Great question, Carol (I used to live in southeast PA, so I had to post a follow-up!). I've been wondering about these as well. I have seen several as I walk the dogs in our neighborhood. Some seem to be a mix of blue and purple on the same plant. I'd love to know what they are, but I never see anyone around to ask. Hope you/we get an answer.

Thanks, ladywindsurfer. I think my soil(also clay-ugh) is a little more acidic, so I will give your suggestion a try! I suppose I could just disburse all the bricks we find buried which my DH insists on piling up behind the garage-can't throw anything away, don'tchaknow!

Thanks for the info. I guess the houses in my neighborhood with the dark purple blooms have different soil than I do. I wonder if light exposure also matters. The plants seem to be in shadier spots than my Nikko Blue.

These purple hydrangea are called Royal Purple Hydrangea. I just planted four. The leaves are light green not dark like the other hydrangea. I am anxious to see the color as they havent flowered yet.

I lived in a 20s neighborhood which is the only place I've seen the really dark purple. I don't think it is the soil, because a light blue will only turn lavender and also they were in all areas, not just near a house, also both sun and shade. I got cuttings but problems destroyed them (not after planting). I know I've seen them I think at Nantucket Hydrangeas, but he is sold out. I'm waiting to see if he will give me the names. I'll report back if I get an answer.

An acidic soil pH enhances the ability of the plant to uptake naturally occurring aluminum via the roots. At very acidic levels, the colored blooms turn blue. At slightly acidic levels, not as much aluminum is absorbed and different shades of blue can be seen. Varieties that resist turning blue in acidic soils -say, Merritts Supreme, Mathilda Gutges, Glowing Embers- will turn purple first. But purple is always a tough one because it occurs in a very narrow pH range.

I have a bunch of purples. It is definitely a certain variety (the plants came with my last house and I just rooted more). When they are pink they are magenta rather than light pink. I have literally given away hundreds of babies and they are purple for whomever I give them to. Wish I knew the variety too.

Photo shows a smaller H. macrophylla 'Mathida Gutches' that I planted this Spring (so still weak). It has nice color intensity and is like a color chameleon with pH, even on the same plant if pH is between ranges. Note from photo that there is a narrow range of pH success to get purple using pH adjustment with the average plant. This can range deeper blue or red than this. Can't lose with this plant. Always large stunning flower heads.

I was on a purple hydrangea hunt a while back. H. macrophylla 'New Wine' is a very reliable large stunning purple (see photo). This recently patented plant is hard to find. It is mostly supplied as a gift sales plant in bloom at upscale garden stores or florists. It's from Bay City Flower, Half Moon Bay, CA.

Another purple Hydrangea idea. Have a large (14' wide) partial Sun area to fill that does not dry out too much? Try H. aspera 'Sargentianum'. Huge 12" fuzzy leaves and huge lacecap flowers with purple centers. The large petaled, whiteish-colored sterile florets that surround the caps look like a cloud of butterflies! Photo is by holding the camera above my head. Our Sargentianum is 12' x 12' and got to that size quickly. Stunningly beautiful thing seemingly from another world!

gfleatham that purple is stunning - I'd love to find myself one like that!

Bay City Flowers, is in Half Moon Bay, CA. My 'New Wine' purple is from them. It is a newly patented plant because of the color and habit. I went to a Seattle garden store and bought it as a small gift plant from the stunning range of colors that they had (most from Bay City). I tend to look over the past prime flower plants on 50 to 70% discount to pick up unique varieties you can not ususlly find in nurseries or garden online stores. Bay City labels the plant so that you know the variety. Fred Myers (variety store) even has nice tempting hydrangeas at times. However, not labeled as to variety.

Anybody try growing 'Hobergine' from Hovaria or 'Deep Purple Dance' (found Internet photos). They are deep purples that seem to be featured in Europe and not USA. 'Deep Purple Dance' is part of the new 'Music Collection'. Being awarded and part of a new collection, perhaps they will release it here?

White Flower Gardens has a 'Color Fantasy' listed that looks like a similar purple mophead.

Can't say that I have seen them advertised. Worse, they will probably change names sometimes. European ones may also start in the US with small companies whose budgets are not on the order of the big wholesalers so keep searching every 3-6 months.

Purples probably do best in acidic and low phosphorus conditions. May be easier to buy any of the previously mentioned ones if you want a purple as the shade of purple may differ (from the pictures) if your soil's acidic level is much different from the ones given to those plants in the pics. Would be nice if they said what soil pH they had the pictured plants in... then you could try growing in pots to better align pH and phosphorus levels. Which is always incredibly, if not impossibly, difficult! :o)

https://www.dobbies.com/products/plants/shrubs/hydrangea-macrophylla-deep-purple/

Oh my goodness. I wonder how much they pay to the people who take these nice pictures? I am acidifying one lacecap more 'strongly' this year to see if I can get it purple-ish. Ha! It may be easier to just print these pictures and hang them on the hydrangeas! Hee hee hee.

LOL. That is what those marketing pictures are for. To Sell or Garner Interest.

Oftentimes, when I see a shrub I am interested in, it's obviously the marketing pic of the zoomed up blossom that catches my eye.

Then I need to dial back my affection, and rethink the big picture - size and shape of shrub, how does the foliage look, how many flowers relative to foliage, etc. There are lostsa bulb flowers that look great and are interesting - but you need to plant them in a situation where other things hide the hideous foliage....