PG Hydrangea

PG Hydrangea - Paniculata 'Grandiflora' plants are flowering deciduous shrubs. You will also hear "tree hydrangea" (or "hydrangea tree") in reference to this plant, because it can be pruned so as to have a single trunk or just a few large trunks. Pruning it in this fashion allows you to accentuate a tree-like canopy. PG Hydrangeas will grow anywhere from 10 to 25 feet in height with equal spread. Exact height and spread will depend on pruning and growing conditions. These are fast-growing shrubs, able to put on 2 feet in height some years under the best of conditions. They come into flower in mid-to-late summer. PG Hydrangeas bloom on new wood. If you are looking to shape them, you can prune in late fall, winter, or early spring without the danger of losing the buds that will become the next crop of flowers. Fertilize the plants in summer with compost. You can control the size of the flower heads on panicle hydrangeas, to some degree. That is, if you want larger flower heads (as most people do), thin the plant down by pruning it so that it will have fewer main branches. The result will be fewer flower heads. But because all of the plant's energy will be going into making flowers on the branches that you have left alone, the resulting flower heads will be bigger.

Planting Instructions - Dig your planting hole twice the diameter of the root ball. You should dig the hole so that once planted it will be at the same level in the ground as it was in its container. Before you place it into its hole, you should loosen the soil around the outside of the root ball. This will help the roots to spread more easily once it is planted. Place your shrub into the hole. Back-fill the hole with soil and pack it down firmly. Water well to help get rid of air pockets in the soil. Add a layer of mulch to your newly planted shrub. This will help the soil to conserve moisture.