A Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrubs variety, Pinky Winky Prime™ is a woody deciduous shrub offering year-round interest. A consistent bloomer, creating a season-long floral display, this panicle hydrangea flowers continuously in dense, pyramidal inflorescences on new wood, summer to fall. The Rubenesque, bicolored flower clusters sit atop large, serrate, dark green leaves on long, thick stems. The blooms gradually transform from pure white to saturated pink, starting from the bottom and moving to the tip. Although the flowers make long-lasting cuts for fresh and dried arrangements, left in the garden, they're a valuable wildlife food source, attracting butterflies and beneficial insects in summer and their seeds attracting songbirds in fall, as the thick foliage tinges orange.
After the first frost, flower clusters turn tan to caramel, and along with the shredding and peeling papery brown bark on mature plants revealing glimpses of the underlying cinnamon hue of stems and branches, they add a textural element to the winter garden, especially pleasing in a snowy landscape. The hollow stems also provide nesting habitats for bees.
Panicle hydrangea is tough, cold hardy, and one of the easiest hydrangeas to grow. Pinky Winky Prime is right at home in hot, humid summers but performs well in cooler temperatures too. The multi-stemmed shrub has an upright, rounded habit and moderate to vigorous growth. It grows best in locations with morning sun and afternoon shade in Zones 7-8, with full to part sun in Zones 3-6. It prefers rich, loamy, moist, well-draining soil but is highly adaptable to a wide range of conditions and soils, including alkaline and clay soils. Cutting back plants by 1/3 its total height each spring, just as the new growth begins to emerge, encourages abundant flowering. Panicle hydrangea is generally pest resistant and more sun and drought tolerant than other hydrangeas. It is also tolerant of air pollution, so it thrives in urban areas. Pinky Winky Prime is also salt tolerant.
When fall nights grow cooler, some panicle hydrangeas may reveal pink or red accents, an enchanting transformation that's natural and variable. In milder climates, expect blooms to stay closer to their original creamy tones.
