This aspera takes up a lot of room; its spreading habit makes it much wider than it is tall. It flowers later than other hydrangeas to give colour to the garden for just a little longer. It’s a strong growing plant which can be affected by late frosts. It will flower later and add colour well into October. It prefers a dappled shade but in our garden is happy with a position in a south facing bed in a walled garden. The roots are well drained and it gets plenty of water. It’s characteristically bristly on the branches, stems and leaves. The leaves are a velvet gray and the flower head a mixture of lilac fertile florets in the centre and white/lilac sterile florets around the rim. We prune it when it takes up more space than it should.