“Matador” is the field name given to an unidentified mophead growing under Rhododendron “Matador”. This fine plant was left behind at Cooltonagh, The Cross, when we were allowed to move all our other hydrangeas to Brook Hall in 1980. It has a mass of relatively small, fringed sterile florets which develop almost iridescent blends of pink with blue, and every hue between.
Mercifully, the individual heads (corymbs) are uniform in colour, although differing from one another and varying from year to year.
The wide colour range was recorded on Kodak ED-3 in 1999 and on Kodak E100-S in 2002 and 2003. In these years the fringed (serrate) pattern of the sepals predominated, though just a few smooth outlines can be seen.
The florets are rather flat and form fairly regular heads, overlapping instead of pushing against one another.