The gardens of the Hotel Biron are currently a sea of creamy hydrangeas and soft green foliage.
A few weeks ago I posted on the lush roses and paeonies that filled the grounds in June. It appeared to be the peak of the summer.
But now everywhere is a mass of lacecaps and mopheads, all planted in generous drifts.
This seems to me thoughtful, confident design, planting for leaf form and colour, and using big swathes of a limited range of species.
Shown in these four photos, taken last weekend, are the oak-leafed hydrangea, H. quercifolia “Snowflake”, and the popular H.aborescens “Annabelle”, with a lilacky splash of H. macrophylla “Blue Wave.”
These are not fancy or fashionable plants, but the whole thing feels tranquil and unflustered, just right for the heat of midsummer.
