Pinky Winky Prime is a new variety that gets much taller than the original Pinky Winky (Prime is about 6 to 9 feet/1.8 to 2.7 meters high & wide). Dragon Baby seems to be another compact panicle hydrangea but it has not been formally introduced and little info is out there. Let’s Dance Lovable and Tuff Stuff Top Fun are also new but very similar to the existing varieties in those two Collections. Eclipse is a noteworthy, new mophead with dark foliage. It is claimed that the leaves retain their dark color all summer long, even in warm climates. Not sure if that will work on my hot climate but it would be great if possible. However, the blooms on the promotional pictures turned me off a little as one of the pictures displayed a yellow tint in some blooms that reminds me of the aged/not getting enough water blooms... maybe an 'about to turn brown' bloom look. Seaside Serenade Kitty Hawk, like Top Fun, is new and both have some tint of green in the blooms. KH is a mophead and the booms are initially green when they open (pink/purple afterwards) while TF is a lacecap whose fertile florets in the center start green. Wee Bit Innocent is a mophead with double, pink/blue florets and an interesting bark color in winter. Fairytrail now comes in white cascade color or in green.cascade color. No news on the oakleaf hydrangea front or on smooth hydrangeas. I did see a compact oakleaf hydrangea that is not advertised much called Toy Soldier late December.

Indeed. Almost sounds like it has a vigorous trait of growth like a Limelight, doesn't it? I updated the previous comment to add the rest of the news tidbits I have seen so far. Eclipse is the most noteworthy to me.

Original Pinky Winky is listed as 6-8' tall. I wouldn't expect Prime to be significantly bigger. The trend lately seems to be replacing old genetics in the panicles with 'improvements'. I guess we will see once they have been out for a while. For me the panicles are getting to be a lot of the same.

After two very dry summers in a row I'm getting tired of droopy macs/serratas and nothing new in that category has caught my eye.

Original Pinky Winky is listed as 6-8' tall. I wouldn't expect Prime to be significantly bigger.

For sure. 8' vs.....10'....no big deal.

For me the panicles are getting to be a lot of the same.

Yup.

Especially for the smaller panicle shrubs ie those 4 feet or less.

"many are too similar to each other."

I have tried to not -keep up with new releases- and am trying to see how the reviews of each new release look in 4-5 years time. Too similar being the keyword for me

New is not always better :-) With very few exceptions, I find that the hydrangea cultivars that have been around for sometime - like a couple of decades - offer just as much interest and variety and better growth habits than what is being touted as "new and improved" introductions. I will admit that my very mild growing zone has a large bearing on that viewpoint, as any of the macs or serratas grow well for me without concern. I realize not everyone has that much flexibility in their choices.

For those of us in climates where the macs/serratas freeze to the ground I think the breeding is getting better and starting to live up to the promise. Pop Star, Lets dance can do, tuff atuff a-ha, lets dance sky view all have done well for me so far. i haven't tried any of the new ones yet in those series. I’d be cautious with any varieties bred in Europe with the claim to be reblooming and sold in cold climates.

Paniculatas on the other hand……waiting for something truly new and interesting.

How Many years of " Pop Star, Lets dance can do, tuff atuff a-ha, lets dance sky view all have done well for me so far. " for you

With Global Warming or new winter patterns, for me its more like mild winters then lates frosts seem to be zapping them. Hence the notion or ---marketing--- of buds all along the wood that will remain dormant until you get dieback does interest me. Presuming they have been extensively trialed, and there is some truth to it.

I've got a bunch of Macs right now, with what was loaded with buds I could spy till February and when I look at them now, I can see at least 20% are driedup

I don't remember exactly how many years I've had them all. However, here on the zone 4/5 line in MN stems don't survive any winter on those varieties. Actually, the only mac/serrata I've seen be stem hardy here is Blue Billow. The best that happens here is if there is early, deep and persistent snow cover one or two buds up the stems will survive otherwise it's all crown buds.

All of these, every year I've had them, bloom in July after the dieback and make sporadic flowers the rest of the summer.

I've tried some of the older Let's Dance, Endless Summer and Tuff Stuff and they were never as consistent as this newer breeding. Some years flowers, some year nothing at all. Most have since been removed.

I just got notification from a growers organization about Hydrangea macrophylla Eclipse (that luis mentioned earlier). A dark leaved hydrangea sounds very intriguing to me and one I would certainly try if found lurking at my garden center!