Hydrangea paniculata Diamantino

Hydrangea paniculata 'Diamantino' is a variety of paniculate hydrangea that amazes with its excellent durability and captivates with its early, abundant and spectacular flowering. Quite stocky and equipped with very strong stems that bear, without weakening, large panicles of colour-changing flowers that remain decorative late in the season, this shrub is well-adapted to growing in large pots and is very useful for arranging small spaces. Its plump inflorescences bloom from the end of spring, gradually changing from pale yellow-green to pure white then to pink, or even to crimson at the end of summer. In the garden, one can easily picture this veritable ball of flowers installed under a window or against a small staircase, for example.

Hydrangea paniculata, also called Paniculate Hydrangea, is a particularly hardy species of hydrangea belonging to the Hydrangeaceae family native to the leafy woods of China and Japan. It is easy to grow in any good garden soil that remains fresh.

The 'Diamantino' variety, introduced to the market in 2013, was developed in France by Mr Renault. The shrub shows a particularly dense and  compact habit, supported by its main upright, thick branches, which remain perfectly straight under the weight of the flowers. At maturity, this variety will rarely exceed 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) in all directions, with fairly rapid growth. From mid-June, many truly spectacular panicles of flowers unfold on the year's branches; these measure 20 cm (7.9 in) long and are conical but more rounded than those of other H. paniculata. They contain numerous fertile, single florets, evolving from a greenish-cream hue to a more or less intense pink in autumn, passing through shades of white. From spring, the branches bear finely dentate, ovate leaves of a rather light green colour, measuring 5 to 15 cm (2 to 5.9 in) long and 5 to 7 cm (2 to 2.8 in) wide. They turn yellow in autumn, before disappearing in winter. Paniculate hydrangeas are less sensitive to late frosts because they mostly bloom on the year's shoots.

Hydrangea paniculata distinguishes itself from its cousin, Hydrangea macrophylla, by its good tolerance to the sun, sea spray and relative drought. Installed in any good garden soil without too much limestone, in the space of a few seasons, Hydrangea paniculata 'Diamantino' forms a bush with a very neat appearance that is covered with flowers for three months. Plant it alone, in a low hedge or in a massif, or even in light 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 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 the addition of fertiliser and regular watering.