While this plant is named for its ghost-like flowers, there’s nothing scary about it! In fact, Hydrangea ‘Little Spooky’ is a delight for the garden. It’s a gorgeous dwarf paniculata variety that, while being small, captures attention in borders and pots.
How to care for Hydrangea ‘Little Spooky’Flowering time: July to September Location: Pots, borders, balconies Soil: Well-draining, fertile soil Light: Sun or partial shade Water: Water well while establishing and throughout the growing season Size: 50cm H x 30cm W Care: Prune in the spring |
What’s different about this plant?
Typically, Hydrangea paniculata is the largest of the hydrangea types, with some varieties growing up to 15ft tall! However, this dwarf hydrangea stands proud at just 50cm in height, putting the ‘little’ in ‘Little Spooky’!
While being one of the smallest hydrangeas in the family, it still produces huge flowers – you know, the ones that panicle hydrangeas are famous for! These huge, white, cone-shaped, flowers are still able to steal the show in any garden, illuminating partially shaded areas and reflecting the sun in brighter areas.
How was this plant created?
Created by Guido Rouwette, Hydrangea ‘Little Spooky’ is a world first in regards to its compact habit. Guido first stumbled across the plant in a seedfield of a crossing between Hydrangeas ‘Silver Dollar’ and ‘Limelight’, two endlessly popular varieties for panicle hydrangea lovers.
He noted that this plant was small in height and compact in habit, yet still had large flowerheads. Upon seeing its white blooms, an image of little ghosts came to mind, and he named the plant ‘Little Spooky’.
From discovery to market, the production time took eight years. Worth the wait for such an unusual plant!
See Guido talking more about Hydrangea ‘Little Spooky’ below:
Where can you plant Hydrangea ‘Little Spooky’?
Because Hydrangea ‘Little Spooky’ is such a compact hydrangea, it’s perfect for small gardens and areas where there is not much space, but where a little excitement is needed. Think narrow borders, or under trees. It’s also ideal for pots and balconies!
Pruning
When it comes to pruning Hydrangea ‘Little Spooky’, prune it in the same way that you would a regular panicle hydrangea. In fact, I’ve got a helpful tutorial here:
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Where can you buy Hydrangea ‘Little Spooky’?
Hydrangea ‘Little Spooky’ is available in the UK from Thompson & Morgan and Gardening Express. You can find it in the EU at JardinPourVous.
Plant of the Month is sponsored by Plantipp, a company based in The Netherlands who handle the introduction of new plants into Europe.
See every Plant of the Month here.
Images courtesy of Plantipp.
Michael has been involved with gardening and plants since he was just five years old. He is a self-professed Plant Geek, and was listed in the Sunday Times top 20 most influential people in the gardening world, thanks to his plant hunter role at Thompson & Morgan.
Michael was responsible for new plant introductions such as the Egg and Chips plant and the FuchsiaBerry and keeps busy travelling the world in search of new plants as well as lecturing worldwide, including stints in Japan. He is very active on social media – so why not give him a follow at @mr_plantgeek or Facebook. You can also listen to The Plant Based Podcast with Michael and co-host Ellen-Mary on iTunes, Spotify and Google.
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