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| This Month in the Garden |
Welcome to This Month in the Garden! There's a new hydrangea in town and it's the tiniest panicle hydrangea yet! Developed by the growers at Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs, this new dwarf cultivar, Hydrangea, Fire Light Tidbit, reaches a size of just 2-3' tall by wide! Hardy in USDA zones 3-8, 'Fire Light Tidbit' produces large, lush panicles of white mophead flowers from mid summer to fall on a compact plant that can fit into the smallest of spaces!
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| Hydrangea Fire Light Tidbit Mid-Summer |
Initially, lime green blooms mature and turn to white. As the summer progresses, blooms begin to develop bright pinkish-red tones near the end of August, which keep the interest coming right on up until the first frost.
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| Hydrangea Fire Light Tidbit Late Summer (Photo Credit: Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs) |
Another special attribute is that this new cultivar produces an array of colorful autumn foliage, an unusual trait in panicle hydrangeas. Stems are sturdy, creating a neat, mounded shrub that's a perfect fit in foundation plantings, flower gardens, landscape borders and even containers!
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| Hydrangea Fire Light Tidbit Fall Foliage (Photo Credit: Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs) |
PLANTING & MAINTENANCE: Plant this cultivar in full sun to part shade in a moderately moist, well-drained soil. Blooms of the upcoming season form on new wood, so pruning can be performed by cutting back the main branches by one-third in late winter or early spring. Pruning can also be performed in late fall, once the plant has gone completely dormant. To encourage robust blooms and a healthy plant, it is recommended to feed your hydrangea in early spring using a slow release granular fertilizer.
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| Hydrangea Size Comparison Chart (Photo Credit: Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs) |
I have this hydrangea growing in my garden and it was love at first sight! As a designer, I am always looking for new cultivars that are compact, colorful and low maintenance, and this shrub has it all.
I hope you enjoyed This Month in the Garden for September. Be sure to stop by on the 1st. and 15th. of each month as I continue to share gardening tips, information and horticultural adventures! (Linking with: Floral Fridays, Macro Monday 2, Ruby Tuesday and Image-in-ing Weekly Photo Link-Up.
Author: Lee @A Guide to Northeastern Gardening,© Copyright 2010-2021. All rights reserved.
