panicle hydrangea – Hydrangeas Blue

Hydrangeas with cone-shaped flowers are of the paniculata variety. In my yard I grow the ‘Limelight’ and ‘Pinky Winky’ which are both paniculata grandiflora. This type of hydrangea can be grown as a bush or shaped into a tree over time.

The flowers are long and sometimes really huge in size. My limelight bushes have produced some amazing white to pale green blooms that are stunning. And they did this the first year after they were planted! Hydrangeas are very hardy and fast blooming. You won’t have to wait for years for them to produce showy blooms. The exception to that may be fewer and later blooms after a hard winter. I have that happening in my yard this year. (See Pictures of My Hydrangea Plants 2015)

limelight hydrangea flowers — The Limelight Hydrangea in Summer

Last year the blooms on the Limelight hydrangea were huge, and as the Fall season approached, the blooms began to turn light pink. They were just gorgeous.
Because this type of hydrangea flowers on long stems, many people trim them into trees, with one or a few main branches that grow tall with hanging branches.
Do a Google search for the paniculate grandiflora and you’ll see many lovely images. The picture below shows the same flowers shown in the picture above, just later in the season.

cone shaped limelight hydrangea flowers — Late Summer Limelight Flowers Turning Pink

Possibly my favorite, the Pinky Winky is also a paniculata variety which produces white flowers that gradually turn dark pink.
Here is one of my photos of a little Pinky Winky bouquet made up of cut flowers before they turned pink. Please click this link to see the progression of the bloom growth and color change in the photos on a previous post.

pink hydrangea paniculata — Most flowers are pink by late summer

white hydrangea pinky winky in vase — White Hydrangea, Pinky Winky Bouquet

There are many other types of paniculatas, and the Pee Gee is very lovely with white flowers. I bought one, but it was crushed and never had the chance to grow. I can’t give you a personal account of it, but the Pee Gee is loved by many hydrangea fans. And there are many more. Search for what will grow well in the climate where you live, and be sure to plant the paniculata hydrangea in a space that can accommodate it’s growth.

Panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata) — Image via Wikipedia

Hydrangeas are pretty hardy but if you want a larger one that will thrive in zone 4, choose the Panicle Hydrangea. The flowers on this species is a bit of a different. I am used to the round, puffy flowers that grow on my shrub, which is of the Mophead variety, but the Panicle hydrangea has flowers that grow to a long pointed shape – or panicle.

As you can see in the picture I have added from Wikipedia, the Panicle hydrangea also grows to be quite large. In fact if can be 15 feet tall so consider it to be more like a small, flowering tree. The flowers can be a foot long or more! The Oakleaf hydrangea grows similar looking flowers that are very long. You can tell the difference between these two by the leaves on the Oakleaf that are shaped like…. oak leaves!

The flowers can be white or pink, but no blue on these larger varieties (as far as I know), but beautiful just the same. This species – the Panicle – will tolerate lots of sun. As it grows, trim out the lower branches and create a little tree of blooms.