Plant Finder
Wedding Gown Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Dancing Snow'
Height: 3 feet
Spread: 3 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 4
Other Names: Bigleaf Hydrangea, Dancing Snow Hydrangea
Group/Class: Double Delights Collection
Brand: Ball
Description:
A truly delightful and reliable compact shrub which features lovely white double flowers that are held on short firm stems; a wonderful addition to the garden or border
Ornamental Features
Wedding Gown Hydrangea features bold white lacecap flowers at the ends of the branches from early summer to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has green deciduous foliage. The glossy pointy leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color.
Landscape Attributes
Wedding Gown Hydrangea is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.
This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Wedding Gown Hydrangea is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Accent
- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
- Container Planting
Planting & Growing
Wedding Gown Hydrangea will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.
This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
Wedding Gown Hydrangea makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.