Dichroa versicolor Round Blue

The Dichroa versicolor 'Round Blue' is derived from a charming Asian bush, decorative all year round, especially in winter when adorned with small fruits of intense midnight blue, gathered in clusters. This cousin of hydrangeas bears an elegant evergreen foliage and produces blueish, round and light panicles in late summer. Of modest size, with a round habit, it is suitable for small gardens. Quite rare in cultivation, it is a very pretty plant that thrives in non-limestone soil and in a mild and humid climate, and it will also have a great effect in a large pot on a partially shaded terrace. Its flowers are very beautiful in bouquets.

The Dichroa versicolor 'Round Blue' is a bush of the Hydrangeaceae family. It is a horticultural selection selected by Glyn Church at Woodleigh in New Zealand. The species is native to Asia (China, Himalayas). It has a bushy, rounded habit, and reaches about 1 m (3 ft 4 in) in all directions after 10 years. Its growth rate is medium. The foliage remains in winter. It consists of leaves reminiscent of hydrangeas, but more slender. They are lanceolate, finely toothed, slightly shiny, dark green and measure approximately 20 cm (7.9 in) long by 6 cm (2.4 in) wide. Flowering takes place in August-September, at the ends of the current year's branches. It takes the form of rounded clusters composed of numerous white floral buds resembling pearls. They open into tiny star-shaped flowers with 5 petals, more or less bluish depending on the nature of the soil, surrounding prominent stamens of a purplish pink colour. After pollination by pollinating insects, the nectar producing flowers give way to small round berries, 7 mm (0.3 in) in diameter, of a brilliant indigo blue, ripening in autumn. They are decorative, but not edible. This beautiful fruiting persists until winter if it escapes the appetite of birds. The hardiness of this Dichroa is estimated at -8°C (17.6 °F) at its peak for an established plant.

The Dichroa 'Round Blue' is particularly suitable for coastal gardens, spared by heavy frosts, but also by heatwaves. It is grown in partial shade, like most heathland shrubs. It can be planted with hydrangeas, Pieris, camellias and rhododendrons. It appreciates the same cool environments, in dappled sunlight, even at the base of large trees. To accompany it, consider shade-loving perennials such as ferns, Japanese anemones, and hostas.