Pink Parfait Bigleaf Hydrangea

For summer color, and blooms in shadier parts of the garden, you can’t beat Hydrangeas. The classic mophead hydrangeas also have great foliage, with big lush leaves, so even when they are not in bloom they fill your garden spaces in a most satisfying way. Most people know that they change color in different soils, but for most gardens the easiest color to grow is pink. For a big, traditional pink hydrangea, with strong stems and large flower heads, the Pink Parfait Hydrangea is our favorite. It is full of lush charm and it forms a broad, solid bush smothered in giant blooms that last weeks and weeks. The color is a perfect rich pink with no pretensions of red, and it shines out from the shade like a garden party where the main course is a delicious frozen strawberry parfait – colorful yet cooling on a hot summer’s day

Growing the Pink Parfait Hydrangea

Size and Appearance

The Pink Parfait Hydrangea is a deciduous shrub with many branches rising from the ground. Within a couple of years it will be 4 or 5 feet tall and wide, making a great plant for filling beds – just a few will fill a large space. As the branches grow longer, new ones sprout from the base of your plant, keeping it full and bushy. The large, oval leaves are 4 to 6 inches long, with a sturdy texture, serrated margins and a tapering tip. Their rich mid-green color looks perfect anywhere in the garden, and their boldness makes this bush very attractive from spring to fall.

At the ends of branches that grew in the previous year you will notice, almost as soon as the new leaves are full-size, a tiny cluster of green buds. These develop over several weeks into the flower heads, which carry hundreds of individual flowers. Each head is dome-shaped, and about 8 inches across. The individual flowers are flat, with four spreading petals. At first the flowers will be pale whitish-green, but then, as they open, first the petal tips and then the whole flower will turn a gorgeous, glowing mid-pink. Once they are fully colored the blooms last for at least 6 weeks in full color. Then, over several weeks, they begin to turn greenish, giving a wonderful ‘antique’ look. Eventually they turn soft sand-brown, and they can then be removed, or left into winter for late seasonal interest.

Using the Pink Parfait Hydrangea in Your Garden

This bush is ideal for filling beds along walls and fences, where it will look great from spring to fall. If you have a narrow border plant a row of the Pink Parfait Hydrangea, spacing the plants 3 or 4 feet apart. Nothing else is needed for interest and color all season. Use this plant behind smaller shrubs, and it is great among evergreens around the walls of your home, especially on the north side. Grow it in woodland gardens, mixed with other shade-loving plants. It could even be grown in a large tub or planter – perfect on a shady patio for beauty and interest.

Hardiness

The Pink Parfait Hydrangea grows well in all moderate to warm zones, from zone 6 to zone 9. In zones 4 and 5 choose from our everblooming hydrangeas, which will flower even if their branches are damaged by cold, because they guarantee blooms in late summer.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Damp, well-drained soil is needed for the Pink Parfait Hydrangea. It is not drought tolerant, so it needs regular watering, especially in summer. The best soil will be enriched with organic material, and you will mulch over the roots in spring to keep the ground moist and cool. The ideal location is in morning sun and afternoon shade. Some shade is especially valuable in summer, to prevent wilting in the heat, and this plant will also grow in light shade all day long, if the spot is still bright. Deeper shade will reduce flowering, but it will still grow well, with plenty of foliage. Use shrub fertilizer in spring for the best growth and maximum flowering.

Pruning and Maintenance

The Pink Parfait Hydrangea flowers on the ends of branches that grew in the previous year. You will notice a large bud at the end of the branch – that will produce the flower head. Don’t trim these bushes in spring, or you will lose flowers. Prune once the blooms have lost their pink color, cutting them back to the first leaves with a bud at their base. With older plants you can also, at the same time, remove any weak branches, and older branches that have lots of side-shoots and that probably no longer had any blooms. This will open the plant up a little, encouraging new shoots to come from the base. This is the only pruning needed. You can also simply wait until fall, or the next spring, and remove dead flowers back to the first pair of live buds on the stems. It is better to not prune than to over-prune, if you want plenty of blooms.

History and Origins of the Pink Parfait Hydrangea

The mophead hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, came from China and Japan about 150 years ago. The wild plant has simple, almost colorless flowers, but the Chinese and Japanese had been growing unique varieties for centuries. These caused a sensation when they were first seen in Europe and America, and they quickly became essential garden plants. Today there are many different varieties available, but the variety called ‘Pink Parfait’ is one of the very best for that classic look, with big heads on strong stems and perfect glowing color.

Buying the Pink Parfait Hydrangea at The Tree Center

We don’t know exactly where this variety came from, but we do know what a gorgeous hydrangea it is. Our stock will soon be gone, so order now and relax, because you just bought the right variety for your garden.