Hydrangea paniculata. Tardiva is the variety.

Google for more information.

The photo is not that of Tardiva but what it may be will not be clear until it flowers. And it could indeed be a Tardiva but will not look like the tag photos. TBH, sometimes growers attach a very generic picture to a plant tag and I also find plants sold by grocery stores and box or home improvement stores are much more likely to be sold under an erroneous label or name than those sold by a real plant nursery. They are not nursery people and don't know enough to tell the difference or recognize the error.

What are you hoping to get? There's really now way to tell until it blooms. The company that grew the plant, the company that packaged the plant and the whoever made the tag may or may not be the same. Aldi is just reselling these.

Can we see the plant in question? Usually a grocery store is only going to sell plants when in bloom.

" Usually a grocery store is only going to sell plants when in bloom. "

Not necessarily :-) Here, many grocery stores have an outside area in spring that looks like a mini nursery....trees, shrubs, potted bulbs, perennials, vines (I found a killer clematis the other day!!) vegetable starts, you name it! Some may be in bloom but most are not.

There are exceptions of course and Aldi isn't a grocery store here, but.... Even nurseries have to cater to the sell when in bloom crowd.

I still want to see the plant in question.

I beg to differ on that as well :-) Nurseries here tend to bring in plants in accordance to seasonal availability, which may or may not have any bearing on when they actually flower. Not even all annuals are brought in in full bloom although many are just on the verge of doing so.

A good nursery can accommodate all levels of plant shoppers.

Here are pictures. I put it into a pot for a few days till I decide where should I plant it and today is not a good day for transplanting. The length of twigs about 3 ft.

I live in Zone 7b.

If I found out what is it only by August , it is not a good time to transplant . If I wait till December , then roots won't have time to establish.

If it is Tardiva , it should go in sunny place, if it is not I have a good partial shady place i would like to fill.

You could grow it in the pot (set better) for the summer until it blooms and plant it in the fall when you know for sure. I don't understand why it matters if it is 'Tardiva'. All Hydrangea paniculata can be grown in sun and are close enough in size to take up the same basic space. Particularly if it came bare root at the Aldi. I've only run across one really dwarf H. paniculata

It is matter not just about direct sun time but also because of the height of Tardiva or not Tardiva. I've read it could be high or even grow like a tree. It is one option. If it is a compact H. bush I would plant it near porch.

I did search if there is a dwarf Tardiva, but couldn't get an answer.

Hi, avgusta_gw. Hmm, I am not familiar with a "dwarf" version of Tardiva. May I ask where was this dwarf Tardiva mentioned? I ask because I have an interest on late blooming paniculatas and found a Tardiva too big for the garden spaces that I have.

I have seen Tardiva for sale locally in standard form (tree-like)... not cheap! ... but yours is not one of those tree-form paniculatas so, do not worry about that unless you are going to force it to grow it as a tree.

Your plant, if it is a Tardiva, will "normally" develop flower buds very late, compared to other paniculatas... and will bloom very, very late Summer or in the Fall. Of course, on year 1, the blooming time may fluctuate if the wholesaler woke up the plant unusually early. But regardless, when it finally blooms, you can compare actual blooms. Ask Aldi for their return policy now, just in case. The Aldis around me do not carry plants but my closest Aldi was just expanded late last year so I may stop by and see if they carry plants now.

Very seldom, I see a problem with paniculata bloom pictures. The few times that the pictures & plant name have been in error, they show a PeeGee bloom on a plant label that is for another hydrangea paniculata. Like in your picture 1.

I bought it because of a shape of the bloom on the picture. There was no mention about specific time of blooming or height like a tree. All that info I've found when I put on search for the name. Then I put on search if it could be a dwarf of Tardiva or something. No result.

If you bought it because you wanted the blooms shown in the plant label and the plant turns out to be a Tardiva (which has different blooms), you will not get what you wanted. I would return it before Aldi's warranty expires.

If you decide to keep it, be aware that you will not see blooms for a while to confirm what paniculata variety it is. Paniculatas normally start to bloom in the Summer and Tardiva is the last one to start blooming. But your plant may have been awakened early and this year only, it may bloom differently than in future years.

