A Critique and Review of the Paniculatas In the Garden

This is a long post but after you are done reading it I think you will appreciate that it needed to be long. Just loading all these photos makes me tired but I tell you I will appreciate all of them in one place so as to refresh my memory. As much as I like to think I remember everything in the garden the reality is that I don't. So today we will talk about the Hydrangea paniculata (Panicled or Sun Hydrangeas) cultivars I grow in my garden. This is quite an interesting post to me because I get to really compare the eleven different cultivars I grow here in Tiger Way Gardens (the new gardens). Each hydrangea is unique but all have special attributes. Some were purchased because they were available to reasonably priced (Pink Diamond, Tardiva, Pinky Winky, Vanilla Strawberry, Limelight) while others were specifically sought out (Great Star, and Phantom). The others were just hydrangeas I happen to come upon at nurseries throughout my travels. Several were purchased in northern Illinois two years ago. These were not hydrangeas readily available to me in Tennessee (Great Star and White Diamond).

I grow eleven cultivars of the panicled hydrangeas. They are: 'White Diamond', 'Quick Fire', 'Pink Diamond', 'Tardiva', 'Pinky Winky', 'Vanilla Strawberry', 'Phantom', 'Limelight', 'Great Star', 'Bombshell', and 'PeeGee'. We will not be discussing the PeeGee Hydrangea today due to the fact it is not blooming. I will stick to the ten types. I grow all of these hydrangeas in very similar conditions. Seven of the cultivars are located in the above bed. The lace caps are sited at the top of the hill closest to the camera, while the full mophead type hydrangeas are further down the hill. I tried to space the hydrangeas according to ultimate size and bloom time. Most paniculata hydrangeas will easily grow to more than ten feet wide and tall but you can keep them smaller by pruning. I highly recommend you prune these hydrangeas because if you don't they will get leggy and stop blooming well for you. All of these hydrangeas bloom on new wood. My hydrangeas were all transplanted out to the new land in very late winter. I cut them all down to about two feet high. A couple of them ('Tardiva' and 'Pink Diamond') were extremely old hydrangeas (more than 10 years in my garden) so I was worried about moving them. They were also quite woody so once I cut them back severely there really was not too much left of the shrub. From the following pictures you will see they have recovered nicely.  I will give you some tidbits on each of these hydrangeas as we go along and at the end I will tell you my favorite one. Remember, pretty is not always just in the looks-we also need substance.

This beauty is 'White Diamond'. This is a smaller type panicled hydrangeas that is staying compact but ever so floriferous in my garden. It came into bloom more than a month ago when I posted on it in a prior post. As you can see the blooms have aged very well. Add to that fact that the leaves are very stout when compared to the other panicled hydrangeas in my garden and you have a complete winner. This is a hydrangea you can use in a foundation garden or anywhere for that matter. I highly recommend it.

Here is a long shot of the 'White Diamond'. It really is a nice plant without being too blowsy or to artificial. It really shines. I planted my two in a garden with abelias and plume grass.

'Quick Fire' is supposed to be an early blooming paniculata. That is why I planted it up close to the road. In my garden it is later than the other supposedly late hydrangeas. The bloom has not fully opened but it holds promise.

The stems are an attractive red and the shrub itself has a nice form-for now. This is a very young shrub. Hydrangea paniculatas will change depending on age and pruning habits of the gardener. This was a small shrub to begin with and I did not do too much pruning on it when I planted it out there.


'Pink Diamond' is one of the oldest hydrangeas I have in my garden. I have had this in my garden for more than ten years. It was basically two or three woody stems that were so overgrown they were not productive anymore. Despite my trepidation about digging it up and moving it to the new gardens I plugged on and dug it up. I cut this whole shrub back severely. The branches you see came out of the root system or from the base of the woody trunks on this shrub. 'White Diamond' was always a favorite of mine and I am glad it has made the move well. It is a very drought tolerant hydrangea and blooms in part shade as well as sun. Look at all the blooms!

