Panicle hydrangea ∗ The 10 best care and planting tips

Plant panicle hydrangea correctly

With spring in the starting blocks, the best time has come to plant a panicle hydrangea. The earth is completely thawed and there is no longer any danger from frost. Before you start preparing the soil in the bed, put the root ball in a container with lime-free water. How to properly plant a panicle hydrangea:

In the sunny to partially shaded place, dig a pit with twice the volume of the root ball
Enrich the excavation with bog soil, compost and horn meal
Pot the young plant, plant in the middle and water
Mulching with leaves, clippings, coniferous compost or bark mulch

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When planting, keep an eye on the soil mark on the root neck and do not place the panicle deeper than in the nursery pot. The planting process is similar in the tub, with a drainage made of potsherds on the bottom of the pot to prevent damaging waterlogging.

Care tips

The essential cornerstones of proper care are: water and nutrient balance, pruning and wintering. Pay special attention to these aspects:

Keep panicle hydrangea evenly moist with lime-free water
Fertilize well from March to September
Protect from frost and snow in the bed
Preferably, potted plants overwinter light and frost-free at 5 degrees Celsius
Carry out pruning in March, in good time before the new shoot

The main difference to the popular farmer's hydrangea is its ability to bloom on this year's wood. The bolder the spring cut, the more abundant the blooms in summer and autumn.

Which location is suitable?

The panicle hydrangea feels at home in a bright, sunny to partially shaded location. If you assign the flowering plant a place in full sun, a constant supply of water should be ensured. In shady locations, the flower is rather puny.

The correct planting distance

The panicle hydrangea not only scores with its voluminous abundance of flowers, but also develops a spacious habit. You take this fact into account by the planting distance being at least half the growth width. Some examples to clarify:

Little Lime: Growth height 120 cm - growth width 150 cm - recommended planting distance 75 cm
Mega Mindy: Growth height 175 cm - growth width 130 cm - recommended planting distance 65 cm
Bobo: Height 90 cm - width 70 cm - recommended planting distance 35 cm

What soil does the plant need?

So that the panicle hydrangea shows what flower power it has, the soil should be like this:

Nutrient-rich, humic and fresh and moist
Permeable, loose and without the risk of waterlogging
Lime-free, ideally with a pH value of 5.5 to 6.0

What is the best time to plant?

The planting time begins in spring from March. The exact date is determined by the weather, because if the frost persists or the ground frosts late, it is better to wait. Regardless of its winter hardiness in later years, the Hydrangea paniculata is still sensitive to frost in the year of planting.

When is the flowering time?

The flowering time of a panicle hydrangea reaches its zenith when most of the ornamental plants have withered and are preparing for the cold season. The central flowering period extends from July to September. However, some strains have the potential to flower earlier or later. Combine these panicle hydrangeas, for example, to enjoy the splendor of flowers from June to October / November:

Dharuma: June to August
Limelight: July to September
Pinky Winky: August to October / November

Cut the panicle hydrangea correctly

The panicle hydrangea blooms on this year's shoots, which qualifies it to be one of the most pruning hydrangeas. This goes hand in hand with the requirement to use scissors every year in early spring. Otherwise, the gem will gradually lose its shape and age from within. How to cut properly:

Cut in March on an overcast, frost-free day
Shorten shoots by up to 50 percent
Start each cut just above an outward-facing bud
The harder the pruning, the more abundant the flowering

At the same time, light the flowering bush thoroughly. Cut deadwood or poor branches at the base.

Water panicle hydrangea

The panicle hydrangea evaporates a lot of moisture every day through the thick dress of leaves and flowers. Therefore, check the surface of the substrate every morning. If the top 2-3 centimeters feel dry, watering takes place. During hot summer days this may well be necessary in the morning and in the evening hours. Use mostly soft rainwater or stale tap water.

Fertilize panicle hydrangea properly

You can choose to cover your nutritional needs with organic fertilizers such as leaf compost, guano, horn shavings (€ 6.39 at Amazon *) and coffee grounds or use a special hydrangea fertilizer from specialist retailers. While the application of natural fertilizers extends every 2 weeks from March to September, a single dose in March is sufficient for long-term fertilizers such as Substral Osmocot rhododendron and hydrangea fertilizers.

