skip to main content

Southern Gardening

Hydrangea paniculata alternatives

16 years ago

Hello all, I designed a full sun southern exposure garden for my brother in Fayetteville, AR (Zone 7a). Though I live in the north I have worked to specify plants I felt confident in for such conditions and by viewing what was thriving in Fayetteville. However I specified Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' for a few spots for the great summer and early fall flowers. However nurseries in AR have not heard of the cultivar and keep saying Hydrangea paniculata in full sun there is a bad idea (we always put them in full sun here in Cincinnati-zone 6a). Any alternatives you can suggest for a similar full look in the 5-6' range; nurseries suggested Caryopteris (too spindly and diminutive) or Abelia (too delicate and subtle). Is there a smaller sized Vitex or Buddleia that may work? CLethra in full southern sun? I look forward to your responses. Thank you for helping an Ohioan who is out of his element.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

Iris GW
16 years ago
Bottlebrush buckeye or Fothergilla major. Clethra can take full sun if it is moist enough.
Donna
16 years ago
I think there is a translation of what your nurserymen told your brother. They didn't really mean "Limelight won't grow here." What they meant was "We don't carry it. Pick something else." :)

I have had Limelight for several years and it does very well here in east central Mississippi. Mine gets at least six hours of sun a day and is in a southern exposure, though it is protected from the hottest western afternoon sun. AND it's under some water-sucking trees to boot. If he can't find Limelight, Hydrangea paniculata "Tardiva" is beautiful too(in someways even nicer than Limelight), and will take full sun. If it grows here, I should think it's got to grow for your brother in Arkansas.
Related Discussions
Hydrangea paniculata ï¿½Uniqueï¿½ (Panicle hydrangea)
Q
Comments (2)
I'm not aware of how hardy this particular variety is ... though, to be on the safe side, I'd wait until the ground is pretty much about to freeze and then hill it up well with dry peat moss or even just garden soil. Shovel snow upon it as soon as it arrives and hopefully before bitter cold has set in. Leave the trimming to spring when you can see just how much live wood has made it through. I've seen varieties such as 'Limelight' with varying amounts of winter dieback and it still blooms well on new wood.
...See More
nifty little visual for some hydrangea paniculata sizes
Q
Comments (8)
They brown out earlier than mid to late bloomers here. Cool nights and sufficient moisture may help lengthen the whites and pinks. Hot temperatures will not help lengthen the whites or pinks. But yes, the early ones will brown out before the later/late ones here.. You can add late blooming Tardivas around the early blooming ones for a nice look of shrubs that appear to be blooming brown blooms (these would be the early blooming hydrangeas) around the white blooms of the very late blooming Tardivas. I saw a great photo online of this effect in a magazine but lost the link to it. I suggest you view the blooms to see if you personally think they might look unattractive as that is too much of a personal choice. But they looked great (to me) in that picture I mentioned. The panicle blooms of paniculatas and oakleaf hydrangeas are thicker than most other hydrangeas so they can hold the large blooms (although some end up flopping but the blooms do not fall down). As a result, they can remain a long time if the weather does not help to "disintegrate" them. You may have to deadhead them sometimes. I particularly do not like it when I get brown + white, where the brown blooms turn a darker brown, almost blackish color. The ladder sounds useful but I would make it a habit to deadhead PeeGees while they have no leaves so you can see where to cut more easily. You may go crazy trying to reach the very top thru all the foliage. Luckily though, that foliage should drop down in the next few months (or wait until closer to the end of winter to deadhead as, by then, most leaves will have disintegrated).
...See More
Hydrangeas - best variety of dwarf paniculata?
Q
Comments (26)
'Carol Mackie' is officially going on my list. :-) We love fragrant plants, its the first thing I look for. I can never have enough of them. I love mums. I usually only cut back once and they stay at a pretty good height. I find if I cut them too late, they don't bloom early enough to enjoy them. They are very long lived in my garden. Regardless of weather over the winter, they usually have new basal foliage going into the winter. I usually leave the dead foliage until spring, just to give them more protection. Seems a pretty low effort way of helping them get thru the winter. I really enjoyed mine this fall. And I had a white one in the back that was just doing very little in not enough sun, so I divided it into three and added those to the full sun bed out front. I wasn't sure I would enjoy white with the other more muted fall color mums, but I seem to have managed to get them in lucky positions where they really shined. Not by plan. [g] They were small this season but next year, they should be much bigger. Like everything else in that bed. [g] Wow that's a lot of blooms on Endless Summer. I have never had that many on mine. I will try your suggestion for pruning in the spring. I think I may have been doing that any way. I get a lot of die back for some reason and I cut back to buds that appear alive. What direction are your neighbor's ES facing? Sun/shade? I wonder if it could be that, or like everything else, it might just be all the Maple tree roots sucking all the moisture out of the ground around my property.
...See More
hydrangea paniculata brown buds
Q
Comments (5)
And I would also expect that heat had everything to do with this :-) Planting anything during a midsummer heat wave and possible drought (depending on your location) can have adverse effects that only compound normal transplant shock. Water does help - long and slow and not too frequently. And some shade during the hottest part of the day might also be helpful.
...See More
palustris81
Original Author
16 years ago
Donnabaskets,
Thanks for the advice; I have noticed that the nursery i work at always makes excuses for why we don't carry plants when sometimes there is no reason! I have always loved 'Tardiva' but my sister in law really desires the thicker bloom head the 'Limelight' provides.
As for earlier suggestions for Clethra and bottlebrush buckeye, they are good things to consider, though a bit more wild looking than the homeowners desire.
Thanks and keep the replies coming
Donna
16 years ago
Here are some other ideas for late summer/autumn shrubs:
Hibiscus syriacus (Rose of Sharon)
Camellia sasanqua (Yuletide and Kanjiro are larger plants, Shishigashira and Hot Flash are much smaller. All are good.) And are evergreen.
I grow Mahonia "Winter Sun" in full sun and I really like it. It's very architectural in form, and the fall into winter yellow flowers, followed by the blue berries are stunning. This is also evergreen.
I also grow Kosteleskya "Immaculate", which is a large herbaceous perennial. It blooms for 3 weeks or so in August, and is just stunning. The blooms look like small hibiscus blooms. It likes full sun and moist soil. Otherwise, it's very easy.

