HYDRANGEA PANICULATA 'WHITE LADY' GROWN AS A MULTI-STEMMED TREE

I planted Hydrangea paniculata 'White Lady' over a decade ago. It was a small shrub when I bought it, perhaps not even 2ft (60cm) high, and I placed it in a shady north-facing spot against a 5ft (150cm) fence at the bottom of my slightly sloping and small Yorkshire garden. I felt it had a chance as that spot does, as the sun swings around, get a certain amount of sunlight all year round. I didn't feel it had much of a chance, however, when the dustbin men chucked the dustbin lid on top of the young shrub and broke it, ruining the shrub's shape. I soon realised that the best option was to grow the shrub  as a multi-stem tree. Now it has its head in the sun and it's feet in the shade. 

Hydrangea paniculata 'White Lady - August 2025
grown as a multi-stemmed tree

While Hydrangea paniculata is thought to dislike strong winds, mine gets its fair share as my garden is high on the Pennines where it is subject to somewhat ferocious winds from time to time. It doesn't seem to be a problem.

It is attractive to pollinators and every stage of the panicles is beautiful right through to late autumn. 

Hydrangea paniculata 'White Lady' - July 2015

Take a close look at the flowers. The way the flowers are arranged with hydrangeas is called a corymb and with this type of hydrangea, the corymb forms a panicle, conical, shape. The large white showy flowers on longer stems are sterile and attract pollinators. What we see here are not actually white petals but sepals which, with hydrangeas, can be white, pink, blue, purple or even green. The small flowers in clusters are fertile.

Hydrangea paniculata panicle 

Hydrangea paniculata 'White Lady' panicle 
Showy white sepals and infertile flower buds. 

Hydrangea paniculata 'White Lady' panicle 
Showy white infertile sepals and long stamens on small fertile flowers. 

Hydrangea paniculata 'White Lady' - November 2019