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When do Pinky Winkies change color?

6 years ago

I am in Zone 5, Colorado. I planned 4 Pinky Winkies last Fall. All of them produced buds this year. However, it's now early September, they are still not fully bloomed. I see little pink but nothing compared to the dark burgundy color I see online when I search for Pinky Winky. Do they turn darker when the weather gets colder?


Thanks!

Comments (14)

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Blooming times and changing of colors are things that vary from year to year based on your geographical location & the weather, humidity, sunlight, soil minerals, etc. The most accurate guess would be provided by someone who has PW and lives close to you in Colorado. If no one from CO chimes in, do a forum search and send the person a Gmail. Or keep records written on your wall calendar or electronic calendars. Since it is still young, these times may also change as the plant develops a larger root system and becomes established in you garden.

    gardenchloe thanked luis_pr
  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    My PW in central NH has started turning color, but as Luis says, it varies a lot depending on your particular climate and planting situation. I am quite a bit north of you, and though my days are still unusually hot this year, nights are cool and day length is getting a lot shorter to just over 12 hours. Yours are also young shrubs, and often it takes a couple of years for shrubs to behave as they will once they have settled in for a few years. I would look around your area to see if any other folks have planted panicled hydrangeas to see if some are turning. Around here Limelights haven't turned at all, Quickfire have turned all pink, and most others are somewhere in the middle.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Mine was newly planted back in the spring. 6a in Massachusetts. Changed color a couple weeks ago.

  • 6 years ago

    PW gets areas of dark pink but not burgundy.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Thank you for all the information. Hyed, thanks for the pictures. I meant to ask for pictures but had forgotten to. Mine are still beige color with very pale pink. I am really hoping they will turn into some showyer shade.

  • 6 years ago

    Hi Gardenchloe,

    I'm intrigued by the Pinky Winkies, which I had never heard of. I read that they a start white, not pink like you indicated. Is yours another variety? I can understand your concern being that we're into September now. I'll be curious as to what happens next year to these hydrangeas.

    I would definately consider getting one of these. Where did you find it in the fall?

    As far a sunlight goes, where did you plant your plants?

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    aloha2009, the best selection for hydrangea close to you is O'toole's. They probably still have some pinky winky. They have many varieties there. All their shrubs are on sale right now as well (20% off, I think). The pinky winky blooms starts with green, then white, then is supposed to turn pink and then darker pink.

    *update: I was at O'toole's today and they have several hydrangeas still in stock and they are 25% off. They had Pinky Winky, Limelight, Quick Fire and a few others. Here are two pictures.

    Limelight

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Here is my Pinky Winky, photo taken yesterday in central NH.


  • 6 years ago

    Mine looks identical to NHBabs color wise.

  • 6 years ago

    Interesting. The pinks on the picture seem limited to the bottom of the blooms and the whites look golden or brown. If you look at the shrub not up close like in the picture but rom afar, does it look golden or brown-ish?

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Luis, I prefer the cultivars with proportionately more fertile flowers, of which PW is one. So what I think you are seeing as golden are the small fertile flowers, with the earlier opening sterile flowers at the bottom of the panicle having changed to pink and the later opening sterile flowers at the top of the panicle still white, though on some just starting to shift to the start of the pink tone. They look fairly pink and white earlier in the season but by now most of the white has disappeared. I will look on my phone to see if I took one from much farther back. I think it may be a bit more sparse as to sterile blooms this year because we have had a lot of strong wind and rain storms (12+” between mid-July and mid-August, almost all as windy driving downpours.)

  • 6 years ago

    NHBabs: That is one gorgeous hydrangea. You have ideal growing conditions and it is clearly well-treated and loved. What a beauty!

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Here are some photos of my Pinky Winky from a couple of years ago.

    8/12,almost all white



    PW color progression 8/20



    9/21