Little Lime® Panicle Hydrangea

Soft lime green panicles cover this compact panicle hydrangea in midsummer, fade to cream, and pick up pink as fall comes on. Hydrangea paniculata Little Lime® 'Jane' holds at 3 to 5 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide in full sun to part sun, hardy from Zone 3 through Zone 8. It carries Limelight's chartreuse color on a plant about a third the size, with panicles in proportion. The whole shrub flowers rather than only the branch tips, and bloom runs over a long stretch. 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. It fits a foundation bed, a mixed border, a large container, or a low hedge along a walk, where a full-size panicle would need constant cutting back.