Panicle Hydrangea: Planting, Care & Propagation

What is the perfect location for panicle hydrangeas? What do you have to consider when fertilizing panicle hydrangeas? You can find everything you need to know about planting and caring for the hydrangea species here.

Hydrangeas exist in many different species and varieties and it is hard to imagine our gardens without them. This is also confirmed by its name - "hydrangea" comes from the Latin word hortensius, which translated means "belonging to the garden". The panicle hydrangea is one of the hardiest hydrangea species.

Panicle hydrangea: flowering period, origin and properties

The panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) belongs to the genus Hydrangea (Hydrangea) in the hydrangea family (Hydrangeaceae). Like most hydrangea species, it originally comes from East Asia. Your wild form is common in China, Japan and Russia. Panicle hydrangeas grow as an upright shrub and reach a height of around 2 to 4 meters and a width of 2 to 3 meters in old age. The grey-brown branches have oval to ovate leaves, about 6 centimeters wide and up to 15 centimeters long. They are intense green in color and taper to a point. The leaf margin is finely toothed. In autumn the foliage often takes on a greenish-yellow colour. The flowering period of the panicle hydrangea is between July and October. This makes it one of the late-blooming hydrangea species. The cone-shaped panicles of panicle hydrangeas consist of sterile flowers, each with 3 to 4 decorative, rounded sepals and fine, rather inconspicuous, fertile flowers together.

Depending on the variety, panicle hydrangeas bloom in pink, pink or white to creamy white, combined with light green. Towards the end of flowering, the white varieties often turn pink. That of the garden hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) well-known hydrangea blue does not exist in panicle hydrangeas. You may have wondered if panicle hydrangeas are bee-friendly. Most hydrangea species and cultivars are dominated by sterile flowers. Bees and other insects cannot find any food in these. However, there are some panicle hydrangea varieties that have a higher proportion of nectar-rich, fragrant and fertile flowers and are therefore bee-friendly. These varieties include, for example, 'Tardiva' and 'Kyushu'.

Panicle hydrangea varieties

In addition to the proportion of fertile and sterile flowers, the various panicle hydrangea varieties primarily differ in their growth height and colour. In addition, some varieties are well suited as a standard.

Hardy panicle hydrangea varieties

Panicle Hydrangea 'Limelight': Flower spikes up to 30 cm long; lime green flower color changing to white to soft pink as flowering progresses; flowering period: July – October; Height: up to 2 m; particularly hardy and robust.

Panicle Hydrangea 'Vanille Fraise': Buds appear creamy to vanilla white at the beginning of flowering with a hint of pink as they progress In the summer the pink becomes more and more intense, until the flowers turn a strong crimson in late autumn to shine; red-brown colored shoots; flowering period: July – November; Height: up to 2 m; hardy and robust; also withstands drier phases.

Panicle Hydrangea 'Phantom': Rarer variety; forms panicles of flowers over 30 cm; they appear white to creamy yellow at first, turning pink to red in autumn; flowering period: August – October; Height: up to 2.5 m; particularly hardy.

Panicle Hydrangea 'Diamant Rouge': Particularly large flower panicles (35 - 40 cm); at the beginning of flowering they shine in pure white, the color changes from pink to an intense raspberry red; the foliage is fresh green at first and turns orange in autumn; flowering period: July – September; Height: up to 2 m; hardy.

Panicle Hydrangea 'Tardiva': late variety; loose, fragrant panicles of white-pink flowers; blooms into October and provides food for insects when most of the other flowers have faded; dark green leaf; flowering period: July – October; Height: 2.5-3.5m; very hardy and undemanding.

Panicle Hydrangea ‘Kyushu’: Creamy white flower spikes; pleasant scent of the fertile flowers, which attracts many butterflies; flowering period: July – September; Height: 2m; very frost hardy.

Panicle hydrangeas as standard: Suitable varieties

In addition to the panicle hydrangea variety 'Limelight', the varieties 'Levana' and 'Wim's Red' are also suitable as a standard. They are also hardy. 'Levana' forms very large, pure white inflorescences up to 50 centimeters long and reaches a height of 3 to 5 meters. Its flowering period lasts from June to September. October. The green leaves of this panicle hydrangea contrast beautifully with the bright flowers. The 'Wim's Red' variety shows white panicles of flowers from the beginning of June, which open with a time delay. During the flowering period, their color changes from light pink to intense red. This gives the impression that the flower spikes are blooming in different colours. 'Wim's Red' grows up to 2.5 meters high and flowers until September.

Panicle hydrangeas in tubs: Small varieties for the pot

Small panicle hydrangea varieties are suitable for planting in pots on the balcony or terrace. The lime green flowering dwarf panicle hydrangea 'Mojito' reaches a height of 90 to 100 centimetres. The white flowering dwarf panicle hydrangea 'Little Spooky' is only about 30 to 50 centimeters high and the white-greenish to pink-red flowering dwarf panicle hydrangea 'Little Fraise' 60 to 80 centimeters.

