Flowers consist of huge, ball-shaped inflorescences on the most common variety.
There are many varieties which are described in various references, the most striking of which is a variegated leaf shrub that bears flat, or lace-capped inflorescences. Flowers on most hydrangeas are pH-sensitive, with dark purple or blue flowers in acidic soil, white or dull green in neutral earth, and pink in alkaline soil. May be evergreen in winter-free areas. In its northernmost range, it is a foliage shrub, since buds are killed in hard winters. Location Native to Japan and Korea.