This is one of those paniculatas that will quickly get huge. You must keep up with pruning this one back. The way I prune mine is to cut it back to about 18-24" each year; usually in February before new growth begins. If you do not cut it back it will quickly become unproductive and too tall to even see the blooms. The stems will get quite woody and become unattractive.

This hydrangea is 'Tardiva' and it is a late hydrangea. It is the same age as 'Pink Diamond' and I did not think this one would come back either. This is another one of those hydrangeas I highly recommend you cut back. If you do not, take my word for it, it will quickly become leggy, unproductive and just plain ugly. Every few years I would recommend cutting it back very hard. I have found that after a few years of typical pruning the shrub winds up getting larger and larger and will have nubby trunks on it. Cutting it back almost to the ground will encourage new growth and lots of blooms. Since 'Tardiva' is a late hydrangea it is just now coming into bloom. Normally its bloom time is not until August.

A long shot of the 'Tardiva'. You can see my cutting it back hard has really encouraged a lot of new growth. I like this rounded and bushy growth habit. If you grow panicled hydrangeas in the shade they will not be as bushy and blooming may suffer a bit. When grown in full sun the hydrangeas are quite bushy and full but you may need to water these hydrangeas during the summer. For the most part once these hydrangeas are established they are quite tough.

'Pinky Winky' looks suspiciously like 'Quick Fire'. I really can't tell the difference between them other than this one blooms a wee bit earlier than 'Quick Fire'. I am guessing it is called 'Pinky Winky' because as the blooms go by they get a bit of pink coloring as evidenced in the above photo.

The stems are also red and the flowers are an attractive conical shape. This is a fairly new shrub to me so I will reserve judgement on it for a few years.

I am totally in love with the new to my garden 'Vanilla Strawberry' hydrangea. It has outshown even 'Limelight' and that is extremely hard to do in my opinion as 'Limelight' is the standard most panicled hydrangeas are judged by. These hydrangeas really make a nice show that can be seen several hundred feet away. I love that! As the blooms go by they are slowly turning an attractive pink; a stunning effect.

See what I mean by making a show? This is the first of the full headed panicled hydrangeas I will show you. There are two more plus PeeGee (but PeeGee is not covered in this post). I have found 'Vanilla Strawberry' needs more water than most of the other panicled hydrangeas I am profiling today. Hydrangeas will quickly tell you when they need a drink because they wilt. This means you might want to site it where you can easily provide it with a drink during the summer if it gets dry like it has been this summer.

This one is 'Phantom'. 'Phantom' is one hydrangea I specifically bought for its traits. I ordered this beautiful shrub from a mail order firm that is no longer in business. When comparing which panicled hydrangeas I desired I had a choice between the 'Phantom' and 'Unique'. Now I don't grow 'Unique' so I cannot for sure say I chose the right hydrangea but at the time I read reviews on 'Phantom' that said this plant has some of the largest blooms available in the panicled hydrangea family. I have to agree. These flower heads are really large and round-they are not conical like most of the panicled hydrangeas. This hydrangea is very similar to 'Limelight' with the exception that the flowerheads are larger and are rounded. The whole shrub makes a nice show in the garden.

'Phantom' long shot showing the blooms and variation of growth.

'Limelight' hydrangea is an awesome hydrangea. It has a very long season of interest that continues even after prime bloom time is over. These hydrangeas are lovely when picked and dried and brought inside for winter decorations. I can't get enough of my 'Limelight' hydrangeas. I have more than half a dozen more that will soon be making the long journey to the new garden where they will reside on the north side of a new large vegetable garden.

This shrub was quite small when I dug it up and moved it out here. I placed it at the bottom of the hill at the end of the bed because I know for a fact this shrub will easily grow to 10 feet quite quickly. While 'Limelight' needs to be pruned just like the other panicled hydrangeas 'Limelight' is easier to handle. There is really no wrong way to prune it. I have pruned it in the winter, in the spring, in the summer and in the fall. It will still bloom and still do well. If you prune it in the spring immediately stick the cuttings in the garden and keep moist. You will most likely be rewarded with a new plant in short order.