I don't want to return it, I just want some how to figure out where to plant it. I don't want that aldi will kill innocent hydrangea. :))

If you try to return it and Aldi takes it back, Aldi will not kill it. It will resell it to another customer or to an employee. If you keep it:

Since you do not know what paniculata it is for sure (and do not know how big/tall it will get) until you get some blooms, temporarily continue growing it in the plastic pot that it came in. Place the pot in a location where it gets morning sun & water; and just wait until the hydrangea blooms.

Once it produces blooms, post pictures again; decide what variety it is and how tall/wide that variety can get. Then look for a spot in your garden that allows for hydrangeas with those dimensions and plant the potted plant in the ground. This is what Christopher was suggesting.

But do not plant it in the Summer. When temps come down in the Fall, you can plant it and water it until it goes dormant. Then reduce waterings to once a week or every two weeks, depending on local rains. It winter is dry, make sure it gets some water. Make sure to add 2-4" of mulch when you plant it. You can start to lightly fertilize in Spring 2021 for a few years, until it is established.

Your plant label's estimated height/width for a Tardiva at maturity are just about right (6' tall or 8' wide).

Do not forget.. if the blooms look different than those of a Tardiva picture in other websites or books, post pictures again of well developed blooms (wait until they are a few 2-3 weeks old) and see if people here can agree what variety of paniculata it is. With that, you can get an estimated size at maturity for your plant.

Based on the photo with the leaves, it does look like a Hydrangea paniculata (of which Tardiva is one cultivar). It won’t grow into tree form without a lot of work on your part, and it won’t ever be tree sized, just a large shrub. Whether it is a Tardiva or another panicled hydrangea cultivar, if it is 3’ tall in the pot, IMO you can assume that it will be one of the larger types, so give it enough room to have a 10’wide x12’ tall space. In my area (NH) full sun is fine, but in Georgia I think some shelter from the hottest part of the day will help your blooms last longer. So if I were plantIng it in GA I would put it somewhere it somewhere that it will get 1/2 day sun, with some afternoon shade.

Thank you all for advices. I have another question: How well the Hydrangea will tolerate big trees on 20-30 ft distance? Will their roots chock it?

I agree with GG, picture is not Tardiva...maybe PEE GEE

It should be fine. Just do not plant them near Black Walnut and Butternut as they produce a chemical that can kill hydrangeas. All parts of those two trees produce/contain large amounts of this chemical,

Butterscotch tree?? I didn't know butterscotch came from trees!! I gotta get me one of those! Lol!

Oops, meant to say butternut! See what happens when you do not drink coffee!!! Hee, hee, hee! ;o)

I believe it is a limelight hydrangea, I planted two in front of my house in Maryland and they thrived in mainly full sun. They grew almost 5 feet in two years and became very bushy. Loved them and they also make great flowers for drying.

Did it bloom like Tardiva last year?

It starts to bloom finally. Is it Tardiva?

Let the blooms develop a tad more and then compare what you see to some of these pictures:

https://www.gardenia.net/plant/hydrangea-paniculata-tardiva

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d360

https://plantaddicts.com/tardiva-hydrangea/

Since it is starting bloom now, it most likely is Tardiva which begins blooming much later than most other panicled hydrangeas. My panicled hydrangeas start blooming in July, ranging from the first to the third week, and timing is right for your to be Tardiva. To my eye the flowers look consistent as well, though at this point I would wait a week To be certain.

I am so envious you got these at Aldi! This year I got two barefoot hydrangeas at Aldi, but all the cover said was Blue Hydrangea. No mention of the name at all. One is already starting to produce buds! I really want the white panicle type hydrangea

Those are called florist hydrangeas. The plant label has no name for the variety. I think (I am joking) too much documentation in that plant label. Normally, I just see "Hydrangea" and that is it. Hee, hee, hee! Hard to say if they will be winter hardy or much winter hardy so be aware.

I'm far-far from an expert, but in my family we call white hydrangeas "Snowballs". Not a real name, just something I've heard all my life.