Panicle Hydrangeas- Blooming

Q: I have a heavily wooded lot. I planted ‘Pink Diamond’ panicle hydrangeas where they get two hours of morning sun, but they have not bloomed in two years. Do you think they will bloom where they are?

A: Unlike common mophead hydrangeas, panicle hydrangeas, ^Hydrangea paniculata^, demand a good bit of sunshine. This species includes ‘PeeGee’, ‘Tardiva’ and many other varieties. There is a fine example of ^H. paniculata^ ‘Floribunda’, with eighteen-inch tall flowers, next to the tennis courts at the Governor’s mansion, where it receives almost full sunshine. Your ‘Pink Diamond’ will be spectacular if you give it more light. The flowerheads are twelve inches tall. Prune it hard each spring to get the biggest flowers in late summer.

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