'Great Star' is a newer addition to my gardens. The two I have are placed at the end of beds on the lower side of the hill. They have really struggled with drought this year. I have had to water this hydrangea more than any other of the panicled hydrangeas. Despite this I believe this is a stellar hydrangea to grow. I don't have too many blooms on either one of my 'Great Stars' but I am hopeful that with time this hydrangea will settle in. I think out of the panicled hydrangeas I am profiling here this one would appreciate a little more shade than the rest.

Both of my shrubs look like this. They were severely pruned back last fall when they were moved out here to the new gardens.

This last hydrangea is one I was most excited about when it first came out. I was excited because it seemed like it was the next 'hot' hydrangea that was going to be quite the thing in everyone's gardens. I must say it is quite a bomb in my garden and coincidentally, it's name is 'Bombshell' hydrangea. I was pretty excited to see it bloom-all two of them were kind of attractive though very small and not too bright. They turned a rusty brown color which while not unattractive, is not really all that attractive either. This is a picky hydrangea as far as growing conditions. It must have sun and will not do anything in the shade. It also needs a lot of water and is not the slightest bit drought tolerant as far as I can see.


This one has been severely stressed by the drought here in my garden. You can see it quickly turned yellow and wilted. It is not wilted now because I have watered it. I planted this one with the mophead hydrangeas thinking it would be a good fit since it stays fairly small and the heads are round. I thought it would be tougher than the mopheads but in reality it is not. The only good thing I can say is it has not gotten leaf spot like the mopheads. I would not recommend this hydrangea to anyone. It is more like a dwarf version of the old standby PeeGee.

Okay, so which one of they hydangeas is my favorite? Gosh that is so hard because for me it depends on what is looking best at the moment. If I had to narrow it down it would have to be 'White Diamond'. This hydrangea can easily fit into all gardens, has a VERY long bloom time, and once the blooms turn they are still attractive, the leaves are very stout (I think this aids with drought tolerance and resistance to leaf spot), and this is just an all around great hydrangea that anyone can easily grow.

Which one do you like best and what experiences do you have with panicled hydrangeas....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

'White Diamond' Hydrangea Paniculata: A Finely Cut 'Diamond' For Sure

Good morning! Are you looking for diamonds? How about 'white diamonds' that grow in the garden? This little gem is one of my 'White Diamond' Hydrangea paniculata that grows in my new gardens and it is quite a gem indeed. Let me share some information about it so you too can have some splendid 'white diamonds'.

This hydrangea, like all paniculata hydrangeas, tolerates sun fairly well. In fact, my two are growing in full sun and have had no supplemental watering this summer. Unlike most paniculata hydrangeas though, this particular cultivar is a fairly compact hydrangea that has beefy leaves and strong stems. It is reported to grow to only about 4-8' tall and wide versus 10-12' tall and wide for most paniculata hydrangeas. This works well if you like paniculata hydrangeas because this particular hydrangea will not overwhelm a perennial or shrub border like most paniculatas tend to do.

I planted my two 'White Diamond' hydrangeas in a shrub border along the driveway. They are a middle of the border plant behind 'Raspberry Profusion' abelia and right in front of some plume grass. So far the hydrangeas and abelias are working well but I am not so sure the grass will work since it is much too tall for this bed, but that is another post. This bed was all planted last fall (with the exception of the grasses which were moved last spring) when I moved all of these plants out to the new gardens. Everything has thrived in their new surroundings-with no supplemental watering.

In fact, the hydrangeas-all of them not just the paniculata types--but also the macrophyllas, arborescens, and quercifolias--are all doing fantastically well. I will be preparing a post on several more paniculata cultivar hydrangeas so look for it soon. Cultivars to be profiled are: 'Vanilla Strawberry', 'Pinky Winky', 'Quickfire', 'Phantom', 'Limelight', 'Pink Diamond', 'Tardiva', and finally 'Great Star'. Can you tell I like hydrangeas? The paniculata hydrangeas are very easy to grow and reward the gardener with lots of blooms. The only problem they have is there are so many of them a gardener doesn't always know where to begin! To make things easy for me all of my paniculatas with the exception of 'White Diamond' are in one long bed. This will make comparisons of blooms and bloom times much easier. Most of the above cultivars are in bud now so once they all bloom I'll be back with those hydrangeas but don't forget this little gem 'White Diamond'.

