The Hydrangea genus is made up of a large number of species, just over 40, including shrubs, small trees and climbing plants. Among all these species is the Hydrangea paniculata, which we will talk about in this post. We will give you its main characteristics as well as the most important care that you must take into account so that it stays healthy and strong.

As an advance I can tell you that the Hydrangea paniculata, like many hydrangeas, is a deciduous shrub. Usually in the wild it can be found in forests or on mountain slopes. As you can imagine, the most particular attraction of this shrub is its flowers, which unlike many other hydrangeas, the shape of its flowers is conical.

1. Main characteristics of Hydrangea paniculata

It is a considerably large shrub, since in ideal conditions it can reach up to 5 m in height, with a width of up to 3 m. Its leaves are characterized by being oval and toothed with a size between 7 and 15 cm long.

As for its flowers, the most important of the bush, I have bad news for you. The flowers of the hydrangea paniculata are not really flowers, what we see as petals are actually modified leaves called bracts. As we said, these “flowers” come out in the form of a cone or panicle, hence its name paniculata.

The color of the flowers of this particular hydrangea is usually always white and usually takes a long time to arrive. If you have several species of hydrangeas at home, the paniculata will surely be the last to bloom. This is because while it can begin to bloom in spring, it often doesn’t open its flowers until summer.

2. How to care for a hydrangea paniculata

If you have been growing hydrangeas for several years and you want to have a paniculata hydrangea in your garden, I have good news for you: the care you should give your new hydrangea does not vary practically at all with what you give to the other hydrangeas you have. In any case, it is good that we review what care you should carry out.

  • Soil: prefers those soils with a good amount of organic matter. It needs the soil to contain a good amount of nutrients. Try to verify that the soil has good drainage capacity, since it does not like too much water to accumulate in the soil. You should not worry too much about acidity, since the color of its flowers does not depend on it. With a pH between 5.5 and 6 you will be more than happy.
  • Sunlight: at this point it must be said that this hydrangea does not like the sun very much, but it will live better in a semi-shade exposure. In any case, in areas where the summers are not excessively hot, they can live without problems in full sun.
  • Pruning: Pruning hydrangea paniculata is not too complex, in any case it is important to carry it out at the right time and in the right way. Although a whole post is necessary to explain it, in summary I can tell you that you will have to do a light pruning at the beginning of spring, this will favor flowering.
  • Irrigation: As for watering, you should know that it likes very abundant watering. The soil must be kept moist, but you must ensure that it does not become soggy. Keep in mind that it does not support drought at all, anyway it is in winter, when the plant is resting, you can water less frequently, every 10 days is fine.
  • Fertilization:As we said before, it likes soils with a large amount of nutrients. That is why we recommend fertilizing with organic matter at the end of winter and with mineral fertilizer every 2 weeks in spring and summer.
  • Propagation:The simplest and most effective propagation method for these plants is cutting. The best time of year to carry it out is during the summer months.
  • Pests and diseases:It is a plant for which you should not worry much about diseases or pests. The truth that can be considered quite harsh, in any case it is always good to check it so that in case of suffering from any disease or plague you can take the problem on time.



With this we have finished the article. I hope that all the information has been useful to you and that you can keep all your paniculata hydrangeas healthy and strong.

Additional Information: