Tilt-A-Swirl Hydrangea

If you, like most garden lovers, enjoy nothing better than stepping into your garden to see what’s new, then you will love the Tilt-A-Swirl® Hydrangea. One of the great things about hydrangeas is how long the blooms last, and that is certainly true of this one – but that’s only the beginning of the fun. This unique variety has very large individual flowers in its big domes of bloom, and these begin life a delicate pistachio green. They soon turn into pink bowls with a green heart, and then, as they age over several months, they pass through a swirl of changes, as the green expands and the pink turns to old rose. Even when completely green they are fascinating, and there certainly is something different to see every day when you grow this incredible variety. It will liven up your shady areas like nothing else, and always look classy. You can also cut the stems for a vase that lasts 3 weeks, or dry them for winter display.

Growing the Tilt-A-Swirl® Hydrangea

Size and Appearance

The Tilt-A-Swirl® Hydrangea is a rounded deciduous shrub growing to 3 or 4 feet tall, with many sturdy branches rising from the base, keeping it full and bold. The pale-brown stems look interesting through the winter months. The leaves are a bold green, with a thick, slightly leathery texture and coarsely-serrated edges. The veins are prominent and even without flowers this is a handsome bush. They stay green well into fall, before turning yellow and dropping to the ground.

The blooms are carried on shoots that grow on stems of the previous years, and they last so long that this bush is in continuous bloom from early summer to fall. Each dome of flowers is 8 inches across, packed with many individual flowers that are themselves up to 2 inches across – large for hydrangeas. The five petals are broad and full and unusually leathery, making them incredibly weather-resistant and long-lasting. When in bud and first opening they are a soft and delightful pistachio green, and as they mature they turn warm pink, keeping a green heart and making a wonderful bi-color effect. This appearance lasts for several weeks, gradually changing as more green appears and the pink darkens to a dusky rose-red color. For months the flowers remain fascinating, passing through one change after another, juggling and swirling green and pink in every possible combination. Months later they are still intriguing, and by fall they will be rich turquoise green, withs some reddish highlights still remaining. For continuous blooming and interest this is a hydrangea that can’t be beaten.

Using the Tilt-A-Swirl® Hydrangea in Your Garden

Grow this ever-blooming shrub wherever you need interest and color action. Use it to fill the foreground of partially-shaded beds, or along a path or driveway. Plant it around ponds and water, where it benefits from the damp soil. Its unique coloring makes it very suitable for more natural gardens, where formal hydrangeas can look out of place. Use it in tubs and planters too, for portable brightness.

Hardiness

The older stems need to survive winter for good blooming, so zone 5 is the cold-limit for this plant. It grows well in all moderate zones, including zone 8.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Morning sun and afternoon shade are ideal for the Tilt-A-Swirl Hydrangea. It will also grow in light full shade, such as on the north side of a building or fence, or in the shadow of large deciduous trees. The best soil will be moist and rich, but well-drained. It doesn’t need special soil conditions, and grows well in most soil types, including alkaline soils.

Maintenance and Pruning

The Tilt-A-Swirl Hydrangea is normally pest and disease-free, and it doesn’t need much attention or special care. You can dead-head at the end of the season if you wish, for neatness. Prune in spring, once you see new leaves starting to grow. For the first few years the only pruning needed is to remove any dead ends from the branches, and perhaps shorten back any very long stems, to just above a pair of healthy buds. In older plants you can remove up to one-third of the oldest branches, to keep an open framework, and encourage vigorous new stems for future flowering.

History and Origin of the Tilt-A-Swirl® Hydrangea

The mophead hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, grows wild in China and Japan, but even the first plants brought to Europe and America in the 19th century were garden varieties. Wild plants have small, greenish flowers, like the ones that can be seen hidden among the main blooms of your plant. There are many varieties today, and The Netherlands is a global center for breeding, with a very large greenhouse industry around the town of Boskoop.

Cornelis Pieter Eveleens is the head breeder in his family’s company, Horteve Breeding, in Boskoop. They are innovators in hydrangea development, and in 2008 Cornelis crossed two of his own plants (Kroe-1 & GS-1) and collected the seed. Among the seedlings he found a unique plant that he named ‘QUFU’. This plant was patented in 2016 and it is distributed in North America, with the registered trademark name of Tilt-A-Swirl®, by the Van Belle Nursery & the Curoplant Company, of British Columbia, Canada, under their brand name of Bloomin’ Easy®.

Buying the Tilt-A-Swirl® Hydrangea at the Tree Center

The Bloomin’ Easy® brand wants to encourage new, younger gardeners by offering easy-care plants that are interesting and attractive as well as trouble-free. The Tilt-A-Swirl® Hydrangea certainly fits that description, and we know you will love it. In 2012 it was awarded a Gold Medal at the prestigious Plantarium show in the Netherlands – a stamp of quality from the experts. Order now, because new and unique plants like this one always sell fast, and when they’re gone they’re gone.