Hydrangea paniculata 'Crystal Chandelier' (panicle hydrangea)
Crystal Chandelier panicle hydrangea was seen growing in Mike Dirr's garden on a tour with members of the American Hydrangea Society in early July 2017. The group oohed and aahed, so I took that as my cue to propagate ASAP. Dirr gave it a name and we're off to the races.
The panicles are a little more open and airy than Chantilly Lace and the flowers are also mixed fertile and sterile flowers. Likewise, when we went back for cuttings it was buzzing with bees and butterflies pollinating the flowers.
Last summer in zone 8a, the flowers didn't antique at all, but maybe they will blush pink in cooler zones.
We have some grown as single trunks so you can train as a standard, others are multiple-stemmed, so please request which type you'd like when you order.
- panicle hydrangeas are very cold tolerant hydrangeas
- Chantilly Lace is a mix of fertile and sterile flowers so it attracts pollinators
- for single specimen and accent use
- grouping and massing - large swaths
- blends well in flower and shrub borders
- the panicle flower heads are lighter and don't cause the stems to flop
- pollinator plant
- cut flowers
- long flowering period
- flowers last from summer through fall
- Spring: dark green
- Summer: dark green
- Fall: yellow
In the Deep South, it will like afternoon shade to mitigate leaf wilting, but it will like full days of sun in cooler zones. The more sun it gets, the better the flowering and the better the pink antiquing of the flowers. Sun/shade and good flowering are balancing acts based on your climate.
Panicle hydrangea flowers on new growth, so it's fine to prune in winter before or just as new growth begins. At that time, you're not pruning off flower buds.
When do I prune off flower heads?
Pune off spent flower heads once they've become tatty and you're tired of seeing them. In the Deep South, this may be a few weeks after flowering since our warm nights don't induce much pink antiquing. In cooler zones such as zone 7a and colder, flowers antique pink in varying degrees, so deadheading may be in late fall or winter.
See our blog posts about pruning: When to Prune Hydrangeas