Forum Flora Germanica

http://agrozoo.net/jsp/Galery_one_image ... 4e5301f591
2m shrub. Most hits typing into google 'Hydrangea hairy'' shows H. aspera.

But I think this will/was not ever blue-violet:

Hi,
I would agree: H. aspera
In "Fitschen Gehölzflora" it is H. aspera agg. (several subspecies), fertile flowers are described as rosé, violet or blue, seldom white, sterile flowers (the big ones) as white or rosé. Somewhere else I read "colours depending on cultivar" ... or "colours changing from nearly white to rosé to blueish during development" and not to forget: Hydrangea colours are different depending on soil-acidity (blue with acid soil, pinkish with alkaline soils).

Here it looks if drought has done some damage to leaves and flowers, the buds of the inner flowers may have been a very pale white-rosé, getting dry, developing brown patches, not opening properly.