Hydrangea paniculata 'Chantilly Lace' (panicle hydrangea)
Chantilly Lace panicle hydrangea has been one of our favorites since it was introduced 20 years ago. Reasons? We like an open, looser flower panicle (a.k.a. head or cone), the manageable 8-10' stature, the dark green leaves - and especially how all this holds up in oven-hot heat here in Georgia.
The panicles are a mix of fertile and sterile flowers and the bees love them. In fact, the flowers heads were veritably abuzz with bees as we took cuttings in July 2017.
The flowers do not antique pink here in zone 8a, but we've read that they blush light pink in cooler zones.
We have some grown as single trunks so you can train as a standard, others are multiple-stemmed, so please send us a note about which type you'd like when you order.
A smaller version is Baby Lace panicle hydrangea.
- 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