Of course, you could also use the everblooming hydrangeas, Endless Summer and Blushing Bride. They have become some of my very favorite plants, and really do bloom from about May until frost for me.

If she would settle for spring bloom, there are many types of Snowball Bushes (Viburnums) that would certainly fill the bill.

Related Stories

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Have a Ball With Hydrangeas

By Living Small: City & Small Space Consulting

Even if you don't tinker with the hue by changing the soil, hydrangeas have an entertaining range of uses in all kinds of landscapes

GARDENING GUIDES Garden-Friendly Native Alternatives to Overplanted Exotics

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

There are lots of gorgeous, wildlife-friendly native plants ready to make an appearance in your garden

GARDENING GUIDES California Gardener's June Checklist

Update your hydrangeas, catch up on tomatoes and more ways to enjoy your California garden in June

SAVING WATER Xeriscape Gardens: How to Get a Beautiful Landscape With Less Water

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Conserve water and make gardening much easier with the xeriscape approach’s 7 principles

GARDENING GUIDES 6 Plants That Beat Butterfly Bush for the Wildlife Draw

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

It's invasive, a nonnative and a poor insect magnet. Check out these better alternatives to butterfly bush in the garden

HOLIDAYS Holiday DIY: Create a Fragrant Pomander Bouquet

Clove-studded lemons combine with fresh flowers and greens in a vibrant arrangement

MOST POPULAR 20 Ways to Work White Magic in Your Yard

By Paintbox Garden

Create enchanting outdoor spots with fresh white fences, florals and furniture

SPRING GARDENING Top 10 Scented Plants for Your Garden

By Carol Bucknell Garden Design

A palette of perfumed plants can transform even the smallest of gardens into a sensory delight

GARDENING GUIDES Houzz Call: What’s Your Favorite Backyard Beauty?

By Stacy Briscoe

The simple, honest daisy is this writer’s go-to garden flower. We want to hear which plant, flowering or otherwise, gives you special joy

FALL GARDENING 6 Deer-Resistant Flowering Vines to Plant This Fall

Have a major deer problem? Here are some of the only vines that have a chance of not being eaten

Sponsored

1 Review

Industry Leading General Contractors in Columbus