Hydrangea paniculata 'Pinky Winky' (Panicle Hydrangea)
Distinctive Two-Toned Hardy Shrub
Transform your garden with Hydrangea paniculata 'Pinky Winky', the unique panicle hydrangea that delivers spectacular two-toned blooms combining pure white tips with vibrant pink bases. This remarkable shrub creates an extraordinary display where both colours appear simultaneously on the same flower cluster, providing a stunning contrast that evolves throughout the flowering season from midsummer through autumn.
Key Features
- Plant Type: Hardy deciduous shrub
- Height: 1.5m
- Spread: 1.5m wide
- Flowering Period: August to September
- Flower Size: 20-30cm long conical panicles
- Flower Colour: Distinctive white and pink two-toned blooms
- Hardiness: Hardy in the UK down to temperatures of -15 to -10 degrees Celcius (RHS hardiness rating H5)
- Growth Habit: Upright, spreading, multi-stemmed
Unique Two-Toned Blooms
'Pinky Winky' is renowned for its distinctive blooms that display both white and pink colours simultaneously on the same flower cluster. The conical panicles emerge white before developing pink tones from the base upwards, creating a stunning two-toned effect that makes this variety instantly recognisable and highly sought after.
Impressive Growth Rate and Size
Where conditions are ideal, gardeners can expect the plants to grow approximately three feet per season, making this a fast-growing shrub that quickly establishes into a substantial specimen. Pinky Winky Hydrangea generally grows 6-8 feet tall and 8-10 feet wide, creating an impressive presence in the garden.
Extended Flowering Performance
The blooms provide colour from July through October, with the unique two-toned effect becoming more pronounced as the season progresses. This extended flowering period ensures continuous garden interest throughout the late summer and autumn months when many other shrubs have finished blooming.
Outstanding Cut Flower Value
Pink hydrangea varieties like Pinky Winky are commonly used in bouquets and flower arrangements, making them an excellent addition to home cutting gardens. The distinctive two-toned blooms create stunning fresh and dried flower displays that are highly prized by florists and garden enthusiasts.
Versatile Training Options
Can be trained as a small single trunk tree, but is best grown as a large, multi-stemmed shrub. This flexibility makes it suitable for various garden applications, from formal tree-form specimens to naturalistic shrub plantings.
Excellent Hedge and Screen Potential
The Pinky Winky should be planted 6 to 8 feet apart, center on center. If you choose to grow these into a hedge, you can plant 5 to 6 feet apart, making it perfect for creating substantial privacy screens with spectacular seasonal colour.
Pollinator Paradise
The blooms attract butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects throughout the extended flowering period. The mixture of fertile and sterile flowers provides nectar sources whilst creating the spectacular visual display that makes this variety so distinctive.
Soil and Position
Best grown in organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. The Pinky Winky Hydrangea grows in full sun to part shade and prefers moist, well-drained, fertile soil.
Light Requirements
In hot climates, hydrangeas will generally do best with some shade, making it adaptable to various garden positions whilst ensuring maximum flower production. Full sun positions produce the most abundant blooms, whilst partial shade is well tolerated.
Soil Preferences
This variety's colour is not affected by soil pH, simplifying cultivation and making it suitable for most British garden soils without amendment. The two-toned effect is a genetic characteristic that remains consistent regardless of soil conditions.
Pruning Requirements
May display best shrub form if regularly pruned to a height of 6-10' tall. Prune in late winter or early spring to control size and encourage abundant flowering. Can be pruned hard annually to maintain desired height or left unpruned to develop into a substantial specimen.
Watering Requirements
Keep the soil moist, but not saturated, especially in summer. Water deeply but infrequently to encourage deep root development, ensuring consistent moisture during the growing season whilst preventing waterlogging.
Fertilising Programme
The fertilizer should be designed for woody plants, such as roses or trees. Apply in spring and supplement with organic matter to support the production of abundant flower clusters throughout the growing season.
Design Applications
- Specimen Plantings: Its substantial size makes it an excellent choice for creating a statement in borders, hedges, or as a standalone specimen plant. The unique two-toned blooms create instant focal points that command attention throughout the flowering season.
- Mixed Borders: Reaching a mature size of 6 to 8 feet in both height and spread, this tall and upright shrub serves as an excellent border plant. The distinctive blooms provide structure and seasonal colour whilst complementing other garden plants.
- Hedge and Screen Plantings: Perfect for creating substantial informal hedges or privacy screens, the dense growth habit and impressive size make it ideal for boundary plantings whilst providing spectacular seasonal colour.
