Mature sizes are estimates given by the wholesaler of the tree. The problem with all these estimates is that they never really say after how many years will the shrub achieve that mature height/width. For example, is the tree going to be 15' after 5 years? after 10 years? something else? Or is the mature size an estimate given based on trees seen/grown where the wholesaler is located? And of course, remember that the mature heught is not necessarily the size that the tree will attain either, as they continue growing past that time and therefore get bigger/taller/wider. Most of the time, the commercial term is for an age of 10 years but take that with a grain of salt.

I have seen larger estimates for Pink Diamond out there approaching 30' but I have no idea when do they expect the tree to achieve that heigth. So unless the shrub or nearby plants are having any issues, I would not worry about the height. Review soil pH levels with some regularity and provide appropriate amounts of water, sun, mulch; and fertilize (use compost, cottonseed meal, osmocote, etc) once a year in June in the northern half of the country. You could also request a soil test to make sure there are no mineral deficiencies.

Luis

Here is a link that might be useful: Hydrangea Tree Care

I forgot to say that you should post some pictures of the tree as it gets bigger. PD is a great selection. There is nothing worse than having to choose between the likes of PD, Quickfire and Pinky Winky (although some have not been too happy with PW). The PD blooms are just gorgeous and I love seeing pictures posted showing the color progression from the bottom upwards as they go from cream/white to pinkish. Their depper richer green foliage color is very nice but, I hear from some people who have these panics that they tend to attract some "flying visitors". Have you noticed that too?

Hello All!
Thank you for your follow-ups and I apologize for not having responded sooner. Luis...I will post some pictures...it's very wet today so I'll try to get some pictures within the next week. I have two Quickfire Hydrangea trees that I'm about to plant but I have another dilemma.

I want to transplant the PD that I've been talking about so it can be in the 'middle' of the two Quickfires I'm about to plant. Unfortunately, I'm afraid to transplant the PD because I read somewhere that if it has leaves already, that's not a good time...it will go into shock and not recover. Does anyone have any comments about that? I've been advised to leave it alone. :)

CeeView

Hello, I have a pink diamond tree also. I planted it either in 05 or 06 also. It is my only hydrangea tree and is about 6.5-7 feet tall. I am far from an expert but I will chip in my 2 cents. Either early spring or fall would be my best guess in when to transplant it. Hopefully someone else can tell you which of the two times would be the best. I try to never transplant shrubs/trees unless I absolutely have to. I bought mine from a local nursery and was in something like an 8 gallon pot or bigger. No real noticeable height has been gained either for me which is fine for me. Maybe has gained a foot or so at best across the years and mostly I would say from the head of it. I think once they train it to be a single lead and cut it to branch out. I dont think the trunk of the tree will get much taller in maturity. Only the head will continue to get taller/wider, but i think is limited by being a single lead in tree form. I think it would take a long time to train a single lead to be 10 feet or more tall and the growers want to cash out long before that...lol. But again I am no expert in it and I am happy with the height of mine in my situation. I see many people around my area with limelight trees that flop and need staked and seem to not like being in tree form. The pink diamond has never needed staked and seems like a very sturdy grower in tree form. Havent got to see a quickfire in tree form, but have them in shrub form. How fast they grow and well branched, my guess would be they will be another winner in tree form.

You have to remember that these are large shrubs trained into trees, so they are not going to get any bigger the the shrub size. I don’t believe they will ever get to 30’ or 15’ for that matter. I agree with hydrageasnohio that being trained into a single lead limits there growth. So buy closer to the size you want.

Also fertilizing in the spring is always good even if snow is on the ground. It gives them a good head start.

Planting in either spring or fall is good but I have planted anytime as long as you give them plenty of water and baby them abit. It is a riskier option but can be done.

Depending on your location and the vendor, these are often grafted plants. And will not grow significantly taller than the graft (no trunk elongation). Pink Diamond ('Interhydia') is a compact cultivar of paniculata to begin with so 6-8' is a pretty typical size for the shrub and the tree form.

Other cultivars of paniculata grow larger and will generate a taller "tree"....often to 15'!

I planted my Pink Diamond hydrangea tree June, 2017 - gets AM sun til midday, seems very healthy but disappointed with color & amount of blooms. They aren’t pink, but a light brownish. No white to pink. Flowers come so late too. When is typical? Fertilized in fall with recommended hydrangea fertilizer. it’s end of June now & haven’t fertilized since I’m not here in CT early spring. Is it too late ? Any idea as to why blooms are brownish & so few? Tree has doubled In size, probably 5 feet & very full.

Paniculatas typically have blooms that look white then pink and then brown. If the plant does not get sufficient moisture or if it gets very hot weather, the plant may abort the blooms early and go -for example- from white directly to brown. Vanilla Strawberry likes to bloom over here during the time when our temperatures are in the 100s so many blooms go white to brown in a couple of weeks. Or they get a little pink and quickly turn brown. Make sure your PD is well mulched (2-4") so the soil moisture lasts longer than without mulch. When watering, try to keep the soil as evenly moist as possible (no periods of dry, moist, dry, moist, etc if possible). Another reason for browning: Gray Mold can also cause your blooms to turn brown.

Regarding fertilizing hydrangeas, I would not fertilize in the Summer unless it is in a pot... as many plants get stressed during that time. A single application in Spring should be enough for a plant in the ground provided the plant is mulched, your soil is not sandy and the plant is already established in your garden.

Paniculatas can bloom early (Quickfire), late (Tardiva) or somewhere in the middle based on one's geographical location. Many start to bloom in mid to late summer so your PD is actually early (IMHO). The only way to know if your PD is early or late for sure is to compare it to another PD that someone else is growing in CT near you. Hopefully, someone from CT with a PD will chime in.

I planted a pink diamond hydrangea last fall and fertilized with manure. It has a lot of blooms this year, but they are extremely floppy. I am holding them up with stakes but still look pretty bad. Any idea why the stems are so weak? What could I do to improve?

It is common for many paniculatas to do some flopping when the blooms are large, get wet and and impacted by strong winds/thunderstorms. However, when young/recently planted, it may be more common because the stems are not strong/wide/thick/woody enough so... let it get a little older. Pinky Winky has lighter blooms so it tends to flop less. A 2-3' green fence around the shrub is often used with Annabelle-type hydrangeas so you could help the stems by surrounding them with that and the fence would help prop them up. It may be visible when first installed but most paniculatas have a lot of growth vigor and will eventually swallow it so it is hard to see.