PlantFiles: Bigleaf Hydrangea, Lacecap
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Coerulea'

From the source "Hydrangeas for American Gardens," by Michael A. Dirr (2004): Medium growth habit with abundant, delicate flowers, always consistent. Pink to mauve in alkaline soil, blue in acid. Continuous blooming from late spring until frost. AKA 'Coerulea Lace', 'Caerulea'.

The tiny fertile flowers of this lacecap are a deeper color than the sterile flowers, which are a lighter to white color around the outside edge creating an interesting bloom. The flowers are nestled among tapered leaves which become very colorful in the fall adding to the appeal of this plant. Credit is given to Joseph Dalton Hooker for the discovery of this very ancient Japanese variety in the 1800s. Coerulea is of the same hybrid parentage as H. serrata, and is noted as being hardier.

Van Gelderen in "Encyclopedia of Hydrangeas" claims that this cultivar is also called, 'Curtis' Legacy', which replaces the "illegitimate" name of H. japonica 'Coerulea'. Curtis describes it as a variety of H. japonica in 1846. The plant is a cultivar and now also treated as such.