The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea macrophylla and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Lapis Lazuli’. ‘Lapis Lazuli’ represents a new hortensia type bigleaf hydrangea, a deciduous shrub grown for ornamental use in the shaded landscape and for use as a potted plant. ‘Lapis Lazuli’ was derived from an ongoing controlled breeding program in a nursery that focuses on new cultivars of Hydrangea for container and landscape use. ‘Lapis Lazuli’ originated as a seedling from seed sown of Hydrangea macrophylla by the Inventor in 1994 in Shizuoka, Japan. The parents of ‘Lapis Lazuli’ are unknown. The new Hydrangea was selected as a unique single plant from amongst the seedling evaluated in June of 2001.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by softwood stem cuttings by the Inventor in Shizuoka, Japan in March 2006. The characteristics of this cultivar have been determined to be stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.