Hydrangea bretschneideri

’Bougie’ is an unusual form of the species found at Arboretum Mustila; its long dangling flower clusters have a lot of double flowers in the outer sterile ring. The name ‘Bougie’ is a reference to the vine Bougainville (Bougainvillea), which has similar flowers.

The Russian Emil Bretschneider collected hydrangea seed near Peking. Separating the resulting species from each other is difficult, but this variety has a chestnut brown trunk which increasingly peels as the plant matures, and the undersides of the leaves are felted; the combination of these characteristics is perhaps the best way of recognising it.