Hydrangea paniculata Pinkachu

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Pinkachu’ is a recent American creation with a remarkably compact habit and early flowering. Its beautiful inflorescences in plump, conical panicles begin white, tinting to a deep pink and then to red with cooler summer nights. They are supported on particularly sturdy stems, unaffected by the weight of rain-soaked flowers. Its foliage is a deep green. Very hardy, and tolerant of sun and slightly calcareous soils, this shrub is very well suited to pot cultivation.

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Pinkachu’ is a recent cultivar, developed at the American Spring Meadow nursery in 2015. It is a descendant of the ‘Little Lamb’ cultivar. The Hydrangea paniculata species is native to the temperate eastern regions of China and Japan. ‘Pinkachu’ has excellent hardiness (down to -30 °C). It adapts to sun and relative drought, while showing more tolerance towards calcareous soils than the traditional Hydrangea macrophylla. It forms a compact bush with an erect and ramified habit, reaching about 60 cm (23.6 in) in height by 80 cm (31.5 in) in spread, with rapid growth. Its flowering generally begins in early July and continues until early autumn. Initially greenish-white, its slender panicles, about 12 cm (4.7 in) long, composed of sterile and fertile florets, gradually turn pink, then completely dark pink or red in early autumn. Its sturdy branches easily support the weight of the flowers. They are covered in beautiful dark green, ovate, deciduous foliage. This exceptional variety requires no pruning.

Planted in any good garden soil, without too much lime however, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Pinkachu’ displays rapid growth. It is a very hardy variety, which can be planted in a low hedge or in a mixed bed with other hydrangeas and perpetual roses to play with contrasts and shapes. Its small stature allows it to be incorporated into a small garden and to be grown without difficulty in a large pot on the terrace where it will live for many years with some additions of fertiliser and regular watering.