You can Google image search for various states of bloom. All hydrangea paniculata begin mostly white and fade to pinks and browns. Both are "dwarf" hydrangea paniculata, as they aren't supposed to exceed 5' in diameter. There would be zero dieback down to zone 3. All paniculata are drought tolerant and require full sun in zone 4. 'Long as the soil stays moist and mostly shaded, little manual watering would be needed. Little Quick Fire just came out this year, so not many people have it. It would be a wise choice for mixed borders as full size QF (like mine) can exceed 7' in diameter. QF (a rare case) should NOT be pruned past early fall (when the leaves turn), and never after the plant begins to leaf out in spring - otherwise you will eliminate blooms before they happen. Little Lime is a top-rated shrub. Each spring, simply prune out tiny outer branches and leave the thickest toward the middle. There are no pruning restrictions on Limelight. QF stems are ruddy in color and have dark, rough, medium sized leaves. Limelights have much lighter stems and leaves (light green across the board).

gardengal48... So Friday Was my very first visit to the Plant Depot... Let me just say... I am IN LOVE!!! They had ordered both the "super" 1 gallons and 5 gallons waiting for me. To my surprise the "super" 1 gallon size looked much bigger than I had imagined they would. I walked out of there with 4 "super" 1 gallon Limelights and 2 bags of Acid Soil Ammendment. I really had to use a serious amount of self control and restraint to keep myself from buying more. I think I may have a plant addiction... HELP!!!... ;-) I can't wait to get these hydrangeas in the ground and growing for me. Based on the information on the tag, it says that they're the hardiest of all the Hydrangeas... needing less water and being able to take more sun, than many of the other Hydrangea varieties out there, once they're established. So I'm hopeful that I will have much more success with these Hydrangeas than the other ones I've planted in the past. I CAN'T wait to go back to The Plant Depot and do some more garden dreaming... such a cool place. Thanks again for leading me towards The Plant Depot. I would not have known to check them out if it had not been for you... :-) I'll have to snap some photos sometime and share. Thanks again for all your help!

There are so many varieties of panicle hydrangea now, in addition to limelight and little lime. These are an unnamed variety from a grower here in east Texas - they only get about 6 hours of full sun, but they really responded to this cold winter. The flowers age kind of pinkish then dry nicely for arrangments. We've also had good luck with the smooth hydrangeas (h. arborescens) such as Annabelle in similar condition, actually in the same bed - these might be 'Incrediball' - I have to wait till fall to climb in to see the tags. We did plant them on the east side of some taller shrubs (viburnum 'Opening Day' and 'Rosalinda' Indian hawthorn, which is recovering from last winter's freeze) to provide some afternoon relief from the hot sun.

I think that is part of the key to these Zone 4/Reblooming Hydrangea mac/serratas is getting some old wood to survive and not rely on the basal/root sprouts to bloom. Good early snow cover that lasts all winter and no late spring freezes along with no sudden fall temperature cliffs helps a lot. All my macs/serratas are great this year, partly because of above, but also the genetics are getting better but out by the breeders. That's why I also pile some of the last leaves of the season on them to protect those lower buds/crown just in case.