It is kind of a dwarf version of Quick Fire. Both bloom sporadically. Best recommendation is cut off old blooms in spring or immediately after flowering, but no other time. No other pruning whatsoever.

I have three Fire and Ice that have just poked along for two or three years now. I thought they were under performing because of a lack of light- I really do have them tucked down in a shady corner. I don't ever prune them except to remove branches that might sucker when I am in there weeding- I'd estimate the tallest parts are at about six or seven feet. But I noticed last week that I'm seeing more flowering this year than ever before, so maybe they will turn into something after all? If I get a chance I'll try and get some current photos today.

More sun usually helps. And if you use a lot of fertilizers, that could reduce bloomage.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have a lot of other paniculata and all the branches have blooms. The only othe hydrangea in this group that seems to have this problem is Bombshell and it may get the shovel this fall.

My Fire and Ice is in a location that I see all the time and I had high hope for it.

I guess I will give it another year.

Grateful for this group.

Three Fire & Ice in the farthest back row. Fence is six feet.

And my Quickfire is not sporadic in the least.

Again, fence is six feet.

Thanks for the pictures! My Quick Fire is more dependable

Well the big issue is when you want a shrub that performs as advertised. I've pruned my QF in fall and Spring (in hopes to maintain advertised size) and it won't bloom. This is a PROBLEM.

Not everyone has who has a QF wants one that is 10 feet tall and 20 feet wide...

My warning is fair. Early blooming paniculatas must be for a reason: they won't always bloom on all new wood.

That is a bummer. I have a BoBo that doesn't have buds. It is always a good bloomer

My QF was planted in 2009. Is has stayed right around 6' for years now. I wonder if yours is actually something else, between the bloom issues and the size.

"I've pruned my QF in fall and Spring (in hopes to maintain advertised size) and it won't bloom. This is a PROBLEM."

The problem might not be related to the variety of the plant at all- more likely something cultural.

The monster Quickfire I posted above has been pruned in the spring, pruned in the fall, and pruned in the summer. Last year I distinctly remember taking off some of the lower portion to increase the light for the poor unfortunate plants under it, and I recall it because I remember thinking about the loss of buds. It still bloomed plenty. I had planned on taking that one way back this spring but life got away from me. Next year for sure.

And just a note regarding the phrase "advertised size"- plants grow. They grow forever. They don't stop at some pre-determined height and just exist at that size forever. Size estimates like that are generally acknowledged to be a ten year estimate only, and local conditions will influence that growth. It's never an exact science.

I'd suggest one of the many, many smaller and/or dwarf paniculatas- there are so many to choose from it's a shame to keep trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.

Don't be afraid to toss it. I just gave up on a nearly ten year old plant of another variety that I had struggled with for years to get to perform enough to earn it's spot in my yard. It failed. It's now gone and I'm enjoying something else in it's place- something that shows me it appreciates my care. I expect gratitude!

cearbhaill I agree - it can be a real power trip to look at a plant and say 'Off with her head!' lol Sometimes it is the only solution and makes room for something better. I also expect gratitude and in the end - it is just a plant. lol Don't get me wrong, I love my garden each and every plant but..... Now I give the offending one to the garden club annual sale and someone else will have the perfect spot and love it forever. I also tell the buyer why I put it in the sale - too big, too small, wrong color or, not the right plant.

i think I may try to find a home for Fire and Ice and get another little lime light.

Yeah I know plants never stop growing. :P

Just perplexed at why this family of lacey paniculatas bloom sporadically for various folks. Other later bloomers like Pinky Winky don't have such issues whatsoever. Other super-hardy new wood bloomers like Lime Light you can actually prune heavily NOW and still get flowers in September.

My Fire & Ice is currently about 3' tall and has spread to 5' wide. One thing I just did with mine was notice it had three huge shoots going up to about 5' that didn't have any bud at the tip, so I hacked those back to about 30". This cleans up the plant and should translate to these shoots producing at minimum two nicely sized flower heads next season.

My theory is if you're going to prune F&I, QF, LQF etc the best window is between now and August, odd as that sounds.

No one be too quick to give up on your plants! There's always new things you can try. No sense in composting a healthy plant!

"No one be too quick to give up on your plants!" I agree completely. I view gardening as a life lesson in patience. I do move or remove plants that don't work out in the long run, but I would never remove a shrub after just a couple of years when it hasn't begun to show its true potential.

It must be quite a challenge to come up with a "mature size" for a label. I mean obviously if a plant is hardy to zone 3 it's going to perform differently in zone 3 than zone 6. When I see a height that someone in zone 6 has attained I think, ya, OK, but I'm only zone 4 so will it ever get that big for me? Well, except I've learned that Annabelle doesn't seem to care what zone she is in she wants to take over in both directions. I have both Fire and Ice and Quickfire and Little Lime and honestly wonder how big they'll get in my zone 4B, and if Quickfire will be taller than Fire and Ice.