hey mindy ...

i cant tell you how many times i been let down by pictures of blue flowers .... it seems to me.. its one of the most manipulated colors in the spectrum.. even dependent on the time of day the pic is taken ... [hint: for pixs with the bluest blues.. take the pic at dusk, when the sky turns pink]

anyway .. if i saw this in person and was impressed ... it is to die for ... and i would HAVE TO HAVE IT ...

if i mail ordered it.. well ... i would not be surprised if it never lived up to that pix reputation ...

ken

per usual, ken, i couldn't agree w/ you more. watch and see and keep your eyes on google image!OR call the vendor and ask directly. photos may lie but small nursery owners, the good ones, don't.it would hurt them more than help them. imo of course.
best,
mindy

Not exactly new :-) 'Taube' is part of the 'Teller'series of hydrangeas that were developed in Switzerland in the late 60's/early 70's. 'Teller' is German for 'plate' and refers to the lacecap form of all these hydrangeas, which btw were all named for birds - 'Taube' means "dove".

But like most forms of macrophylla, this variety is heavily influenced by soil chemistry with regards to flower color - acid soils will produce blue florets; more neutral to alkaline soil will produce pink florets. It IS pretty strongly colored, though. The blue is quite blue and the pink a rather intense pink.

FWIW, this is often referred to as 'Teller Pink' (incorrectly), so that might give you an indication as to how easily the flower color may be altered. Here in the relatively acidic soils of the PNW, 'Taube' is a clear, true blue, exactly like the photo in the link.

i cant even tell you how many newer bluer better blue hosta i have bought in my life..

lets just say .. with a collection of 1500 ... ITS A LOT ..

and frankly .. when i go to other collections.. its the older ones that catch my eye ... go figure on that ...

ken

gg, your vast knowledge never ceases to amaze me.so, not new to switz but new to me it seems. IF you had clicked the link, you would haved seen joy creek's info about it- that taube is pigeon (but pigeons are doves, which is a much lovelier word anyway)and 1979 was its swiss date.
sounds lovely; maybe we'll get to see it in new eng before long.and ACID is what we are too, so blue is a no-brainer here!

btw, gg, OT but as long as i have your attention, what do you think of kolkwitzia? would it be a top flowering shrubs choice for you if you were in z.5?

best,
mindy

Mindy, Dan had it at the former Heronswood in Kingston in 2003 - I have that years catalog in my lap checking on something else (reference them often) and don't know if first year offered or not.

I'm sure there is someone growing it who has spoken of it on Hydrangeas forum, but right at this minute I couldn't tell you who from memory or what part of the country....

Mindy, I've worked in the nursery industry for years, do horticultural consultations and teach gardening classes - I'm supposed to know all this stuff :-)

'Taube' is still available through Heronswood (aka Burpeewood) in addition to Joy Creek and also Hydrangeas Plus, which btw is an excellent online source for hydrangeas. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it available at your local nurseries or garden centers - the Teller series hydrangeas have been very popular in this country for a number of years......they just don't get the same press as the newer intros like the Endless Summer series seem to. And if you like 'Taube', look for 'Blaumeise' (Blue Tit, Teller Blue) - this is one of my top fav hydrangeas with very large lacecaps and the most incredible blue color you can imagine.

I quite like Kolkwitzia - at least the older forms of it. It is kind of an old fashioned plant that has fallen a bit out of favor but it produces prolific blooms for what I consider to be a rather extended period for a spring flowering shrub. It can get to be quite large and ungainly looking, which might explain its current lack of popularity, but if you prune/groom regularly to keep it looking tidy and within scale, I think it's a great garden addition. As to being a top choice......maybe not, but I don't garden in zone 5 so not as familiar with your limitations for shrub selection :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blaumeise'

GG, do you happen to know how the teller series flowers in colder zones? I'm always hesitant to try certain hydrangeas for lack of flowering.

Arbo, there are a couple of beautiful Kolkwitzias in the Manchester, NH area. They are both in full sun and bloom profusely. The shrub in flower is gorgeous. But, as GG pointed out they can get large and those 2 are HUGE. One of them is probably 15' tall (or taller) and the other not far behind. The spread on the bigger one has to be at least 20'. Both homes where they are located do not have anything else in the way of a garden, so I would suspect there has been no pruning along the way. I also saw 2 in a small backyard that were very large and they were used as a tunnel to walk through to the backyard garden since they have a nice fountain effect. It was an interesting use of the shrubs. Those were in a bit more shade and flowered less than the others in full sun, although still a very nice show. Just wanted to pass along some info on this shrub from our neck of the woods.

thyme, unless it is a hydrangea that blooms on new growth, ALL hydrangeas will need some sort of winter protection in zones lower than 6 in order to protect latent flower buds. And that would include all of the Teller series and in fact pretty much any H. macrophylla with the exception of the extra hardy, old & new wood bloomers like the Endless Summer series.

If you visit the Hydrangea forum and do a quick search, you should find some excellent threads on winter protecting these types of hydrangeas.....one that comes to mind that has some super advice is one by member "Hayseedman" :-) Although winter protecting hydrangeas is not something I need to be concerned with in my area (thankfully), there are a great many growers and lovers of these plants in colder climates who DO go to a lot of effort to afford sufficient cold protection to enjoy a glorious season of flowers! I guess it boils down to if you want to expend the effort :-)

GG, thanks for the extra info. I wasn't sure if this series bloomed at all on new wood. I'm not one to go to the extra effort of cold protection. I'll continue to admire macrophyllas in my mom's Z8 garden!

Mindi, I guess you and Duddley were sooo good last year that Santa decided to leave a nice 7G pot with 'Blaumeise' on my front steps with your name written all over it.
Oh, I see a nice card attached to the wrapping. Let's see what Santa wrote there, 'Don't even think about to leave it unprotected for the winter in zones lower than 7, otherwise you'll never see it blooms. Ho-ho-ho. Happy New Year!'

P.S. In my 6b garden it blooms 1 out 4 years (in ground) and 4 out of 4 being overwintered in pot in unheated garage.

why george, that's the sweetest thing santa claus has ever said to me!! I hope you gave him a big thank you from me!
we will come down for some broken arrow goodies this spring and will be in touch!
santa claus is such a NICE fellow!
best, mindy