Overwinter

Regardless of their natural winter hardiness, we recommend the following protective measures:

Cover the root area with leaves, straw, needles
Protect the branches with reed mats or jute ribbons
Wrap large buckets with bubble wrap and place on wood
Carry smaller pots into the frost-free, light winter quarters
Water a little on mild days when it is cold

Pay special attention to the winter protection of a young panicle hydrangea in the first few years, because it has yet to work out its frost resistance. Cover the entire plant with jute or breathable garden fleece.

Propagate panicle hydrangea

The propagation of panicle hydrangeas succeeds easily with the help of cuttings. During the flowering period, cut healthy, non-flowering shoots 10-15 cm in length. The lower half is defoliated, except for the upper pair of leaves. How to proceed:

Small pots fill with a mix of peat and sand
Plant two thirds of the cuttings in each
Preferably pour from below with lime-free, lukewarm water

In the partially shaded location behind glass, kept constantly moist at 15-18 degrees Celsius, the rooting progresses quickly.

How do I transplant properly?

Spring and late autumn are possible dates for a transplanting campaign. Prick off the root ball all around 2 weeks beforehand and water the panicle hydrangea extensively so that numerous fine roots can develop. Cutting back compensates for the loss of root volume. On the day itself, loosen the root ball with the digging fork and then lift it out of the ground. At the new location, the planting pit should already be prepared so that the hydrangea can be replanted without delay.

Panicle hydrangea in a pot

For a panicle hydrangea to thrive in a pot, it should have a minimum volume of 30 liters. Although the flowering shrub requires plenty of irrigation water, damaging waterlogging should be prevented while planting. Therefore, cover the water drain with potsherds before filling in bog soil as a substrate. How to care for a pot hydrangea:

Pour regularly with soft water
Provide liquid fertilizer for hydrangeas from March to early September
Overwinter in light and frost-free at 4-6 degrees Celsius
Cut and repot in spring

Panicle hydrangea does not bloom

If a panicle hydrangea does not bloom, there are several reasons for this. The most common causes and countermeasures at a glance:

Incorrect pruning: do the central pruning in March, before budding
Unsuitable location: choose a sunny to partially shaded location
Nutrient deficiency: fertilize organically or mineral-organically from March to September
Over-fertilization: apply mineral fertilizers exactly according to the dosage instructions

How do I raise the panicle hydrangea to a standard stem

A young plant offers the best chances of success for a standard trunk training. It is also possible to change the habit of older panicle hydrangeas. This is how the procedure goes in the first few years:

In the autumn of the year of planting, choose a strong shoot for the trunk and support with a stick
Cut off all other ground shoots
Remove the branches on the trunk to the desired crown height

In the following years you guide the main shoot along the stick to the desired height. Do not cap the tip until you do not want any further increase in height. Then shape the crown every spring by shortening new shoots on the sides to achieve bushy branching.

How do I properly care for the Limelight panicle hydrangea?

As a superlative panicle hydrangea, Limelight scores with lime-green flowers of up to 30 cm in size that gradually change to white. In order to elicit its concentrated beauty from this premium variety, these details are important:

Sunny location with fresh, moist soil, rich in nutrients
Lime-free substrate with a pH of 5.5 to 6.0
Water abundantly and regularly, up to twice a day in full sun
Fertilize beginning in March until the beginning of September
You can choose to fertilize organically every 2 weeks or apply a long-term fertilizer for hydrangeas in March

If you find the withered flowers in autumn as a visual impairment, cut them out. You do the central pruning of course only in March to the beginning of April. There is nothing wrong with shortening the shoots to 20 centimeters; This year's bloom is all the more luxuriant.

The most beautiful varieties

Sundae Fraise: the cone blossoms are reminiscent of a strawberry ice cream cone and give off a similar scent
Diamant Rouge: spreads a firework of colors in white and pink, which changes to deep purple in autumn
Pinky Winky: spectacular with two-tone flowers that change from creamy white to soft pink as they fade
Vanilla Fraise: performs a similar flower miracle as Pinky Winky and scores with a more compact habit
Bobo: white blooming dwarf with huge flowers; thanks to its height of 90 cm the ideal candidate for the bucket
Little Lime: the little sister of the premium Limelight variety with a graceful silhouette and lime green, later white flowers