Illustration
Fire Light Hydrangea
Hydrangea paniculata 'SMHPFL'
Also called fire light, fire light panicle hydrangea and firelight panicle hydrangea
Fire Light Hydrangea blooms from July through September.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Fire Light Hydrangea
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 6 ft tall and 6 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 4 years (a house reading).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Fire Light Hydrangea
Plant Fire Light Hydrangea in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from July to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Fire Light Hydrangea get?
6 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult6 ftwideSee Fire Light Hydrangea in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Fire Light Hydrangea
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Fire Light Hydrangea about 6 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Fire Light Hydrangea to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Fire Light Hydrangea's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 8 published sources on September 26, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Chicago Botanic Gardenarchived entry for 'SMHPFL'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags and soil
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Evaluation Notes, zone 5bhardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- Plant Addictsthe store the queue came fromheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags and soil
- Proven Winnersthe introducer; the ColorChoice line of Spring Meadow Nursery, the pat...height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags and soil
- plants.thegrowingplace.comThe Growing Place, Aurora and Naperville, Illinois (a NetPS Plant Find...height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and soil
- US plant patent (Google Patents)Google Patents; assignee Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc.height, spread, hardiness zones, bloom months and color, diseases and pests
- woodyplants.cals.cornell.eduCornell University Woody Plants Databaseheight, hardiness zones, sun, water and soil
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Fire Light Hydrangea
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Toxic to dogs, cats and horses; the leaves and buds hold a cyanogenic glycoside. Eating it mostly causes vomiting and diarrhea. per ASPCA
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.