Growing a Quick Fire Hydrangea
The Quick Fire hydrangea is easy to care for, as it's very hardy and adapts well to a variety of soil types, and blooms reliably, even after severe winters. The Quick Fire is a hardy hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) known for its early bloom, which emerges a month or more before any other hardy hydrangea variety. The bloom clusters start in a creamy white, quickly take on a rich pink hue, and, finally, turn to a dark rosy color as autumn rolls in.
Planting Tips
The Quick Fire hydrangea is suited to grow in much of the continental United States, with a rating for USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8. Because the plant does well in both partial shade and full sun, you can plant it in flowerbeds next to your house or in exposed gardens.
Quick Fire hydrangeas prefer loamy earth, but they are able to adapt to most well-drained soils. Additionally, they are not finicky when it comes to soil pH.
Typically, Quick Fires can be purchased in one gallon containers for later planting at home. The Quick Fire will reach six to eight feet in height, with a lateral spread of three to five feet at maturity. Each plant requires about three to five feet of spacing, so plan appropriately before you put the plants in the ground. After four to six weeks to get established, they grow quickly.
Plant Care
The Quick Fire requires minimal maintenance. You will need to prune the plant each year in the late winter or early spring season. Prune in order to maintain a preferred size and shape for your plant. Quick Fire hydrangeas tolerate sever pruning and may be cut back by up to one-half. Additionally, an early spring application of slow-release shrub-and-tree fertilizer is recommended.
Quick Fire hydrangeas flourish in dry to normal moisture conditions and are not as dependent on water as some other varieties of hydrangea. The plant will tolerate drought conditions quite well.
