PeeGee hydrangea
Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora' · Hydrangeaceae
Huge, heavy, conical heads of white flowers that weigh the branches into arches and turn pink, then tan, in autumn. Planted in every old farm garden.
- Size
- 13 ft tall, 11½ ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Late July to early October
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around peeGee hydrangea
The planner designed this bed around peeGee hydrangea when this page was made: a 30 × 14 ft (9.1 × 4.3 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why peeGee hydrangea stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 PeeGee hydrangea × 1, white
- 2 Lingonberry × 19, pink
- 3 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 28, pink
- 4 Dwarf Alberta spruce × 1, green leaves
- 5 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 3, purple
- 6 Brown-eyed Susan × 8, yellow
- 7 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 8 Betony 'Hummelo' × 3, purple
- 9 Golden ragwort × 43, yellow
- 10 Palm sedge × 5, green leaves
- 11 Coneflower 'Green Jewel' × 11, green
- 12 Calamint × 3, white
- 13 Caucasian scabious 'Fama' × 11, blue
- 14 Crown imperial × 7, orange
- 15 Orienpet lily × 4, red
- 16 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 6, purple
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are bells, open bowls, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 13 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 brown-eyed Susan (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 11 weeks. From late July to early October.
- Part of the bed's peak. With bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei', brown-eyed Susan, betony 'Hummelo' and others in late July: 8 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 29 of the 31 groups (94%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Golden ragwort is planted in 11 places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. The flowering year starts with golden ragwort in mid April and ends with Tatarian aster 'Jindai' in early November.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where peeGee hydrangea goes in a border
At 13 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 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.
The original panicle hydrangea of American gardens, often trained as a small tree. It lives for generations. Modern kinds stand more upright, but none has more character.
- Heirloom gardens
- Training as a small tree
- Dried flowers
What to plant with peeGee hydrangea
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Garden phlox: in flower together for seven weeks, from late July; low enough (3½ ft) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Daylily: in flower together for three weeks, from late July; low enough (2½ ft) to stand in front of it.
- Hosta 'Royal Standard': in flower together for five weeks, from early August; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (2 ft) to stand in front of it.
Questions about peeGee hydrangea
Does peeGee hydrangea need sun or shade?
PeeGee hydrangea 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 peeGee hydrangea 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 peeGee hydrangea flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late July to early October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Early August to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early August to early October |
| Zone 5 | Late July to early October |
| Zone 6 | Late 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 peeGee hydrangea be planted?
10 ft (300 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 11½ ft (350 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 13 ft (400 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many peeGee hydrangea plants do I need?
Usually one. At 10 ft (300 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 10 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is peeGee hydrangea 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 peeGee hydrangea?
These come closest to doing what peeGee hydrangea does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Star magnolia 'Royal Star': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers early April to late April.
- Seven-son flower: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 3½ ft taller, flowers late August to mid September.
- Witch hazel 'Arnold Promise': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early February to mid March, yellow, not white.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat peeGee hydrangea?
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 peeGee hydrangea?
PeeGee hydrangea is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn': from early November to late December, 10 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Swamp sunflower: from late September to late October, 6½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Common witch hazel: from mid October to late November, 15 ft tall.
What does peeGee hydrangea look like in winter?
PeeGee hydrangea drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is peeGee hydrangea good for bees and butterflies?
PeeGee hydrangea 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 'Fire Light' Hydrangea paniculata 'SMHPFL' (Fire Light)
- 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'
- 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
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 13 ft (400 cm) tall, 11½ ft (350 cm) wide
- Plant
- 10 ft (300 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late July to early October; dense clusters; white, pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Vase-shaped, 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.