Hydrangea Lapis Lazuli Re-blooming Compact Growth
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a new cultivar of Hydrangea macrophylla that exhibits a strong blooming habit, compact growth, and adaptable flower color based on soil conditions, suitable for both landscape and container use, with stable characteristics across generations.
Innovation Solution
The 'Lapis Lazuli' cultivar, derived from controlled breeding, features re-blooming hortensia-type inflorescences with dark blue to pink sepals, compact growth, and glossy foliage, hardy in U.S.D.A. Zones 5 to 9, propagated via softwood stem cuttings, and exhibits consistent performance in varying soil conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the hydrangea cultivar is selected for strong blooming habit and re-blooming capability, then the flowering duration and productivity are improved, but the plant size and growth complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by selecting and breeding hydrangea plants with specific genetic parameters that enable strong blooming and re-blooming capabilities. The cultivar 'Lapis Lazuli' was derived through controlled breeding programs that optimized flowering parameters while managing plant size through selective propagation and cultivation practices.
2Volume of moving object
If the hydrangea cultivar is selected for compact growth habit, then the space requirement and ease of pot culture are improved, but the blooming capacity and productivity may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by developing a cultivar with differentiated growth characteristics - compact overall structure for ease of pot culture while maintaining strong localized blooming capacity. The 'Lapis Lazuli' cultivar exhibits compact growth habit suitable for containers while producing strong inflorescences, achieving both space efficiency and productivity through localized floral development.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the hydrangea cultivar is selected for adaptability to different soil conditions, then the versatility and ease of operation are improved, but the genetic complexity and breeding difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by selecting and breeding hydrangea plants with broad environmental adaptability that can thrive in various soil conditions (acidic to alkaline pH ranges). The 'Lapis Lazuli' cultivar exhibits universal adaptability allowing it to be grown successfully in different landscape settings and container environments, reducing the need for specialized soil amendments or pH adjustments.
4Reliability
If the hydrangea cultivar is selected for stable characteristics across generations, then the reliability and ease of propagation are improved, but the genetic diversity and breeding innovation are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying through asexual reproduction methods including softwood stem cuttings and softwood tip cuttings that produce true-to-type copies of the parent plant. The 'Lapis Lazuli' cultivar maintains stable characteristics across generations through these propagation methods, ensuring reliable reproduction of the selected traits while maintaining genetic consistency that defines the cultivar's reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A new cultivar of Hydrangea macrophylla named ‘Lapis Lazuli’ that is characterized by its strong blooming habit, its ability to re-bloom on new growth after deadheading, its consistently formed, hortensia type inflorescences with sterile flower sepals that are rounded to broadly ovate in shape and dark blue in color with a white central area when grown under acidic soil conditions and bright pink in color with a white central area when grown under alkaline soil conditions, its compact growth habit with strong stems that enable pot culture without the need for staking, its dark green glossy foliage and its hardiness at least in U.S.D.A. Zones 5 to 9.