Panicle describes the cone-shaped flowers of two hydrangea species. Botanical  terminology uses the word panicle to describes the complicated structure of these hydrangea flower heads - the cones of flowers we love in our midsummer gardens. We'll tell you more about that and explain what helps them antique their best shades of rose.

The mophead types are, literally, the Garden Variety Hydrangea types. They were selected by people to grow in their gardens because they are bigger than the wild lacecap types and therefore more bodacious. Learn about their showy sepals here.

Lacecaps are the wild hydrangeas set up by nature to have two kinds of florets in the lacy flower heads. The showy outer florets ring the edge of the head. Their job is to attract pollinating insects to the less-showy inner fertile florets. It's the job of the fertile flowers to make fruit/seeds and reproduce so the species lives on.