Planting rose hydrangea: location, time and procedure

Panicle hydrangeas prefer a sunny to partially shaded and wind-protected location in the garden or on the balcony. They can be planted all year round, but ideally the plants should be planted in the spring. The soil should be fresh, well drained, rich in humus and nutrients and have a pH between 5.5 and 6 (slightly acidic). Poor, sandy garden soils should be treated with some compost or a good quality potting soil like ours before planting Plantua organic universal soil be enriched. On the other hand, soil with low permeability should be mixed with enough sand to make up at least a third of the volume of soil in the planting hole. Mix the substrate well and then dig a sufficiently large planting hole. Break up the plant ball of the panicle hydrangea slightly with your hands or a spade to stimulate the branching of the roots and place it in the planting hole. Fill the hole with substrate and press firmly.

Pour liberally. With a mulch layer of leaves or bark mulch, you can ensure that the moisture stays longer in the soil when watering and does not evaporate as quickly. Especially when planting in the warm season, it must be watered regularly afterwards.

tip: You can model a circular watering rim around the hydrangea from excess garden soil. When watering, always fill the pouring rim with water so that it can seep away in a targeted manner and does not flow uncontrolled above ground.

If you want to put the panicle hydrangea in a planter on the terrace or balcony, When choosing a suitable bucket, you should make sure that the bottom of the container has a drainage hole owns. This ensures that excess irrigation water can run off and that there is no waterlogging. A peat-free potting soil such as ours is suitable as a substrate Plantura organic potting soil very good. With its balanced composition of nutrients, it offers your panicle hydrangeas the ideal conditions for vigorous growth and lush flowers.

Caring for panicle hydrangea

Panicle hydrangeas are quite robust and undemanding compared to other hydrangea species. In addition to fertilizing and watering, an annual pruning is recommended if you want to promote beautiful growth with lots of flowers or if you don't have much space. How to prune panicle hydrangeas, you can find out in our special article.

Fertilize panicle hydrangeas

In the case of potted hydrangeas in particular, the nutrient supply should be replenished annually with spring fertilization. This gives the plant a good start to the growing season. Additional fertilization can be carried out in summer. Thanks to this optimal supply of nutrients, nothing stands in the way of a rich bloom. Choose a predominantly organic fertilizer for panicle hydrangeas, such as ours Plantura organic hydrangea fertilizer with long-term effect. Typical deficiency symptoms and diseases of hydrangeas are prevented by the organic fertilizer. Work it lightly into the soil to increase its effectiveness. You can also put it under the mulch layer so that it is well moistened and starts working quickly.

Attention: Hydrangeas tend to have shallow roots, so avoid digging under them or loosening the soil to avoid damaging the roots.

Water panicle hydrangeas

Unlike most hydrangea species, panicle hydrangeas can also survive drier periods. However, in order not to subject them to unnecessary stress, you should always keep the soil around the plants moderately moist. Water regularly and make sure the root ball never dries out completely. It is advisable to water the plants from below. This prevents water from getting on the leaves and flowers.

Propagating panicle hydrangeas

Panicle hydrangeas can be propagated from cuttings. To do this, cut off healthy and only slightly woody shoot tips without flower buds that are about 10 to 15 centimeters long from the hydrangea between June and July. Remove all leaves except for the top pair of leaves and place them in pots filled with substrate. A peat-free seed soil such as ours is suitable as a substrate Plantura Organic Herb & Seed Soil outstanding. It is advisable to mix the seed compost with sand or perlite to increase permeability and achieve better rooting success. The cuttings are inserted about 2 to 3 centimeters deep into the ground and lightly pressed. Keep the substrate constantly moist and make sure that the water reaches the cuttings as far down as possible. In a bright place without direct sunlight and a temperature of around 15 °C, they root and grow into new hydrangea plants.

Panicle hydrangeas overwinter

Panicle hydrangeas are hardy. When buying your panicle hydrangeas, make sure you choose robust plants from specialist shops that have been well hardened. In addition, you should always use organic or primarily organic fertilizers. Mineral fertilizer endangers the frost hardiness of the plants, especially if it is used too late in the year.

With panicle hydrangeas in the bed, flat roots can be covered with a light layer of mulch, if necessary, to protect them from frost damage. Hydrangeas planted in pots should be wrapped in jute bags, garden fleece or bubble wrap to be on the safe side in winter. With older panicle hydrangeas, protection in the lower area is sufficient; young plants should be completely covered for safety. Alternatively, panicle hydrangeas can also be placed in a bright, sheltered winter quarters in winter. Never overwinter panicle hydrangeas too warm. A longer-lasting cold stimulus is necessary so that the plant can successfully sprout again in the next growing season and form flowers.

tip: When Hydrangea paniculata is overwintered indoors, it should be slowly acclimated to the light again in the spring. Because if it is placed outside from one day to the next and exposed to intense sunlight, it can quickly become sunburnt.

If you would like to find out which other bee-friendly shrubs are available for the garden, we recommend our special article on the 15 most beautiful shrubs for bees.