Feature Shrub: Hydrangea Fire Light Tidbit-Compact, Long-Blooming and Fabulous!

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!

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.

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!

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. 

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.

 My Author Page and Books

A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer Zones 3-9

Landscape Design Combinations 

Dream, Garden, Grow!-Musings of a Lifetime Gardener

Gardening By Month: A Monthly Guide to Planning the Northeastern & Mid-Atlantic Garden

See more about Hydrangea Fire Light Tidbit on You Tube!

As Always...Happy Gardening! 😊

Author: Lee @A Guide to Northeastern Gardening,© Copyright 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

Perennial Highlight: Echibeckia Summerina

This Month in the Garden

Welcome to This Month in the Garden! Come along for a visit on the 1st of each month to explore updates in the horticultural industry, garden design tips, gardening related locations, planting and maintenance tips, all along with new introductions into the gardening world. This months highlight is a relatively new plant in the horticultural industry, which I have personally tested, and found to be a successful addition to my zone 7 Long Island garden.

Echibeckia Summerina 'Blazing Fire'

Introduced by Pacific Plug & Liner, Echibeckia Summerina is a hybrid derived from an intergeneric cross between Echinacea (Coneflower) and Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan), possessing the appearance and rapid growth of Rudbeckia and the vigor and disease tolerance of Echinacea all in one plant! This herbaceous perennial displays yellow petals that start with a red ringed center in early summer, which becomes flecked throughout by fall. Depending on the variety, colors may appear lighter or darker and more towards either the yellow or orange side. Flowers that can last two to three months are three-inches in diameter on a 16-24 inch tall compact plant. 

Echibeckia 'Rainy Leaf'

Echibeckia is most hardy in zones 7-9, but may survive as far as zones 6 and 10, prefers full sun and a moderately moist soil. Echibeckia is perfect for sunny borders and cutting gardens, is drought tolerant once established, and attracts butterflies. Echibeckia is self-cleaning, which means there is no need to deadhead to extend bloom time, making this cultivar low maintenance and certainly worth a try! Newer varieties are being added to the collection, including Echibeckia 'Rainy Leaf' 'Butterscotch Biscuit' and 'Pumpernickel'. I found this beauty at a local farm stand, and it is a winner!

I hope you enjoyed This Month in the Garden. 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.

~Sharing my knowledge and passion of gardening~

My Author Page and Books

A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer Zones 3-9

Landscape Design Combinations 

Dream, Garden, Grow!-Musings of a Lifetime Gardener

Gardening By Month: A Monthly Guide to Planning the Northeastern & Mid-Atlantic Garden

As Always...Happy Gardening! 😊

Author: Lee @A Guide to Northeastern Gardening,© Copyright 2010-2021. All rights reserved.