The Endless Summer Hydrangea is a rounded-shaped shrub. It has 4 to 8-inch long, dark green foliage, and magnificent blooms that are showy mopheads that are close to 8 to 10 inches in diameter.
Depending on how alkaline or acidic your soil is, you can pick from a variety of colors. Deep blue, light lavender, gentle mauve, and brilliant pink are among the shades. The colors of the blooms are bluer in more acidic soil and pinker in more alkaline soil.
Compact in size, Endless Summer Hydrangeas reach heights of 3–4 feet and spread out to a similar extent.
Do hydrangeas named Endless Summer bloom each year?
From June through September, the shrub produces blooms. It blooms on both old and new growth, which means that it creates the flower buds for next year’s blooms during the current year, unlike many other hydrangeas. A common term for it is “bloom on ancient wood.” The plant flourishes in a part-shaded section of your yard with rich, wet, well-drained soil. It’s best to have morning sun and afternoon shade, according to Mcenaney. But he also stresses that too much sun might be detrimental. The plants can be burned by the afternoon sun, especially in warm climates.
How can Endless Summer hydrangeas remain in bloom all summer long?
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.
Where should I put my hydrangea of unending summer?
Continual Summer Depending on the region where you live, hydrangeas can bloom on both old and new growth from spring through summer or early summer to fall. They actually prefer partial shade to full sun.
Sun and shade
Continual Summer Half-shade, or around four hours of unobstructed direct sunshine every day, is ideal for hydrangea growth. The optimal scenario for them is early sun and afternoon shade.
Soil
Continual Summer Although they may grow in a variety of soils, hydrangeas require moisture to thrive. The most important thing to keep in mind regarding soil is that its hue can range from blue to purple to pink depending on how acidic or alkaline it is. Make sure your soil is acidic for a bluer hue. If it needs to be pinker, adjust it to be more alkaline.
Fertilizing
Use a fertilizer that has been carefully developed to fertilize your Endless Summer Hydrangea once in the spring or summer. Although a fast-release balanced fertilizer with an NPK value of 10-10-10 will also work, slow-release fertilizer is recommended.
Pruning
Endless Summer hydrangeas can bloom on both old and new growth, so you don’t need to prune them. However, you should remove any dead, sick, or infected branches as soon as you see them.
How do you protect Endless Summer hydrangeas in the winter?
The first hydrangeas to bloom on new growth and have the capacity to rebloom all summer long are called “Endless Summer” varieties. This unusual plant will need special maintenance.
Follow these suggestions if you’ve introduced one of these wonderful plants to your landscape to ensure that “Endless Summer” remains the highlight of your yard for many years to come.
The following is advised to ensure overwintering success in the first year:
- After August 15th, cease all fertilizer applications in order to prepare the plant for winter.
- Till the ground freezes in the fall, keep the soil moist.
- Apply a four-inch layer of organic mulch over the plant (wood mulch, leaves, etc.). It is not necessary to trim back or cover all stems all the way to the tip.
When entirely dormant (about November 30), or at the same time as you cover perennials in your garden, covering should be done.
- When the ground is no longer frozen in the spring, you should re-plant your perennials. The plant will expand from its root system and any old branches that made it through the winter.
- Be tolerant. Up until the late spring heat spurs the plant to develop rapidly, growth will be gradual.
- The old branches can be cut back to a finger’s width above the fresh, green growth once you notice it.
- Watch your plant develop and blossom while you relax; depending on your environment, this should happen around the middle of July.
The Endless Summer Hydrangea is quite tolerant and won’t suffer from being neglected or clipped improperly. In actuality, it’s preferable to leave young, recently planted bushes alone. Your Endless Summer will bloom on both old and new wood, unlike other hydrangea varieties (branches that grew last year and new branches from this year).
The fact that this hydrangea will continue to form buds and bloom throughout the season is another distinctive quality; deadheading the spent flowers will promote this. You won’t harm the plant by cutting the blooms; in fact, you’ll stimulate the plant to produce more blossoms. Feel free to dry or utilize the blooms fresh cut in vases. The optimal time to prune is in the spring.
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).
Can Endless Summer hydrangeas take full sun?
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. Additionally, excessive fertilization and watering of your plants can prevent blooming.
Should Endless Summer hydrangeas be pruned in the fall?
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.
Should Endless Summer hydrangeas be deadheaded?
According to Meyers, the species of hydrangeas will determine the optimal time to prune them. When the initial set of flowers emerges from the previous year’s growth in the spring on bigleaf hydrangeas like Endless Summer, she advises, “deadheading to remove the faded blossoms before the next flush arises.” As long as the cut is made before July or August, when the plant starts to create buds for the blooms of the following year, you can make a deeper cut for a longer stem. She advises removing the faded blooms off smooth hydrangeas as soon as they turn green in order to guarantee a second flush of smaller flowers in the fall.
Endless Summer hydrangeas’ hardiness
In the garden, Endless Summer hydrangeas don’t require winter protection because they are hardy to USDA cold hardiness zone 4. When the plants are cultivated in containers, the rule does not apply. Endless Summer hydrangeas growing in containers should stop receiving fertilizer towards the end of July or the beginning of August to get ready for the winter.
