All About the Pinky Winky Hydrangea
The Pinky Winky hydrangea is a hardy hydrangea shrub with two-tonal pink and white blooms that stand erect on tall, sturdy stems. This new hydrangea is unique for a number of reasons. It is stunning when in bloom, it is much easy to grow and maintain, and it provides truly breath-taking summer and early autumn landscaping.
The most surprising thing about the Pinky Winky hydrangea is its flowers. The florets that compose each head are white as they begin to open. These turn pink with time, while new florets continue to open from the center of the flower head. As the flower begins to grow the florets continue to turn pink with age and new white florets continue to open. Each flower panicle can reach up to 16 inches in length, and it will not droop as sometimes happens with other hydrangeas. The Pinky Winky hydrangea will be covered with huge blooms every year.
This shrub grows to be between 6 and 8 feet tall (Color Choice Plants. Shrubs need to be spaced 7 to 9 feet apart. The Pinky Winky hydrangea is hardy in zones 3 through 9. It blooms from mid-summer until the first frost.
The Pinky Winky hydrangea prefers partial to full sun. Although, like any shrub, it needs to be watered for the first year after it is planted, this hydrangea likes dry to average soil, so don't over water. It will bloom regardless of climate, soil, or pruning, but the Pinky Winky will thrive in rich loamy soil. For best results it should be pruned in late winter or early spring. Cutting back as much as one third to one half of the shrub will in fact produce bigger blooms. It should be fertilized in early spring using a slow-release fertilizer intended for shrubs and trees.
The Pinky Winky hydrangea can be grown as a spectacular specimen or as a sensational flowering hedge. Depending on how it is pruned, this unique and beautiful hydrangea can be kept to a shrub size or grown into a small tree.
