Franklin Dean
The Hydrangea macrophylla 'Wedding Gown', also known as 'Dancing Snow', is a beautiful, compact and hardy flowering shrub. It produces full blooms of white flowers, resembling mini bridal bouquets, and is a popular choice for gardeners due to its unique double flowers and reblooming ability. This hydrangea thrives in partial shade, preferring light shade and moist, well-drained soil. It is a relatively low-maintenance plant that can be grown in various settings, such as hedges, borders, or containers, adding a touch of elegance to any garden or landscape.
What You'll Learn
Wedding Gown Hydrangea is toxic to animals and humans if ingested
The Wedding Gown Hydrangea, also known as the 'Dancing Snow', is a beautiful addition to any garden with its pure white blooms and rich green foliage. However, it is important to note that this plant is toxic to both animals and humans if ingested.
The Wedding Gown Hydrangea is a modified lacecap hydrangea with an outer ring of large double flowers and smaller double rings of flowers in the centre, resembling a mini bridal bouquet. It is a popular choice for gardeners due to its full blooms and unique double flowers. The plant is also a reblooming shrub, providing continuous blooms throughout the season if properly maintained.
To ensure the health and longevity of the Wedding Gown Hydrangea, it is important to provide light shade and rich, well-drained soil. While it can tolerate varying pH levels, it is important to ensure that the soil remains moist and is not allowed to dry out completely. Regular deadheading is necessary to encourage reblooming, and fallen foliage should be removed at the end of the season.
The Wedding Gown Hydrangea is best planted in the fall or early spring, allowing it to establish its roots before blooming. It prefers afternoon shade, especially in hot climates, but be mindful that too much shade will reduce its flowering. In terms of size, this hydrangea stays relatively compact, making it a perfect addition to a mixed border or as a row of flowering shrubs.
While the Wedding Gown Hydrangea is a stunning and popular choice for gardeners, it is crucial to remember that it is toxic if ingested. Therefore, it is important to exercise caution and ensure that both humans and animals do not consume any part of this plant.
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It is a recipient of the Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society
The Wedding Gown Hydrangea, or Hydrangea macrophylla 'Wedding Gown', is a recipient of the Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society. This award helps gardeners choose the best plants for their garden. The Wedding Gown Hydrangea is a compact, bushy shrub with large, oval, dark green leaves. It typically grows to a height of 2-3 feet and a width of 3-5 feet. The domed flower heads are produced from late spring until mid-autumn, and the plant blooms on both old wood and new shoots.
The flowers of the Wedding Gown Hydrangea are pure white, double florets that radiate around a central cluster of tiny, fertile, pale green buds. The flower heads may turn pale green and then red in the fall. This hydrangea is well-suited for cutting and can be used fresh or in dried flower arrangements.
In terms of care, the Wedding Gown Hydrangea performs best in partial shade, in moist but well-drained soil. It can tolerate full sun if the soil remains moist. This hydrangea is perfect for foundation plantings or container plantings. It can be massed in a sheltered location or used as an accent plant.
No routine pruning is necessary for the Wedding Gown Hydrangea. However, it is important to remove diseased, damaged, congested, or crossing shoots. If pruning is required, it should be done in late winter or early spring. This hydrangea can be propagated by softwood cuttings.
Overall, the Wedding Gown Hydrangea is a beautiful and elegant addition to any garden, with its pure white flowers and compact, bushy habit. It is easy to care for and can be used in a variety of garden settings.
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It is native to Japan
The Hydrangea macrophylla 'Wedding Gown' is a beautiful flowering shrub native to Japan. This variety of hydrangea, also known as 'Dancing Snow', is a recent introduction to North America and has become a popular choice for gardeners due to its unique features. The 'Wedding Gown' hydrangea is a modified lacecap hydrangea with pure white flowers and a compact growth habit. It typically grows to a height of 2 to 3 feet and has a spread of 3 to 5 feet, making it an excellent choice for hedges or border plants.
Native to the temperate climate of Japan, the 'Wedding Gown' hydrangea thrives in partial shade and well-drained, nutrient-rich soil. It prefers afternoon shade, especially in hot climates, but a small amount of morning sunshine is beneficial. In terms of watering, it is important to ensure that the soil remains moist, but not soggy, as overwatering can be detrimental. To maintain optimal moisture levels, it is recommended to water deeply twice a week, providing extra water during periods of extreme dryness.
