Panicle Hydrangea 'Magical Sweet Summer'

Panicle hydrangea 'Magical Sweet Summer' (Hydrangea paniculata 'Magical Sweet Summer') is sweet summer in miniature. The dense, broadly conical panicles open snow-white and then flush pink from the bottom up.

The shoots are stiff and straight, and the heads stay upright even after a downpour. At a compact 1.2-1.5 m tall and 1.2-1.8 m wide it suits a border, a group beside a path or a low flowering hedge, and cut panicles dry beautifully for winter arrangements. Hardy to -34 °C.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: The shoots are burgundy-brown, and against that dark framework the white panicles read all the more sharply.
• Dimensions: At 10 years 1.2-1.5 m tall and 1.2-1.8 m wide.
• Hardiness: Hardy to -34 °C (USDA zone 4).
• Flowering: From July to September it carries white panicles that gradually take on a pink flush.
• Light: Full sun or partial shade; in sun the colour of the flower heads comes out richer.
• Soil: It grows best in organically rich, evenly moist, well-drained soil, and accepts pH from acid to alkaline.
• Watering: Moderate watering: keep the soil evenly moist, with no standing water.
• Care: It flowers on the current year's shoots, so prune it in late winter or early spring.
• Landscape use: Handsome in a border, in a mixed-border group and in a low flowering hedge, and the panicles are lovely cut or dried.
• Origin: The registered cultivar name is 'Bokrathirteen', a selection by Kees Jan Kran for Boot & Co in Boskoop, US patent granted in 2011.