I like that question, Lois. They do but we will need to hear details from some growers. Tardiva blooms late so skip that one. Quick Fire and White Moth appear (to me) to bloom earlier than the other paniculatas (a few weeks less than the average; maybe a month or less at most). As far as which ones stay cream/dusty pink the longest, we should find out from the comments shortly. I wonder if the zone one lives in makes a difference (in the South, the growing season is much longer so I wonder if the blooms retain the creamy/pink colors longer there).

My guess (somewhat educated) would be that longevity of the blooms for paniculatas is rather dependend on sun exposure than on a zone.
For example, in Dita's zone 4 IA garden ALL paniculatas in full sun start blooming at least one and in many cases 2-3 weeks earlier than in my CT 6b garden in part-sun to (almost) full sun positions.

So George, why do you think that it's the sun exposure that makes the difference, rather than the temperature?

I tend to agree with George ... Mother Nature always has the upper hand, I believe. 2 Tardivas in f/s, for instance, is heralded by our sun sooner & has not failed yet since planting in '05 (both & just a mo apart) - buded by 3rd wk in June, for start of flash by mid July! My Ts have gone thru a variety of Winter temps, as well as Spring conditions, including killing late freeze. The 'Sun' must be the factor.

FWIW -
D

It will all depends on what temperature we are talking?
Winter or summer?
USDA zonal division dealing only with hardiness and takes into consideration only winter temperatures while completely ignoring such factor as a 'sum of positive temperatures' which in essence controls the beginning and longevity of the period of vegetation and blooming.
That is why Dita in her hot Iowan summer already have QF in a pink stage while mine in a relatively winter warm and summer cool CT just started blooming a week ago. Respectively, white stage in her climate will be shorter than in mine because individual flowers could stay white only untill they receive X-amount of the heat. After that they'll start turning pink.
In addition to the absolute temperature factor, sun exposure also plays its role in longevity of the blooms because it could be 100F in a sun and only 90F five feet apart in a shade, thus shaded plant will receive its 'sum of positive temperature' limit (whatever it's for that particular cultivar) later than identical plant in a sun.
In my garden I could observe this phenomena every year on my Limelights: one that located in a most sunniest location goes thru lime-white-pink stages within 40 days with a very brief lime stage The second one (in a part-sun) goes thru the same stages in 50 to 60 days, and the third one (in a considerable shade) become white only at the end of the season with pink stage being a very brief and not prominent.
P.S. As of today none of the 3 Tardivas I grow have even a single bud in sight. Yours? Dita's?

I find this discussion quite interesting ... I went back to my journal as I have been noting: discovery of buds, first flash of infertile florets, fully blossomed panicles & start of color change. Also entered those very hot/steamy/sunny days. However I can only follow both Ts for 4 years QF. LL & Kyushu tree for 3 yrs to compare ... I find a lot of sense in your summation on those factors.

QF - consistent these 3 yrs - buds 3rd wk May; Bloomed after 1st wk Jun; start of pink stage after 1st wk Jul.

Tardiva, LL & Kyushu budded mid June & bloomed after 1st wk July (3 wks interval) Now that we are experiencing beautiful/sunny with unseasonably cooler nights, & milder days, I'll observe if this stage of blooming takes a little longer & the pinking of QF slows down a bit as well!

This is fascinating!!! Â;)

George and Ditas,

I was referring to the summer temperature. I have noticed that with our cool and sunny summer this year, all my paniculatas are LATE!!! My QF is blooming almost a month late, and everything else is just budding now.

Then interestingly, my Pink Diamond, which is in a partially sunny area (while all the others are in an open, full-sun location) is even LATER than everything else.

So probably it's a combination of both the summer temperature and the amount of sun that they receive?

Good AM - Perhaps even just a a day or 2 in plant life, makes a big difference - just as much as the heat-index differences, do to.

We had a very wet 1st 2 wks of June followed by scorching/sunny/oppressively steamy last 2 wks. Spring of '08 was just as wet (IA was devastated by flooding) The only other * Heat wave* entry I did, was in 1st wk Jul '07. The sunny wake-up call of Apr/May should be taken into account, as well.

