Culture
Best grown in organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Can be trained as a small single trunk tree, but is best grown as a large, multi-stemmed shrub. May display best shrub form if regularly pruned to a height of 6-10’ tall. This is one of the most winter hardy of the hydrangeas. It thrives in urban conditions. Bloom occurs on current season’s growth, so prune as needed in late winter to early spring.
Larger flower panicles can be obtained by thinning the plants to 5-10 primary shoots. In full bloom, the weight of the flower panicles will typically cause the branches to arch downward.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Hydrangea paniculata, commonly called panicle hydrangea, is a vigorous, upright, rapid-growing, somewhat coarsely textured, deciduous shrub that is native to China and Japan. It typically grows to 8-15’ (less frequently to 25’) tall, and features oval to ovate dark green leaves and upright, sharply-pointed, conical, terminal flower panicles (to 6-8” long) containing both fertile and sterile flowers (mostly non-showy fertile flowers) that bloom from mid-summer into fall.
The genus name Hydrangea comes from hydor meaning "water" and aggeion meaning "vessel", in reference to the cup-like capsular fruit.
The specific epithet paniculata refers to the arrangement of the flowers in panicles.
‘Chantilly Lace’ is a somewhat compact cultivar that typically grows in an upright mound to 5-6’ tall and as wide. Flower panicles (10” by 6”) are a 50-50 mixture of sterile and fertile flowers which open white but mature to pink. This is a late-blooming cultivar which often produces flowers until fall frost. Ovate, serrulate, dark green leaves (to 3-6” long) are attractive during the growing season, but produce generally undistinguished fall color. ‘Chantilly Lace’ is a seedling of H. paniculata ‘Tardiva’. It is a product of a breeding program instituted by Michael Dirr at the University of Georgia in 1992 for the purpose of searching for a later-blooming cultivar than ‘Tardiva’.
Problems
Some susceptibility to bud blight, bacterial wilt, leaf spot, rust and mildew. Aphids and mites are occasional visitors.
Uses
Mass or group in a mixed shrub border or open woodland garden. Also effective as a lawn specimen, accent or hedge. Provides late summer bloom when few other shrubs are in flower.