The Forever & Ever® hydrangeas have been a great success in North America and are also now seen in Britain. The idea is simple: instead of flowering early in the season on the previous year’s growth, these hydrangeas flower later in the season on current year’s growth.

Setting aside whether we really want hydrangeas that flower when all the other similar hydrangeas are finished, a great advantage for many American gardeners is that they’ll still flower well even if a harsh winter kills the growth of the previous year, growth on which most hydrangeas bloom.

There are now nine varieties – but what do you think of the latest in the series - Forever & Ever® 'Fantasia'? Like it or loathe it? I’ve heard people say it looks charming and intriguing and also heard people say it looks diseased or infected – which it definitely isn’t – and they hate it!

Forever & Ever® ‘Fantasia’ is a cross between the pink-flowered ‘Adria’ and an unnamed pink flowered plant whose flowers matured to green. It was selected in The Netherlands in 2003.

But is it for the garden or the garbage? What do you think?