When to plant and prune Hydrangea (Paniculata)
Hydrangea paniculata
Do not treat this like a mophead or lacecap Hydrangea macrophylla. H. paniculata flowers on the current year's growth and is cut back hard every spring - left unpruned it becomes leggy with small flowerheads, and simply deadheading it as you would a macrophylla wastes the plant.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Pruning is driven by dormancy rather than frost, so it is not shifted by region — the same cut is right in Inverness and in Penzance. Planting windows do move.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower | Prune |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early October to mid November | mid July to early October | early March to late March |
| South Coast and Channel | early October to mid November | mid July to early October | early March to late March |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early October to mid November | mid July to early October | early March to late March |
| South East and Home Counties | early October to mid November | mid July to early October | early March to late March |
| East Anglia | early October to mid November | mid July to early October | early March to late March |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early October to mid November | mid July to early October | early March to late March |
| Wales and West Coast | early October to mid November | mid July to early October | early March to late March |
| Northern England | early October to mid November | mid July to early October | early March to late March |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early October to mid November | mid July to early October | early March to late March |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early October to mid November | mid July to early October | early March to late March |
| Northern Ireland | early October to mid November | mid July to early October | early March to late March |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early October to mid November | mid July to early October | early March to late March |
How to prune it
Flowers on the current season's growth: each spring cut last year's stems back to a pair of healthy buds on a low permanent framework of branches.
Severity: hard.
At a glance
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- H5
- Eventual height
- 2.0 m
- Eventual spread
- 1.8 m
- Years to maturity
- 4
- Spacing
- 150 cm
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil
- Fertile, moist but well-drained soil; dislikes drying out in summer
- Evergreen
- No
- Pollinator value
- 3 out of 5
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 45 litres or more
- Difficulty
- Easy
Soil pH
Flower colour is not affected by soil pH, unlike H. macrophylla, so there is no need for ericaceous compost or blueing treatments.
Safety
All parts may cause a mild stomach upset if eaten, and the sap can irritate skin.
Growing notes
Cone-shaped panicles from mid-July into October, opening greenish-white and often ageing pink - the longest-flowering hydrangea and the most sun-tolerant. Hard annual pruning produces strong upright stems that carry the heavy heads. Award-winning cultivars include 'Limelight' and Pinky-Winky.
What usually goes wrong
- drought stress and wilting in dry soil
- heavy flowerheads bending stems after rain
- powdery mildew
Related guides
Cross-checked against RHS guidance.