Bobo® Hardy Hydrangea

White panicles cover this dwarf panicle hydrangea so thickly in midsummer that the plant nearly disappears underneath, and they pick up soft pink as the nights cool. Hydrangea paniculata Bobo® 'ILVOBO' stays 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide in full sun to part sun, hardy from Zone 3 through Zone 8. The panicles are large for a shrub this small and come from the base of the plant to the top rather than only at the branch tips. Panicle hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata, takes more sun than any other common hydrangea and flowers on new wood from midsummer into fall. Buds form in spring on the current year's growth, so a hard winter or a late frost does not cost it a season of bloom, and soil pH has no effect on the color. Most panicle hydrangeas open white or green and age to pink or red. That change is driven by cool nights, so northern gardens color up strongly while warmer southern gardens tend to hold cream and soft blush instead. Cut back by about a third in late winter or early spring. Panicle hydrangeas take average soil as long as it drains, and once established they handle dry spells better than the other hydrangea groups. The low, wide habit fits the front of a border, a container, or a row of several plants as a low informal hedge.