How Much Sun for a Quick Fire Hydrangea?
'Quick Fire' hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) has it all. Generally, gardeners must choose between early-blooming hydrangea species that flower from mid-summer to late summer, and those that flower from summer's end through autumn. 'Quick Fire' offers early blooms that continue deep into fall in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9. This rule-breaking cultivar with its color-changing flowers also has very flexible sunshine requirements, accepting as much as you can offer.
'Quick Fire' Hydrangea
'Quick Fire' hydrangea presents as a multi-stemmed shrub offering large green leaves and enormous, conical clusters of flowers. The bold and upright flower clusters, excellent for cut flower arrangements, slowly acquire pink tones as they mature, finishing the season a rich rose color. The cultivar grows into a spreading mound some 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide and lives to 40 years or more.
Hydrangeas and Sun
Every gardener recognizes the importance of planting a shrub where it gets the level of sunshine it requires, since many shade-loving plants wilt in full sun while sun-worshiping shrubs stay small and flowerless in shade. Hydrangeas generally need ample sun, but experts recognize that most species do best with afternoon shade. Full shade, however, reduces or eliminates flowering.
Of the cultivated hydrangea species in the U.S., the panicle hydrangea cultivars take the prize for accepting the most sun; they thrive in full sun locations. Plant several cultivars that share the same USDA zones and sun requirements as 'Quick Fire', such as the green-flowering 'Limelight' hydrangea, to add visual interest to the garden.
'Quick Fire' Environmental Requirements
'Quick Fire' hydrangea grows well in a location that gets all-day sun, but in a site with at least five hours of dappled sun, it produces its beautiful flowers just the same. Though not picky about its light requirements, this cultivar is not as flexible about other cultural requirements.
It requires loamy, fertile, well-draining soil and generous irrigation even in partially shaded positions. 'Quick Fire' specimens planted in full sun need even more water. On the other hand, the cultivar accepts soil with any pH level and tolerates urban pollution.
To feed 'Quick Fire,' the fertilizer should be applied in early spring, before the new leaves appear. Use a slow-release fertilizer formulated for shrubs and roses, and always water thoroughly after applying the fertilizer to the soil.
You can't have it all, popular wisdom tells you, and up until now, the rule seemed to hold true with hydrangeas. Hydrangea species fall into two growth groups, those that bloom on old wood and those that flower on new wood. The former group includes bigleaf (Hydrangea macrophylla) and native oakleaf (Hydrangea quercifolia), both of which grow in USDA zones 5 though 9. Since they greet spring with their buds in place, they flower as early as mid-summer.
Panicle hydrangea flowers on new wood. Given the time it takes the shrub to produce new wood and buds in the spring, it generally does not begin to flower until late summer but continues into August. 'Quick Fire' is again the exception: it begins to bloom a full month before other panicle hydrangeas yet continues straight through autumn, offering the longest flowering season of any hydrangea.
From Alaska to California, from France's Basque Country to Mexico's Pacific Coast, Teo Spengler has dug the soil, planted seeds and helped trees, flowers and veggies thrive. World traveler, professional writer and consummate gardener, Spengler earned a BA from U.C. Santa Cruz, a law degree from Berkeley's Boalt Hall, and an MA and MFA from San Francisco State. She currently divides her life between San Francisco and southwestern France.