They are hardy
The species of hydrangea most tolerant of freezing temperatures is the panicle. They are dependable shrubs or tiny trees that thrive with little effort. Their sturdy, reddish-brown branches range from being straight to arching and occasionally bow from the weight of the enormous blossoms. Although something closer to 6 or 8 feet tall and wide is more typical, something up to 15 feet tall and wide is possible. Panicle hydrangeas are typically too large for small gardens, but anybody may enjoy them with careful pruning or by picking a tiny variety like ‘Dharuma’ or Quick FireTM.
Pruning doesn’t affect bloom
Panicle hydrangeas don’t mind being clipped, unlike bigleaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla cvs., Zones 69). I recommend cutting the plants back by about one-half of their height before the leaves emerge, typically in early springalthough this isn’t necessary if you have room for a larger plant. Due to space limitations in the trial beds, we had to start trimming, but the better habits and results we saw afterward encouraged us to keep doing it. The size of the hydrangeas with annual pruning is depicted in the chart below. Contrary to many bigleaf varieties, panicle hydrangeas bloom on new wood, thus trimming won’t stop them from producing blooms and might even make them bigger. Annual trimming, in contrast to some accounts, did not promote long, feeble stems that were unable to sustain the weighty blossoms. All the cultivars, with the exception of “Dolly,” were robust enough to support their blossoms.
Flower type and size vary
Panicle hydrangeas produce a mixture of beautiful, sterile florets and frothy, fertile florets in their flowers. The showy florets, which vary in size and number depending on the cultivar, create the protracted bloom show, which is accentuated by a transformation from white to various pink tones. Unsurprisingly, the breeding trend has been to enhance the pink hue of the wilting blooms. I employ the words “To distinguish between the two floral varieties of panicle hydrangea, use the terms lacy and “mop.” In contrast, Lacy describes an open panicle with showy florets scattered throughout the fertile flowers “Mop is a sign of an excess of colorful florets with fertile florets buried beneath.
Watch the pHbut don’t worry about deer
I discovered that the alkaline nature of our soils at the Chicago Botanic Garden, particularly in hot, dry weather, may contribute to panicle hydrangea foliar chlorosis. Consistent watering will guarantee healthier foliage and more robust bloom output in hot conditions. Panicle hydrangeas are resilient to urban environments and rarely encounter pests or illnesses. While some cultivars are frequently praised for their mildew tolerance, none of our plants ever developed powdery mildew. Deer also favor bigleaf hydrangeas, but they usually show less interest in panicle varieties.
They have some winter interest
I’m not crazy about going into detail about a plant’s winter characteristics, but I disagree with detractors who claim that panicle hydrangea lacks any winter appeal. When rimmed with frost or covered in snow, the faded brown blossoms add some color and structural interest. I prefer to leave them on till spring because I’m a lazy gardener at heart and I’ll be pruning the branches anyway. When the crispy panicles break off and roll across the garden like tiny tumbleweeds, it’s entertaining.
Is there an Endless Summer hydrangea that is dwarf?
New to the Endless Summer collection of dwarf hydrangeas is the Summer Crush variety. Endless Summer nailed this spring 2019 addition with gorgeous floral color ranging from deep pink to cherry red to bright purple with blue touches. Enjoy this stunning compact hydrangea’s impressive pom-pom flower cluster.
Summer Crush is ideal for growing in pots or small settings because it will only reach a mature height of 18 to 36 inches. The first in the series, Endless Summer Summer Crush hydrangea, is advised for both full sun and moderate shade, providing you even more versatility in landscape placement.
vivid color. You can’t go wrong with the Summer Crush hydrangea bush for magnificent hues, ranging from deep red-pink to delicate purple-blue depending on your soil pH.
Small plant. This hydrangea has a neat routine and is small in stature. This hydrangea is reblooming, so no pruning is necessary!
In containers, grow it. The hydrangea Summer Crush is perfect for pots. Its diminutive size and environmental adaptability make it easy to locate the ideal location.
Landscape adaptability Summer Crush is adaptable to most environments and grows in full sun to partial shade. For a ton of color, place this Summer Crush hydrangea in mixed beds, shade gardens, borders, or even mass plantings.
The Summer Crush hydrangea may thrive even in full sun in warm areas if the soil is kept moist throughout its whole life. For zones 8 and 9, we recommend some afternoon shade.
For zones 4 and 5, we advise using a thick layer of mulch to safeguard your Summer Crush hydrangea throughout its first winter. Place a heavy layer of mulch out past the rootzone by a few inches.
In growing zones 4-9. plant in an area with well-drained soil that receives full sun to part shade conditions. This hydrangea is ideal as a border plant or for large groupings.
Although you don’t need to prune this hydrangea, doing so after it has finished flowering will help the plant grow bushier and rejuvenate an older one.
Planting hydrangeas is best done in the spring and fall. In locations where the earth can be dug up, hydrangeas can be planted throughout the winter. They can also be watered well in the summer.
The Endless Summer Summer Crush hydrangea prefers moist, healthy soil that is well-drained and receives full sun to partial shade.
In the summer and the first year after planting, keep the soil wet but not waterlogged. This hydrangea will thrive with a weekly deep watering when the weather is hot and dry during its entire life.
For hydrangeas, mulching at a depth of around 2 inches is strongly advised. Mulching will reduce your hydrangea plant’s need for watering and safeguard it from harsh climate conditions.