Skip to Content Skip to Navigation
Menu

Bobo® Panicle Hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata

Flower Season
  • Summer
  • Fall
Mature Size
3' 4'
Height: 2'6" - 3'
Spread: 3' - 4'
Award Winner
Top Seller
  • Details

    Features

    Loads of flowers on a tiny plant!

    This dwarf panicle hydrangea will turn heads! Bobo® hydrangea is engulfed by large white flowers in summer. The flowers are held upright on strong stems, and continue to grow and lengthen as they bloom. No flopping, unlike some panicle hydrangeas! As blooms age, they turn pink. 

    It is compact and dwarf in habit, and the flowers cover every inch of the plant right down to the ground. This plant was developed by Johan Van Huylenbroeck, the same breeder that developed Pinky Winky® hydrangea.

    Bobo hydrangea is featured in our "Halfling" magazine ad.

    Best Seller
    Award Winner
    Small or Miniature

    Characteristics

    Plant Type: 
    Shrub
    Shrub Type: 
    Deciduous
    Height Category: 
    Medium
    Garden Height: 
    30 - 36 Inches
    Spacing: 
    48 - 60 Inches
    Spread: 
    36 - 48 Inches
    Flower Colors: 
    Pink
    Flower Colors: 
    White
    Flower Shade: 
    White summer flowers turn pink in autumn
    Foliage Colors: 
    Green
    Foliage Shade: 
    green
    Habit: 
    Mounded
    Container Role: 
    Thriller

    Plant Needs

    Light Requirement: 
    Part Sun to Sun
    Light Requirement: 
    Sun

    The optimum amount of sun or shade each plant needs to thrive: Full Sun (6+ hours), Part Sun (4-6 hours), Full Shade (up to 4 hours).

    Maintenance Category: 
    Easy
    Blooms On: 
    New Wood
    Bloom Time: 
    Early Summer
    Bloom Time: 
    Mid Summer
    Bloom Time: 
    Late Summer
    Bloom Time: 
    Early Fall
    Hardiness Zones: 
    3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a
    Water Category: 
    Average
    Uses: 
    Container
    Uses: 
    Landscape
    Maintenance Notes: 

    Prefers good, loamy soil.  Adaptable to many soils, moderate moisture required. Blooms regardless of climate, soil, pH or pruning. Prune in late winter/early spring.  Fertilize in early spring by applying a slow release fertilizer specialized for trees and shrubs.  Follow the label recommendations for rates of application.

    Bobo® Hydrangea paniculata 'ILVOBO' USPP 22,782, Can 4,910
  • 38 Reviews

    5
    22
    4
    6
    3
    1
    2
    5
    1
    4
    Browse reviews from people who have grown this plant.
    • I planted 2 mid September and hoped they’d be settled enough to make it through winter. I covered the base with straw and then proceeded to watch one of the worst winters hit. -40c then a chinook just to refreeze and then chinook again. But they are such hardy bushes. They came in strong this spring and look very healthy! I’m really excited to see them bloom this summer!

      Shona
      , Canada
      , 43 sec ago
    • I have three of these. Two are in full sun and one is in partial sun. They’re all doing great, (on their third year). The only difference is that the one that receives less sun is about two weeks behind the others, but it blooms just as beautifully. I’m considering more for another garden I’m working on, I just love them.

      Jessann
      , Virginia
      , United States
      , 7 weeks ago
    • Give this plant some time. I have grown other hydrangeas in the past, but this one needs to be babied and is delicate to changes. No need to prune this one, only dead branches, as its size does not increase by much over the years. First year I did not get many blooms, but it is now year three and it's a compact beauty.

      Yesenia
      , Illinois
      , United States
      , 14 weeks ago
    • I planted two of these in early spring. They were on drip getting plenty of water but really suffered through summer. I dug them up and found very little root system. I put them in a 3 gallon container of potting soil and am babying them just praying they’ll pull through. Not impressed with this particular variety so far.

      Donna Fernandez
      , Texas
      , United States
      , 36 weeks ago
    • I have had great success with planting and growing hydrangeas of all different types. I have had zero luck with this bobo. I planted one in the ground about a month ago and it’s slowly dying. I bought one at the store last weekend and that one is dying at the same rate. I have no idea what the deal is with this hydrangea but I regret buying two of them.

      Kelly
      , Georgia
      , United States
      , 50 weeks ago
    • After reading all the glowing reviews for this plant, I think I must be doing something wrong. I bought 3 of these hydrangeas about 5 years ago to put in a grouping. One is doing well, the second one is underwhelming, and the 3rd one is dying a slow death. I even lifted it and replanted it 2 years ago, but it hasn't made much of a difference. I have different hydrangeas all over my garden (incrediball, annabelle, limelight, quickfire, climbing hydrangea, endless summer, and a lace cap hydrangea). All my hydrangeas do well, except for the bobo's. I don't know if I just got a bad batch, with poor roots, or what else could be wrong, I expected a lovely, small hydrangea covered in blooms, but only the large one blooms. I had high hopes again this spring, but nothing has changed. I'm very disappointed, and would hesitate to replace these with the same variety.

      Terri
      , Ontario
      , Canada
      , 1 year ago
    • These plants have done great and grown rapidly . . . which has been both a blessing and a curse. They are supposed to be the front deciduous row of a staggered two-row foundation planting, and they have grown bigger than the evergreens behind them. We will have to find a new home for them. They are great plants, but they grow bigger than the sizes listed fairly quickly.

      Cory
      , Georgia
      , United States
      , 1 year ago
    • I bought 3 of these from Home Depot 3 years ago because the description indicated you could place them in a sunny area. The first year only 1 bloomed so I added bonemeal to the soil around the plants as I read this will help them bloom. It worked, all 3 are blooming and absolutely beautiful. My only complaint is that they are much larger than 36”. I’m sure their growth has much to do with being placed in a sunnier area (they get about 4 hours of sun per day). Unfortunately, they’ve already outgrown the area where planted and will need to be transplanted this Fall. So, if you are planning to plant in a sunny area, be aware that they will probably get bigger than what the label indicates. Mine are 4.5 ft. tall and over 3 ft. wide and gorgeous.

      Indiana Designer
      , Indiana
      , United States
      , 1 year ago
    • The best dwarf paniculata on the market....so far. Great for smaller spaces. Blooms last very long but not as long as its bigger cousins, otherwise I'd have given it a 5 star review

      David LEVAN
      , Pennsylvania
      , United States
      , 1 year ago
    • We bought it from a local nursery (pots labeled proven winners) without blooms. Planted these three years ago in spring and it bloomed beautifully the first year. This so far, have been giving us more and more blooms every year, starting as a green foliage in spring to cones of white blooms in summer that turn pink in the fall. I keep them there through winter and the blooms look great for dried cuttings, they maintain their shape all the way to late winter/early spring when im ready to cut them down again. Now we ordered berry poppins and mr poppins online, and will probably come back to review it in a year or two from now.

      Charlyn
      , Michigan
      , United States
      , 2 years ago
  • 1 Award

    Award Year Award Plant Trial
    2020 Consumer Top Hydrangeas University of Guelph
  • 1 Video

Back to Top

Find plants you love and create idea boards for all your projects.

To create an idea board, sign in or create an account.