Contemporary Gardens
The unique two-toned blooms and architectural form make it perfect for contemporary garden designs where distinctive plants are valued for their individual character and reliable performance.
Seasonal Interest
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Summer Spectacle: From July through September, the shrub becomes adorned with distinctive two-toned cone-shaped blooms, creating one of the most unique displays available from any flowering shrub.
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Autumn Transformation: As the season progresses, the pink tones intensify whilst the white portions may develop subtle pink tinges, providing extended colour interest well into autumn.
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Winter Architecture: The bare stems provide attractive winter structure, particularly when flower heads are left for architectural interest and wildlife value.
Hardiness and Reliability
This hydrangea variety thrives across a wide range of conditions, making it exceptionally reliable in British growing conditions. The combination of cold tolerance and adaptability ensures consistent performance, whilst blooming on new growth guarantees flowers even after harsh winters.
Why Choose 'Pinky Winky'?
Hydrangea paniculata 'Pinky Winky' represents the ultimate choice for gardeners seeking something truly distinctive in their hydrangea collection. The combination of unique two-toned blooms, substantial size, and reliable performance creates a shrub that delivers unparalleled garden character with outstanding ornamental value.
This exceptional variety offers outstanding value for gardeners seeking dramatic focal points and conversation pieces. Whether used as specimen plantings, in large mixed borders, or as substantial hedging, 'Pinky Winky' provides the perfect balance of distinctive beauty, wildlife value, and garden reliability that makes it an essential addition to any garden seeking truly unique summer and autumn colour with impressive year-round structure.
Buying Shrubs from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we sell a variety of shrubs both evergreen and deciduous with a variety of flowering times throughout the year. At certain times of the year our shrubs you buy from us may not look like the images shown on our website when deciduous leaves have fallen, the shrub has finished flowering or has been trimmed back.
Some leaves on evergreen shrubs can be damaged in winter by frost or harsh winds but in spring new leaves will readily replace those damaged. This is quite normal on many evergreen varieties and is preferable to plants grown with excessive protection that show cold shock once planted out and establish less satisfactory initially.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
* Please Note: Shrubs in 20 litre pots and above might require a pallet delivery starting at £79.99 per pallet. Depending on the exact pot size and height it may be possible to get approximately 5 plants per pallet at no extra cost. The maximum height we can dispatch on a pallet is 2.0m, this includes the height of the pallet and pot.
Shrubs are deciduous or evergreen woody plants, and often provide fragrant flowers, berries and foliage. They are good for structural framework, and they can provide a wonderful shelter and food source for wildlife.
Planting and Conditions
Container grown shrubs can be grown at any time of year. It is a little known fact that shrubs planted in the autumn and winter will be easier to look after than those planted in the spring and summer, because they will have time to establish and become hardy in the cooler months.
Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot.
One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established.
Make sure you loosen the soil prior to planting. Most shrubs are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fairly well draining.
Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot.
Aftercare and Pruning
Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out.
Shrubs in the ground are generally not demanding and in most cases, annual feeding with general purpose fertilizer will suffice. Shrubs in containers may need more feeding; usually from early spring until late summer.
Shrubs also benefit from mulching in order to supress weeds, conserve moisture and provide vital nutrients. Mulch also greatly improves soil conditions. Shrubs can be mulched in late winter, after fertiliser has been applied, but it can be mulched through autumn to late spring as long as the ground is damp.
All shrubs benefit from dead-heading once spent flowers become apparent. Rhododendrons and Lilac especially benefit from the removal of dead flowers.
Some shrubs may show signs of reverted growth or ‘sporting’. This is where random shoots of different leaves associated with the plant’s parentage begin to appear. Most commonly this is where plants with variegated leaves sprout pure green growths instead of variegated ones.
To control reversion, remove reverted shoots promptly to discourage them. Reverted shoots are usually much more vigorous than the variegated ones, and thus should be completely pruned out and cut back into wood containing variegated foliage.
Potential Issues
Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.
This will start with browning leaves, which could indicate plant stress due to lack of water or waterlogging, an establishment failure or, in the worst case scenario, honey fungus. Another cause of leaf browning is a high salt content in the soil. This could be a natural occurrence, especially if you live near the ocean, or it could be from over fertilisation.
To remedy a high salt content, cut back on fertiliser and step up your watering regime for the next few weeks. If you live by the ocean, this will be harder to remedy—but stepping up your watering will help to wash some of the salt away all the same.
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