Illustration
Phantom Hydrangea
Hydrangea paniculata 'Phantom'
Also called panicle hydrangea
Phantom Hydrangea blooms from July through September.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Phantom Hydrangea
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 6.5 ft tall and 7.5 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 Phantom Hydrangea
Plant Phantom 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 Phantom Hydrangea get?
6.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult7.5 ftwideSee Phantom 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 Phantom Hydrangea
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Phantom Hydrangea about 7.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Phantom 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
Phantom Hydrangea's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 12 published sources on August 2, 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.
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, years to mature size, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- The Tree Centerheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and years to mature size
- Chicago Botanic GardenPDF, read with pdftotextheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, soil, diseases and pests
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- springhillnursery.comSpring Hill Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- hydrangeasplus.comHydrangeas Plus (specialist hydrangea nursery)height, spread, hardiness zones and trait tags
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight, hardiness zones and sun
- woodyplants.cals.cornell.eduCornell University Woody Plants Databaseheight, hardiness zones and sun
- The Morton ArboretumLisle, Illinoiswater and soil
- ASPCAAnimal Poison Controltoxicity
- NC State Extensiongenus Hydrangeatoxicity
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Phantom 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.