For those of us who live in northern climes with more severe winters, The Endless Summer series represents a milestone in hydrangea breeding.
Older hydrangea kinds only produced flowers on old wood or stems that had grown the previous year. All flowers for the following season were gone once that growth was destroyed due to harsh winter circumstances, damage, or unintentional autumn trimming.
The plants in the Endless Summer series are significantly more adaptable in the environment because they bloom on both new and old wood. The plants won’t generate many, if any, buds on the growth of the current season, though, if the plants are not properly nourished in the spring.
Any Endless Summer variety will grow best in an easterly direction or in a spot in the garden that receives morning sun and afternoon shade. To make a richer soil that will store nutrients and fertilizers better and retain more moisture, use a decent compost.
Use Plant-tone and granular lime for purple to pink blossoms or Holly-tone and holly for blue flowers when fertilizing your Endless Summer Hydrangeas in the spring.
We advise fertilizing in April, May, and June with 1 cup of fertilizer for every foot of branch spread for the optimum flowering. For instance, 9 cups of fertilizer would be applied over a three-month period to a plant that is 3 feet broad. After this time, fertilizer shouldn’t be used to plants.
Continual Summer Fall is not the time to prune hydrangeas. Rather, only prune them in May. This will guarantee that the flower buds that survived the winter have opened.
Plants marked with a number sign (#) and a number are generally the same size as gallon pots; for example, #2 is equivalent to a 2 gallon pot, #3 to a 3 gallon pot, and so on. These plants are offered for sale in pots.
Plants with a height (such as 5-6′) give an estimate of the plant’s present height.
Plants that are measured in inches (such as 2.5″) are identified by their caliper, or trunk width.
Plants are typically larger when measured by caliper (inches) than when assessed by height (feet).
On what kind of wood does hydrangea grow?
Simply put, old wood is wood from the previous year. On stalks that have been part of the plant since the previous year, flower buds on hydrangeas that bloom on old wood are set in the late summer.
The mophead, bigleaf (macrophylla), lacecap, and oakleaf kinds of hydrangea bloom on ancient wood.
These gorgeous shrubs require very little pruning. If you must, though, knowing when and where to trim is crucial. That’s because the less flowers you have the following summer, the more old wood you take.
To keep your old wood hydrangeas healthy and vigorous, take the following three steps:
- Pruning flowering stems back to a pair of sound buds should be done as soon as possible after blooming, but no later than July.
- Remove weak or broken stems during the winter or early spring pruning. The oldest stalks should only be removed in thirds, cutting them to the ground.
- To maintain the shape of your shrubs and revitalize them, repeat the method each summer.
Why isn’t my hydrangea “endless summer” blooming?
Your hydrangea shrubs may not be blooming for a few main reasons, including sun exposure, excessive watering, and excessive fertilization. Endless Summer hydrangeas appreciate dappled shade in the afternoon and morning sun. It may be too hot and intense for the blossoms to form if they are placed in full sun.
Do hydrangeas produce blooms on rotted wood?
The variety that forms buds on “aged wood” is the one that is most frequently discovered in gardens. This comprises varieties of Mophead, Big Leaf, and Lacecap hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla), as well as the Oakleaf variety (H. quercifolia). On aged wood, they all create blossoms.
On both ancient and new wood, which hydrangeas bloom?
Bigleaf hydrangea is the Southern Belle of hydrangeas, boasting beautiful, glossy foliage and stunning ball-like flowers. Large mopheads, like those of “Big Daddy” and “Dear DoloresTM Hydrangea,” and delicate lace-caps are the two principal flower varieties in this varied group. Depending on the pH of the soil, the bigleaf hydrangea’s flowers can change color from blue to pink and are superb cut flowers.
Ideal Conditions for Bigleaf Hydrangeas
Morning sun and afternoon shade are ideal conditions for bigleaf hydrangea growth. They demand well-drained soil and an abundance of water. They are hardy to zone 5. Avert exposures to the sun. Plant as showy specimens or accents, or plant in large quantities for a magnificent display. Bigleaf hydrangeas thrive in containers as well.
