Plant Care: Quick Fire Hydrangea

About the plant:
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 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.

Pruning:
Quick Fire blooms from new wood -- the stems that begin growing each spring. Panicle hydrangeas like Quick Fire do not need pruning every year. Once the shrub does grow too tall or becomes irregular in shape, you can cut back all branches to the ground in late winter so entire rejuvenation occurs leading into summer. Trimming branches or cutting back branches by one-third to one-half their original length should be performed after the first fall frost and up until leaves unfurl in spring.

Info source: Here