Panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light'
Hydrangea paniculata 'SMHPFL' (Fire Light) · Hydrangeaceae
Large, full flower heads open white and turn, by early autumn, to a deep pomegranate red, the richest red of any panicle hydrangea.
- Size
- 6½ ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Mid July to early October
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light'
The planner designed this bed around panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' × 1, white
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 12, pink
- 3 Stemless gentian × 35, blue
- 4 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 5 Sneezeweed × 3, yellow
- 6 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 3, pink
- 7 Palm sedge × 5, green leaves
- 8 Meadow sage × 5, purple
- 9 Golden ragwort × 29, yellow
- 10 Winter heath 'Kramer's Red' × 5, pink
- 11 Camassia × 6, blue
- 12 Poet's daffodil × 17, white
- 13 Double snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are open bowls, trumpets, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do palm sedge and winter heath 'Kramer's Red'.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6½ ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to sneezeweed (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 12 weeks. From mid July to early October.
- Closes the season. In its last week nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 16 of the 18 groups (89%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowering is at its height in late May, with 6 kinds out together. White mugwort and panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' goes in a border
At 6½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
Thick, upright stems hold the heavy heads. It keeps its colour as it dries, so it is a good one to cut for winter.
- Red hydrangea heads in autumn
- Hedges and screens
- Drying
What to plant with panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster': in flower together for 12 weeks, from mid July; happy in the same moist soil.
- Japanese anemone: in flower together for eight weeks, from mid August; low enough (3 ft) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Black-eyed Susan: in flower together for 10 weeks, from mid July; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light'
Does panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' need sun or shade?
Panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid July to early October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Late July to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late July to early October |
| Zone 5 | Mid July to early October |
| Zone 6 | Mid July to early October |
| Zone 7 | Mid July to early October |
| Zone 8 | Mid July to early October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' be planted?
6 ft (180 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6½ ft (200 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6 ft (180 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Leaves and buds can cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light'?
These come closest to doing what panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 12 in narrower, flowers mid May to early September.
- Summersweet: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 24 in narrower, flowers mid July to mid August.
- Siberian dogwood: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 12 in narrower, flowers late May to early June.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light'?
Panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Swamp sunflower: from late September to late October, 6½ ft tall.
- Tatarian aster 'Jindai': from early October to early November, 4 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink': from late September to early November, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' look like in winter?
Panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' good for bees and butterflies?
Panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' is visited by pollinators.
More Hydrangea
- Bigleaf hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla
- Bigleaf hydrangea 'Endless Summer' Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmer' (Endless Summer)
- Bigleaf hydrangea 'Nikko Blue' Hydrangea macrophylla 'Nikko Blue'
- Lacecap hydrangea 'Twist-n-Shout' Hydrangea macrophylla 'PIIHM-I' (Twist-n-Shout)
- Mountain hydrangea Hydrangea serrata
- Mountain hydrangea 'Bluebird' Hydrangea serrata 'Bluebird'
- Mountain hydrangea 'Tuff Stuff' Hydrangea serrata 'MAK20' (Tuff Stuff)
- Oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Alice' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Munchkin' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Munchkin'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Pee Wee' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Pee Wee'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Ruby Slippers'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Snow Queen' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Bobo' Hydrangea paniculata 'Bobo'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Limelight' Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Little Lime' Hydrangea paniculata 'Jane' (Little Lime)
- Panicle hydrangea 'Pinky Winky' Hydrangea paniculata 'DVP PINKY' (Pinky Winky)
- Panicle hydrangea 'Quick Fire' Hydrangea paniculata 'Quick Fire'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Tardiva' Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Vanilla Strawberry' Hydrangea paniculata 'Vanilla Strawberry'
- PeeGee hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora'
- Smooth hydrangea 'Annabelle' Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'
- Smooth hydrangea 'Incrediball' Hydrangea arborescens 'Incrediball'
- Smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' Hydrangea arborescens 'NCHA2' (Invincibelle Spirit II)
In these guides
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Long-flowering plants: 12 weeks or more
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6½ ft (200 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 ft (180 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid July to early October; dense clusters; white, red, pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Hydrangeaceae
- Comes from
- Eastern and southern China, Japan, Sakhalin, Kuril Island
- Attracts
- Pollinators
- Stands up to
- Salt, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension, ASPCA poison lists and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.