However, these Paniculatas I have, seem to be impervious to these factors ... in the 4 yrs (not including the planting season) both Tardivas had their behavior, unaltered as well as 3y/o Kyu, QF & L'l L. According to my entries these past years, a few days to a wk (at the most) were the differences in their budding, flashing & color chg on QF ... garden season *life-time* of blooms do count too, right?

In short, *Mom Nature Knows Best* - she mixes all the factors up & alas, makes our 'pieces of soils' our very own 'Piece of Heaven'!!! ... just a matter of time huh! Â;)

I have been calling *My Piece of Soil Under Iowa Sky* (likened to an old grandma's quilt) ... the OASIS at which my spirit drinks! Â;)

Have a great day!!!

I'm glad you enjoyed my question :-)

I recently bought a "Little Lamb" hydrangea and planted it by my front door. One description of Little Lamb was that it was "long-blooming", and that made me start wondering if different types of paniculata bloomed for different lengths of time. I know that Quick Fire starts blooming earlier, but doesn't it go brown earlier, too? Are there some types of paniculata that stay in the white and pink stage for, say, 3 months? Longer?

Lois in PA

Hi all. I am new to this forum and have a question that seems to relate to this thread. My tardiva has bloomed wonderfully for years and I love it. It has always seemed happy in it's spot in the yard, but this year, it hasn't bloomed at all! I am wondering if the shade is a little heavier and that is the reason or if I should be fertilizing at some point. It has done so well in the past, I never thought of adding anything other than mulch. Thanks in advance for any advice. Cynthia

Hi - it's me again, pursuing this interesting discussion:

Call him, by whatever name you wish, IZANAGI, THOR, HELIOS HYPERION, APOLLO, SOL INVICTUS ETC. Mighty SUN rules & controls!

Except for 2 days of wicked winds, that broke a few of L'il L's smaller limbs & made Princess Kyu, dance dramatically, pulling her stake-stabilizer, we've enjoyed wonderful, cooler, sunny days & cold nights, this past week & will continue to. I certainly observed closely, if these, overnites of 50s-60sF & days in the 70sF would slow down the blooming as well as the color changes of QF & Annabelle ... not one bit!!! I also reviewed my past years' pictorial journal & entries to compare - not much difference, just a few days to a wk late this season.

In one weeks time QF is in her most deliciously, beautiful shades of pink - her S side, where she gets more sun exposure, blooms matures a bit faster than the N side where she is shaded by L'il L. All H paniculata clusters, more exposed & likely doused by sun more, flashed sooner - observed on all 7 of them - on the 2 new ones (Unique & Limelight) several new buds are coming up. I have been photographing as well (hard to get close to QF ... tons of flying bugs ... huge hornets ugh!!!

(Annabelle is greening fast as well ... I wish she would slow down a bit - her greening balls are in the yummy lime stage!!!) Â;)

FWIW ...

Hi Cynthia - yes ... sun, sun, sun!!! Over the years, often, we either lose or gain from fast growing trees around. In the same token cutting down trees we depend for dappled shade, become problems too. Study the sun exposure, your formerly, productive, Tardiva gets - could very well be, what you suspect!

Good luck.

G'morning - Mother Nature has proven me wrong again ... no single factor rules!!!!! Mama N gave us this beautiful July - unseasonably cooler nights, milder days, some clouds to ease Mighty Sun's fury & even breezes (occasionally strong - not enough to break canes ... drove mosquitoes away) best of all may have slowed down QF's to her 'darker pink' roll & Li'l L still keeping his beautiful frothy, lime stage ... simply beautiful together!!! Â;)

So, by whatever name, 'Might Sun' is called, alone, does not rule/control ... certainly, of course, ultimately, yes! ... but in my tiny world, of H.p. blossoms, observations ... no more definitive conclusion, attempts ... !!! Â:(

Enjoy today!!! Â;)