Pruning Bigleaf Hydrangeas
On aged wood, bigleaf hydrangeas blossom. After plants have finished blooming and strong new branches have emerged from the plant’s base, prune in the summer. Old and new weak shoots should be removed by cutting them at the base. Leave both sturdy new branches that will flower the following season and a number of stems of old, fruitful wood.
How can you identify the difference between hydrangeas with old and new wood?
Identifying whether hydrangeas will bloom on old wood or fresh wood is the first step in figuring out the optimal time to prune them. Here is a list of each definition; we explain which is which below. (We assure you that this is not as horticulturally nerdy as it sounds.)
“Typically pruned after flowering or early fall to promote new flower buds on old stems, old wood refers to buds that form for next year’s bloom at the end of the current growing season on stems created during the previous summer.
“Stems that have grown during the current growing season are referred to as new wood. During the current growing season, buds begin to form on this new growth. In order to promote new stems, pruning is typically done in late winter or early spring.
Don’t worry if your time is off. These plants are tolerant. Without blooming for a season, you might still anticipate flowers the next year if you plan ahead.
Hydrangeas should be pruned at a 45-degree angle just above a blossom. Typically, a leaf or leaves are linked to the stem at this location.
How can you distinguish between new and old wood hydrangeas?
Because of its stunning blossoms and general ease of maintenance, hydrangeas are a particularly popular landscape plant. However, there is a lot of misunderstanding regarding hydrangea maintenance and how to keep them looking their best. We discussed change-color hydrangeas previously, so we’ll focus on trimming now.
Despite the fact that they are all related, their growth and blooming patterns differ. Some hydrangeas exhibit pH-dependent color changes, and some flower on this year’s new growth (referred to as new wood) while others do so on last year’s growth (referred to as old wood). Everything relies on the type of hydrangea you have, so it’s important to know what you have and to keep the plant information card close at hand.
When to Prune Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas that flower on old wood can be pruned as soon as the flowers have faded. Plants that bloom on new wood can be pruned in late winter or early spring. Hydrangeas can be divided into six different categories: Macrophylla (Bigleaf), PeeGee (Paniculata), Oakleaf (Quercifolia), Smooth (Arborescens), Mountain (Serrata), and Climbing (Anomala petiolaris).
The majority of hydrangeas don’t actually need to be pruned. They will still grow happily and have a lovely appearance if you don’t prune them, but you can prune them to regulate the shape, manage the size, and eliminate dead wood.
Bigleaf, Oakleaf, Climbing, and Mountain Hydrangeas bloom on old wood and can be clipped as soon as the flowering period is through before they start pushing out buds for the following year.
To regulate the size and shape of the plant and promote new development, you can remove a few of the older, thicker stalks each year. The next season’s blossoms will be abundant if you only remove a couple of the oldest and heaviest stalks.
Smooth and panicle hydrangeas can be pruned in late winter or early spring and bloom on new wood. A little pruning in the spring may promote more blossoms. These varieties survive very rigorous pruning to manage the growth of the shrub.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that, in all honesty, hydrangeas don’t require any pruning. They can be deadheaded or not. They can be pruned or not. Keep pruning to a minimum if you want big shrubs.
How Can I Tell If My Hydrangea Blooms on Old or New Wood?
The quickest method is to look for your variety’s name on the tag. However, if you’ve lost the tag or it’s become completely unreadable, there are a few other indicators that can tell you if your hydrangea blooms on new or old wood.
Your hydrangea probably blooms on old wood, and spring pruning would have eliminated the buds, if you pruned it in the spring and it did not bloom that summer. Your hydrangea blooms on new wood if you cut it severely in the spring and it still blooms that year.
When your plant is blooming, inspect it; you ought to be able to tell the difference between old and new wood. New wood will be considerably more flexible, supple, and should still have a greenish tinge, but old wood should be stiffer, tougher, thicker, and more grey or brown in color.
Additionally, you can examine your hydrangea in the fall to see if any buds have already begun to emerge. It blooms on old wood if there are already buds on the branches. If there aren’t any buds in the fall, it will force them out the following spring on new growth.
If your shrub isn’t blooming, don’t get discouraged; just leave it alone for a couple of years. Sometimes a variety of environmental conditions might influence the creation of blooms. It might benefit from some time alone if nothing else in order to begin blooming the following season. If that doesn’t work, you can have other problems with the blooms like irrigation, sunlight, or soil conditions.