There is something else I also love this time of the year and it is daylilies! I have a lot of daylilies in the orchard area and I am so happy to see all the colors. It is a rainbow to my eyes and each day I am in awe of all the colors. Coming from a mostly shade garden the change in plants brought on by full sun is astounding! I have to say thank you to all of my friends and family who have ever given a daylily and there are many of you-they are all here....

shining in the garden....with 'White Diamonds'.....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Endless Summer Twist and Shout Hydrangea

BY SKEETER

 Back in June of 2011, this little Hydrangea came home with me from the "Giant Plant Sale" from McCorkle's Nursery. McCorkle's Nursery is about 20 minutes from my GEORGIA GARDENS and opens to the public twice a year with great bargains. I try to get to the event both times so as to add fun things to my gardens at a cheap price. I have talked about McCorkle's in the past and if you would like to see those postings, Click HERE and HERE to read up on them.

 I am not a Master Gardener by any means and I do not research many of my plants. So I never know what to expect when I put a new "to me" plant into the ground. But in the 3 years I have had this plant, she is doing okay by me and really starting to make a statement in my garden. 

 This is a fun plant as it has the most interesting blooms. Some start out in a creamy white ball.

 And some start out in a blue and cream color ball.

 As the blooms start to open, the magic really happens.

 I never know what to expect with each bloom.

 I just love the blue and creamy white together.

 Being a Wee bit OCD, I really like this bloom with its balanced self. Ha...

Just as a snowflake, no two of the blooms are alike. Thus, making for a most interesting plant to me. I shall be attending the McCorkle's June 12-14 GPS once again as I have won a gift certificate from them! I never know what I shall come home with as I never know just what they will have in the fields until I arrive! But I know one things for sure, I love my ENDLESS SUMMER TWIST AND SHOUT HYDRANGEA, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

A Few January Pictures and a Splendid Winter Blooming Native Shrub

Hello all! We in Tennessee and actually a good part of the country are going through the 'Big Freeze' and while I sit here shivering I thought I'd share a few pictures from my garden. 

I am a big, big proponent of year round gardening and put my money where my mouth is. In Tennessee there is no reason why we can't garden year round. Despite the 'Big Freeze' here now it will only last a few days. By the end of this week I'll be back at it on the farm and in my garden here. So get out and enjoy it! In the meantime here is what is happening in my garden right now. Firstly, and most importantly to me is my vernal witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis). Vernal means 'spring' or spring like according Dictionary.com. Here in my garden this witch hazel has always bloomed in January-a far cry from spring. But I'll take it.


This shrub has been here for 7.5 years and has slowly grown to form a good sized shrub that puts on a magnificent display each and every year without fail. I can't get enough of it! The small spidery blooms are sweetly scented and remind me of honeysuckle. The scent is never overpowering and is always welcomed this time of the year. This shrub is native and is drought tolerant. I have never had to add supplemental watering to it. Mine grows near a mature oak tree in a very dry, part sun garden. When it leafs out in the spring the leaves are very attractive and will stay attractive all season. Come fall they will turn yellow then slowly fall. I grow several witch hazels in my garden and can without hesitation say this is the absolutely best one!

More winter interest in my garden comes from spent hydrangeas blooms and straw colored grasses. Here we have 'Annabelle' blooms and in the background the clumps of grass are 'Adagio'. Adagio is an awesome clumping ornamental grass that grows well in part shade to sun conditions. It would appreciate a bit of moisture but is okay once established in very dry beds under mature trees. It is a smaller miscanthus that grows to about five feet tall with blooms. Its mature width is about 4-5'.

Close by the 'Annabelles' are several 'Limelight' hydrangeas. These babies are my most wonderful hydrangeas. Just look at all of those spent blooms providing interest all winter long. If you'd like to be reminded of how they looked this past summer just click here to read this article about these wonderful hydrangeas.

