Hydrangea paniculata Confetti

Hydrangea paniculata 'Confetti' is a charming and delicately scented paniculate hydrangea with a compact development, offering the gardener a generous and long summer flowering. Compact and bushy, this small shrub carries long panicles of delicately designed, colour-changing flowers on sturdy red-tinted stems which do not weaken under the weight of the flowers. Perfectly adapted to growing in large pots, this variety is very useful for arranging small spaces. 

Hydrangea paniculata, also known as Paniculate Hydrangea, is a species of hydrangea belonging to the Hydrangeaceae family originating from the leafy forests of China and Japan. It is a particularly hardy plant and not very demanding in terms of soil. This shrub is easy to grow in any good, slightly moist garden soil, even in summer. It has given rise to a beautiful range of cultivars of all sizes and varied flower types.

Hydrangea paniculata 'Confetti', recently introduced to the horticultural market, was developed in the Netherlands. The shrub shows a modest development, with main upright, sturdy branches that remain straight under the weight of the flowers. At maturity, this variety will reach about 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) in height for 80 cm (31.5 in) in width. From mid-June, numerous conical flower panicles bloom on the year's shoots; these can reach 30 cm (11.8 in) in length. They contain numerous fertile, single florets, evolving from a greenish hue to a more and more vivid pink as they age, passing through white. Their fragrance is pleasant and rather light. From spring, the reddish branches carry ovate leaves of a fairly light green colour, measuring 5 to 12 cm (2 to 4.7 in) long and 5 to 6 cm wide, which are finely dentate at the edge. They turn yellow in autumn before disappearing in winter. Paniculate hydrangeas are less sensitive to late frosts as they bloom mostly on the year's shoots. This variety will resist temperatures as low as -25 °C (-4 °F), or even below. 

Hydrangea paniculata Confetti distinguishes itself from its cousins, the large-leaved hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla), by its good tolerance to sun, sea spray and relative drought. Installed in well-loosened garden soil without too much limestone, this shrub forms, in a few seasons, an attractive specimen which remains very floriferous for three months. Install it alone, in a low hedge or in a massif, or even in clear undergrowth, mixed with other hydrangeas and perpetual roses to play with contrasts and shapes. You can also combine it with grasses like Miscanthus, Panicum virgatum Squaw and Stipa. Its small size allows it to be incorporated, without hesitation, into a small garden and to grow it without difficulty in a large pot on the terrace. It will live there for many years provided it receives regular watering and applications of fertiliser.