Lacy and lovely PeeGee hydrangeas

For fabulous flowers without the faff, these paniculatas are ideal. Ideal for any size of garden, it's little wonder they are more popular than ever, says Graham Rice

- Graham Rice

IN recent years, many flowers that were previously deemed old fashioned have enjoyed a revival – and right now, it’s the turn of hydrangeas. However, their return to favour is not being spearheaded by the traditional, floppy old mophead types; those are now being passed over in favour of varieties with double flowers, bi-coloured flowers, and completely new hybrids. And, increasingly, it’s the PeeGee hydrangeas, the summer- and autumn-flowering varieties with their tapering lacecap flowerheads, that are grabbing our attention.

It’s not hard to see why. They’re easy to fit into small gardens – some are even neat enough for containers; they flower for months, and they’re very good dried; they’re never damaged by frost, and they are happy in just about any soil that’s not waterlogged. PeeGees also take more drought than other hydrangeas, and will perform well in a little shade (although they prefer sunshine). And did I mention that they are very easy to prune…?

Initial attraction

But why are they called ‘PeeGee’ hydrangeas? What on earth does it mean? The first hydrangea of this type, introduced from Japan in the 1860s, was H. paniculata ‘Grandiflora’. Its ability to take far lower winter temperatures than other hydrangeas made it a big hit in North America, where – always looking for a marketable name – nurseries used the initial letters to create something catchy. The name PeeGee is now used for any varieties of this type.