Blooming and Booming: Japan’s Hydrangeas Enjoy Surge in Popularity

The four “petals” of hydrangea blooms were viewed as unlucky. (© Photo AC)

Hydrangea azisai (left) and Hydrangea otaksa, in von Siebold’s Flora Japonica. (© Library of Biological Sciences, Kyoto University)

The Thomas Hogg hydrangea. (© Kakujitsuen)

The famed blue hydrangeas at the Buddhist temple Meigetsuin in Kamakura. (© Photo AC)

Sumida no Hanabi (Fireworks over the Sumida River) is a gaku ajisai discovered by Yamamoto Takeomi in a friend’s garden. (© Photo AC)

A mophead hydrangea. (© Kakujitsuen)

(© Ochiai Hoshifumi)

A gaku ajisai, Hydrangea macrophylla, estimated to be more than 60 years old. The sepals’ ragged edges are reminiscent of nadeshiko (Dianthus superbus). (© Kakujitsuen)

(© Ochiai Hoshifumi)

(© Ochiai Hoshifumi)

(© Ochiai Hoshifumi)

(© Ochiai Hoshifumi)

(© Ochiai Hoshifumi)

Probably the deepest red hydrangea. (Courtesy Kakujitsuen)

So named because the flowers look similar to butterflies flitting about. (Courtesy Kakujitsuen)

A variant of a yama ajisai, Hydrangea serrata, which was discovered by von Siebold. (© Photo AC)

Kawarada Kunihiko heads off to admire more flowers. (© Ochiai Hoshifumi)