Great Star™ Panicle Hydrangea

Great Star™ is the trade name for Hydrangea paniculata 'Le Vasterival', an upright, rounded deciduous shrub with broad flower clusters and unusually large, wavy, star-shaped sterile florets. Blooms open white in midsummer and take on a pink tint with age, continuing into early autumn; Chicago Botanic Garden lists 6–7 ft height, 7–8 ft spread, and zones 3–8. [Chicago Botanic Garden](https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plant-information/plant-finder/hydrangea-paniculata-le-vasterival-panicle-hydrangea) [RHS](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/303357/hydrangea-paniculata-le-vasterival/details) ## Garden use Use it as a specimen, flowering border shrub, or source of cut flowers. Its broad rounded outline fits the middle or back of a mixed planting. It flowers on new wood and performs in sun or partial shade where soil remains moist but well drained. The Chicago Botanic Garden notes that flower color is not affected by soil pH. [Chicago Botanic Garden](https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plant-information/plant-finder/hydrangea-paniculata-le-vasterival-panicle-hydrangea) [RHS](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/303357/hydrangea-paniculata-le-vasterival/details) ## Maintenance Water during dry periods to maintain even soil moisture. Lightly shape in late winter or early spring, before new shoots emerge; flowers form on current-season growth. Keep pruning modest when a natural rounded outline and arching flower branches are desired. [Chicago Botanic Garden](https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plant-information/plant-finder/hydrangea-paniculata-le-vasterival-panicle-hydrangea) [RHS](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/303357/hydrangea-paniculata-le-vasterival/details)