The 'Wedding Gown' hydrangea is a stunning addition to any garden, with its lush green foliage and double white blooms. It is a reblooming shrub, meaning it will continue to produce flowers throughout the season if spent blooms are regularly removed. The flowering season typically begins in late spring or early summer and extends into the fall. To encourage more blooms, gardeners can practice deadheading, which involves removing old flower heads to promote the growth of new flowers.
In terms of planting, the 'Wedding Gown' hydrangea is best planted in the fall or early spring, allowing it to establish its roots before the blooming season. It is important to ensure proper spacing of 3 to 4 feet between each plant to ensure adequate room for growth. When planting, create a hole that is as deep as the root ball and twice as wide, adding organic matter to the soil before backfilling. After planting, cover the area with mulch and keep it well-watered to establish the shrub.
The 'Wedding Gown' hydrangea is a versatile plant that can be used in a variety of landscaping applications. Its compact size makes it ideal for hedges, borders, or foundation plantings. It can also be used as a focal point or cut for flower arrangements. With its stunning white blooms and lush foliage, the 'Wedding Gown' hydrangea is a beautiful addition to any garden or landscape, evoking the elegance and purity of a wedding gown.
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It is hardy in Zones 5-10
The Wedding Gown Hydrangea is a hardy plant that can be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-10. This means that it can be grown in areas with average winter lows ranging from -20°F to 30-40°F. In Zone 5, which includes areas with winter lows of -20°F, gardeners are advised to plant the Wedding Gown Hydrangea in a sheltered location and provide a winter mulch to protect it from cold temperatures and winds that can damage flower buds.
In Zones 6-9, which cover a broad range of climates across the United States, the Wedding Gown Hydrangea can be grown successfully with some considerations. The ideal planting times are in the fall or spring, when temperatures are cooler, to reduce transplant shock and encourage root growth. However, in Zone 10, which includes the southern tip of Florida, southern Texas, parts of southern California, and small sections of Arizona, the focus should be on protecting the plant from the heat.
The Wedding Gown Hydrangea, also known as 'Dancing Snow', is a popular choice for gardeners due to its full blooms and unique double flowers. It prefers light shade and rich, well-drained soil. It can tolerate some morning sunshine but requires shade during the hottest part of the day in the afternoon, especially in hot climates. This is a compact variety, reaching a height of 2 to 3 feet, making it suitable for borders or foundation plantings.
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It is a dwarf flowering shrub
The Wedding Gown Hydrangea is a dwarf flowering shrub, reaching a modest height of 2 ½ to 3 feet tall. It is a compact grower, with a bushy, rounded habit, and a width of 3 to 5 feet wide. This makes it a great addition to the middle of a mixed border or as a row of flowering shrubs at the front of a foundation planting. It can also be used as a focal point or to frame entryways.
The Wedding Gown Hydrangea is a modified lacecap hydrangea with pure white flowers and dark green foliage. Each flower head is like a mini bridal bouquet, with an outer ring of large, double flowers surrounding a centre packed with smaller, double ones. The flowers bloom continuously throughout the season, from late spring or early summer until fall, if spent blooms are regularly removed. The flowers can be used fresh or dried in flower arrangements.
The Wedding Gown Hydrangea is a hardy plant, but it does prefer light shade and rich, well-drained soil. It will also do well in conditions with a bit of morning sunshine, as long as there is shade in the afternoon. It should be watered deeply twice a week and fertilised once a year with an all-purpose slow-release fertiliser. Pruning is not necessary, but if needed, it should be done in early spring before growth begins.
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Frequently asked questions
Partial shade means the plant will do well in areas that receive some sun and some shade throughout the day. Morning sun and afternoon shade are ideal conditions for this hydrangea variety.
This hydrangea variety requires around four hours of sun per day. It can tolerate full sun in the North but benefits from afternoon shade. In the South, afternoon shade is a requirement.
If shade is not available, extra water is helpful. However, it is important not to overwater as Hydrangea Macrophylla Wedding Gown does not do well in soggy soil.