The birds need us greatly during these big freezes. I have been busy filling up the feeders on my back deck. These few feeders are hanging just outside of my kitchen sink window where I can enjoy the birds up close on a daily basis. It is important to feed a variety of foods to the birds if you wish to attract a great deal of birds. Here I feed primarily black oil sunflower seeds and suet. The suet is beloved by all birds and especially by woodpeckers. I always enjoy seeing the big red bellied woodpeckers visit these bird feeders.

Saturday morning I woke up to a ton of jet trails in the sky. Perhaps they are always there but I marveled at just how many and how clear they were this past weekend. As a child in Maine I would often lie on my back in the grass and watch the jets fly overhead. Here we can't do that because of all the ticks and chiggers but the memory is still fresh and clear in my mind.

The garden has lots of new life. These hellebore seedlings are patiently awaiting their new home at Tiger Way Gardens. I used to pull new seedlings immediately after I noticed them and place them in flats for planting out in the fall. I no longer do that because I found the new seedlings are more successful if left alone for one year in situ. These seedlings are now one year old and should succeed once transplanted. I love hellebores and one really good note, deer do not eat hellebores. The entry way to our farm will be covered with hellebores in a few years. This will provide interest and hopefully keep the weeds down so that I do not have to mow the area. Thank you to all of my friends who have kindly given me hellebores over the years. I especially want to thank Nancy for her wonderful donation of many large and mature hellebores that I recently planted at the farm. I was able to split most of them and got a great start on covering the area.

Lastly, a little color looking out front from my porch. Orkin has just eaten and is most content. She spends her time in a heated box on the porch but when it is sunny she'll make a rare appearance for us. The other two 'boys' spend their time in the garage bundled up together on a cat bed when not eating or hunting. They are lethal hunters and daily I find remnants of rodents they have killed in my garden. The bottle trees are free standing trees that support a good deal of bottles. These will move to the farm once the house is built.

Everyone stay bundled and warm....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Far and Near

BY SKEETER

 I am forever showing close up photos of blooms in my GEORGIA GARDENS. Close-ups give glory to the bloom while the plant seems to be lost.

 So today, I will change things up a bit and show some plants currently blooming. Hydrangeas are new to me as I have only been adding them to my gardens the past two years. I knew nothing of the plants but know they are a staple in a Southern garden.

 McCorkles Nursery (Giant Plant Sale) has Hydrangeas at such great prices that I decided to give them a try. I just love this "Mini Penny" above in my newest of gardens.

This Mini Penny is a Repeat Flowering Hydrangea and has hints of a creamy yellow with the blue coloring. 

 This Mini Penny is in the Semi-Formal Shade Garden.

This Mini Penny is the same plant as in the before plant but has more Blue to its flowers. More pine straw in this area for sure. 

 Midnight Duchess, as well as all my hydrangeas, had a rough start being planted during the peek of our 3 year drought. I really babied the Hydrangeas in my small collection during the drought. 

 Plentiful rains during Spring and into Summer have them shining. I really do like those purple-black stems on Midnight Duchess!

 Vitex  or Chaste Tree was added a couple of years ago and is doing great! 

 Bees love these blooms. Can you see the 2 bees in this picture?

 Rose of Sharon is a favorite of mine as it reminds me of my childhood home in Tennessee.  

 Here you see Sharon in the color of purple. I also have her in the colors of White and Pink. See the bug on this bloom?

 Balloon Flower has been with me for several years but will not seem to fill in for me.

 Even though it seems to be a slow grower for me, it does bloom each year. Am sure the recent rains are helping to make it stronger as the drought is finally over! Well, for now...

 I have 2 Trumpet Honey Suckle that are doing wonderful.

 Their bright red color attracts many pollinators.

And they are producing the most beautiful berry's as well.

I almost removed this Lantana from my garden this spring. It was late to return and I was clipping what appeared to be a dead bush when I spotted new growth. YIKES! 

I am so happy I spotted that bit of growth. I would have missed out on some beautiful blooms had I kept cutting the bush.

 Crepe Myrtle is now blooming. This tree is in the mending stage as it is "Miss Myrtle" that did the Splits on me in 2011. Click HERE to see that mishap.

She is bouncing back and blooming FAR AND NEAR, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden