Hydrangea Tilt-A-Swirl® Bigleaf Hydrangea

Gold Medal at Plantarium, Boskoop, Netherlands

A bigleaf hydrangea from Bloomin' Easy®, Tilt-A-Swirl® is a woody, deciduous flowering shrub that provides a kaleidoscope of show-stopping color to your garden for many, many months. Reaching only 3 to 4 feet tall and wide, Tilt-A-Swirl blooms on old and new wood for continuous flowers from late spring through autumn, typically to first frost. The full-sized mopheads last a long time and go through color changes throughout the season, with the florets becoming a swirl of varying bright red and green color as they mature, growing redder with age. The mopheads, held aloft fleshy green foliage on sturdy stems, make gorgeous cut flowers for fresh and dried bouquets. The dried flowers also add spots of brilliant color to homemade wreaths.

A Hydrangea macrophylla, commonly called bigleaf hydrangea, Tilt-A-Swirl is a multi-stemmed, suckering shrub with a mounded habit and a moderate growth rate. The shrub is perfect for a large container, and it makes a great specimen plant, but it's shown to best effect when grouped or massed in mixed beds and borders. Azaleas make great companion plants because as their flowers begin to fade, this hydrangea will begin to bloom.

A shade-friendly shrub, easy to grow and maintain, hydrangea grows best in partially sunny locations with rich, moist, well-draining soil. Full morning sun for 3 to 4 hours and dappled afternoon shade typically works best. Hydrangea can generally tolerate more sun if the plant is kept consistently moist and mulched. Tilt-A-Swirl is bred to be heat tolerant and especially cold hardy, tolerating temperatures down to -20°F (-28.9°C). Deadheading spent flowers encourages even more blooms; however, Tilt-A-Swirl needs very little pruning, especially the first few years. But any desired pruning should be completed in spring, after the last frost date in your area. And you'll want to leave the stems through winter, since the hollow stems provide nesting habitats for bees.

Hydrangea macrophylla change color with the pH of the soil, turning pink in alkaline soil and blue in acid soils.

Discover tips to ensure your hydrangeas thrive, from soil preparation to pruning techniques, by following our expert advice on the Hydrangea Planting and General Care Guide and the How to Prune Hydrangea Plants blog.