How are Endless Summer Hydrangeas maintained in bloom?
You will get the most flowers by safeguarding the flower buds on the old wood since Endless Summer Hydrangeas bloom on both the previous season’s growth (“old wood”) and the current season’s growth (“new wood”). Don’t prune or trim back your bushes after August 1st in order to achieve this.
Many customers ask why their hydrangeas aren’t blooming. The primary reasons hydrangeas don’t bloom are incorrect pruning, bud damage due to winter and/or early spring weather, location and too much fertilizer.
There are hydrangea kinds that bloom on either fresh or old wood, or even both. Both new and old wood are the growth of the following year (spring), respectively.
- Consider that this year, you bought a Nikko Blue Hydrangea. For the next year, Nikko’s produce blooms in the fall. Your Nikko is therefore creating blooms this fall that will blossom in the spring.
- Therefore, you wouldn’t want to completely prune your Nikko Blue Hydrangea this fall while you are pruning your perennials. Pruning the Nikko Blue Hydrangea this fall would effectively mean cutting off your hydrangea flowers for the upcoming spring.
- The idea behind Endless Summer, a hydrangea variety that blooms on both old and new wood, is that the plant will set blooms this fall to blossom not only in the spring of the following year, but will also keep producing blooms in the spring of the following year to extend the blossoms into the summer.
- Once more, pruning your Endless Summer hydrangea in the fall would mean removing some of the flowers that would blossom in the spring.
The hydrangea’s plant tag will indicate whether it blooms on fresh wood, old wood, or both. It is typically preferable to wait until spring to prune your hydrangeas. As the plant grows, you’ll see stems that are fragile when bent and lack any leaves. Since these stems are dead and won’t produce any flowers, they should be clipped close to the plant’s base.
The second reason why your hydrangeas aren’t blooming is probably the weather. Buds of hydrangeas are extremely susceptible to cold. Therefore, it is a good idea to wrap your hydrangea for the winter if it is an old wood hydrangea. Keep in mind that old wood hydrangeas establish their blooms for the following spring in the fall. Therefore, you won’t have blossoms in the spring if the fall-produced buds are frozen in the winter.
You can wrap anything with regular burlap. Burlap should be wrapped around the plant and filled with mulch or leaves after the first hard frost and after the hydrangea’s leaves have dropped. In order for the buds to survive the winter and sprout the following spring, the plant receives insulation from this. Never wrap your hydrangeas in plastic. When warmer winter days arrive, the plant cannot breathe since plastic, unlike burlap, doesn’t breathe. As a result, the plant can heated to such high temperatures that it cooks within the plastic and perishes.
The second most frequent weather-related cause hydrangeas do not blossom is late spring killing frosts. We saw really chilly temperatures in April both this year and last year after beautiful spring days. When springtime temperatures drop below freezing, hydrangeas need to be covered with an old beach towel or sheet. Because of the temperature dip, there won’t be any blossoms.
The majority of hydrangeas require at least 3 to 4 hours of light per day to bloom. The best light is in the early morning, midday light is acceptable if it is dabbled light rather than beating sun, and afternoon sun is typically too hot. Check the plant label, though. Newer hydrangea cultivars are being created that can withstand more sun exposure time and sun intensity. A hydrangea in full sun will require much more watering than one in diffused light, so keep that in mind.
High nitrogen fertilizer should not be used to feed hydrangeas. Nitrogen is indicated by the first number on the fertilizer ratio. (The ratio stands for N, P, and K) For healthy leaves and general good growth, some nitrogen (N) is required; however, a ratio of 8-16-6 or any similar combination with a higher middle or phosphorus (P) value is preferred. The growth of roots and shoots is encouraged by phosphorus, which improves the blooming process.
Potash (K), the third element’s last quantity and the lowest ratio, is for plant hardiness. Because hydrangeas prefer acidic soil, they can be fertilized with fertilizers designed for such plants. Hydrangeas only require fertilizing twice a year, once in early spring and once in mid-summer. To avoid root burn, make sure the soil is always moist before applying a fertilizer.