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Gardening in Canada

help planting pee gee hydrangea

18 years ago

Hi,

We just purchased a Pee Gee Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora'. Would like advice on planting it. Should we put it in full sun I read somewhere that they should be sheltered. I'm in Eastern Ontario I believe Zone 5.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Mary-Jane

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Comments (5)

sydseeds
18 years ago
I planted one around this time last year. It currently resides in the middle of a hot sunny spot in the front - and although we've not had much sunshine but ample water from the early spring rains, it's barely broken dormancy.

I did give it it plenty of winter protection by building the sides up with wood chips - and it did survive the winter but to tell the truth, it looked way better this time last year when I planted it than it does now - I think I will be moving it to a more sheltered location closer to the house which also give part sun/part shade during the day.

The annabelle hydrangea's at the neighbours thrive in dappled sunlight amongst the very tall pine trees - so I'll be adding pine needles to boost up the acid in the soil where-ever it's next location is...but it's not staying in the full sunshine in the middle of 'nowhereland' in the front yard much longer - it's headed for dappled sunlight and surroundings closer to some established shrubs/trees or even closer to the house to aid with winter protection - far away from the harsh amount of snow and wind that whip across the front yard.

Best wishes on your pee gee doing better than mine - wish I had thought to post your question last year before I planted mine.
maryjanej
Original Author
18 years ago
Hi sydseeds,
Thanks for the info. I guess it would be better in a sheltered location. Nice to know in advance. I'll also try putting some pine needles around it.
Thank You
Mary-Jane
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It's strange, but I have every shrub you are referring to, so I hope my experience with these shrubs is helpful. I have a PeeGee Hydrangea tree, it's about 5 years old, and it is gorgeous. However, because the blooms are so full and heavy, after getting rained on, most of the flowers will droop down. There are ways to prune the tree so that the branches get stronger, which I have been doing, but I am not seeing much improvement. For more information you should look at the Hydrangea forum. I also have 2 other types of hydrangea trees: a Pink Diamond (also has beautiful and large blooms, but they are less dense, so they are lighter and they do not droop after rain, and the white blooms turn a pretty pink as they age), and a Limelight hydrangea (these are more similar to PeeGees than the Pink Diamond, but they seem to be less prone to drooping.) My PeeGee and my Pink Diamond are on the north side of my house (zone 5, Michigan), and they do very well there. I wonder if your southern exposure will be too much sun for them. My Limelight is on the south side of my house and it is doing well there. And I've read that Limelights do well in part to full sun. I've seen snowball viburnum standards, and I think they are gorgeous! I know they do well in full sun because I have a bush in full sun and it's growing nicely. I also have a Merril magnolia (which I think is similar to Stella) on the south side of my house. It produces fragrant white, daisy-like blooms in early spring. It is not a fast grower, and it seems like it would be easy to keep it pruned to the size you want. However, this shrub, like other magnolias only stands out in the landscape in early spring, after that, it is kind of boring. So, I think if you want something eye-catching, for a long period of time, the best choice for you would be a Limelight hydrangea tree. The flowers last from early summer through fall, they don't tend to droop, they are easy to prune, they like full sun, and the flowers start out a beautiful greenish-white, then they turn all green. You may want to look at the Hydrangea forum, it includes alot of information about the various types of hydrangeas.
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Maybe it's just a little transplant shock. We had some drying winds over the weekend with the sudden ramp-up of temps., so maybe they got a little dry as well. In general, these seem to be plants that need little to no attention.
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Hello, chrisinflorida. Your aim should be to keep the soil moist. A way to do that is to water when a finger inserted to a depth of 4" feels as if the soil was almost dry or dry. If it feels moist or wet, leave it alone. Re-check this way when the temperatures change by 10-15 degrees and stay there. Apply 3-4" of mulch to conserve moisture. It is best to water the soil early in the mornings (do not water the leaves in order to keep fungal leaf problems in check). Some of my bare root roses have bloomed on their first year but others have waited until year two. So, I never expect blooms from a recently planted shrub. But if I get any, that is great. It is best for the plant to recover from transplant shock and get established in your garden. Bloomage should be a lower priority. Wilting should not be an issue this time of the year. Watch out for leaf wilting as summer temperatures arrive. In my zone, summer is too hot for PeeGee so I would plant it where it receives dappled sun or some morning sun instead. Hydrangea leaves suffer from too much sun here so I try to shade them beginning at 11am, approx. I prefer to plant my hydrangeas about 1/2 to 1" higher than the surrounding soil.
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PeeGee Hydrangeas can take full sun, even in the South. In fact, they NEED at LEAST 5 hours of full sun. I would suggest never using Miracle Gro on a shrub (or anything for that matter) that is planted in the ground. Use an organic fertilizer for perennials, trees and shrub beds. Never fertilize in extreme heat, when a plant is very dry or stressed in any manner. Chemical fertilizers, like Miracle Gro, will build up around your plants. The molecules are held together with salts that, when built up, will eventually burn your plants. These fertilizers also tend to make plants shoot leggy growth that is not cold tolerant, so never fertilize after August 1st. Use a fertilizer that is organic. I am not a purist about organic fertilizers - I use Miracle Gro in all of my containers (pots, flower boxes, etc.) that contain annuals. In fact, I use it every time I water them. Use a product like Bumper Crop, Pay Dirt, or composted manure.
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sharont
18 years ago
Ours is planted in clay soil in sun in between silver leaf dogwood & Kolwitzia. It is over 10 years old & shrub like not standard pruned.
It started out years ago in another bed of mostly clay in sun but outgrew that area. I've also had a branch touch soil & sprout roots. Therefore another PG!
sam
ianna
18 years ago
It's a borderline woodland plant. I have several types of hydrangeas, peegee, climbing, nikko blue and annabelle. They all thrive in shade conditions or part sun conditions. They are planted in clay but I would agree that the soil should be amended with organics. - Afterall these are woodland plants and the tendency is for them to thrive in woodland conditions.
maryjanej
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank You so much Everyone for your help. I'ts always nice to hear from real gardeners that have more knowledge.
Thanks
Mary-Jane

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