant-oberon.html It's Clematis Cartmanii Fragrant Oberon. Do you know it? @carolgs @jonners73

I've not seen this clematis before but looks a treat 😉 and sounds like it would probably work @awomanonabike

It looks like an amazing nursery and also probably people I could drop an email to... 😉😊 @jonners73

Try greater stitchwort i have that growing through mine for Spring looks super cant see any woody bits and easy to pull out in summer too 👍

I think any group 1 (pruning) would be a good choice the one you picked looks good and smells nice too @awomanonabike

Some things are still managing to look magical on this foggy day #fog #hydrangea

Lovely ❄️️

Really beautiful! 👌🏼

Thank you both! @susieg @rachelbrooks

They sure do!

More beauty in decay? #beautyindecay

Great photo 🍁🍂🍂

Thanks Pauline! @pauline33

#hydrangea #villosa

It is officially winter when this wilts with the #frost

😔

It's not 😔 really. Just the next phase in the garden... @rachelbrooks

I know...but after the vibrancy of Summer and autumn it seems a bit bleak, but necessary and we wouldn't appreciate the spring otherwise would we?! 😊👍🏼

Absolutely! 🌱🌻🍂❄️

#hydrangea #villosa

This may look dead for half of the year, but come August it makes up for it #hydrangea

Now that's a beauty 💜💜💜