Not living in the glacial zone, I don't know when hydrangeas normally start to grow in northern Minnesota. But the thing is, even if winter kills Endless Summer to the ground, it's no big deal, because it blooms on new wood. So provided that your plants aren't totally dead, they should start growing and you should see blooms this summer. Pull away the leaves so the ground around them warms up and kicks them out of bed.

Well, I'm in the Northern climate. Last two summers no blooms on two of them and just a couple on the other. Also, very small. They die back to the ground and even lower - i.e. no signs of life even close to the surface. However, this is their fourth year/third winter - and I've had other shrubs (although not hydrangeas) take a while to get going. So, I will see how they do this year. Would be curiuos to see how more people in zone 4 rate this and their experience. I know that it's first year for me it bloomed and bloomed - so I would expect it would do similar for those in warmer climates.

Hydrangeas are slower to leaf out than other bushes. Mine don't start to get going until sometime in May, depending on weather and location I have them planted in (the ones in the cooler, shadier area on the north side of the house don't get going until at least middle of May, if then). I would imagine in your zone 4 it is taking them longer to "wake up".

**Be patient**. That little stub of a bush should grow at quite a good clip once the really warm weather settles in. I kid you not, the pokey ones next the house have grown a good 2 feet in a little less than 3 weeks when they just started showing growth, and I'm talking about growth shooting up from the ground. I already have small flower heads on some of them, too.

Same thing happens with my oakleafs - they are so slow to get going in the spring, but once they decide to move their hind ends wham! they are fully leafed out before I even realize it.

Also keep in mind that it takes a good 3 years, if not actually 4, IN THE GROUND for a plant to show what it can do, hydrangeas are no exception. So don't give up because you have a newer plant and it is still a bit on the small side or only shoots a handful of blooms. Give it time to mature, and you WILL be rewarded.

mxk3 - my point exactly. I have tons of hydrangeas - most of them paniculat and arboresencs. We seem to agree - this is my fourth year so hopefully they get going this year. Still, most of the people commenting on their performance are zone 6 or warmer. Would be interested to see more comments from zone 5 or 4.

With the exception of 1 mine are all doing great. They are even going to bloom soon. I had 7 coming into spring and have since added 5 more. The one that isn't doing so well has only one stem that has grown about 2 inches tall. It was transplanted last summer and I didn't plant it deep enough. Most of the roots at the crown were exposed so really I don't blame the plant for not being too happy. It has since been moved and replanted deeper. If it lives fine, if not well may it RIP. I have been very pleased with my ES for the 3 (or is it 4??) years I've been growing them.

If you only had space [17 x 17.5 foot fenced townhouse yard with 8 x 10 foot new mixed bed] for one hydrangea would you recommend Endless Summer? My zone is a bit deceiving because I do seem to have a microclimate in my Saskatoon location - plants for zones 4 and 5 seem to survive - maybe due to straight south exposure, 6 foot fence and tons of snow cover in the winter. I really would like an awesome plant that would produce flowers into late summer - I have spring/early summer flowers [ spring being April/May and summer starting now] but also want space to plant other flowers - Advice please

This is the third summer for mine in Minneapolis and is going to be the biggest and best yet. Each plant has about 10 of the huge flowers coming and they are about 2.5 to 3 feet tall.

The only disappointment so far is the "Endless Summer" name. I have found the blooming to be very sparse after this first flush of blooms. Then in the fall, when they seem ready to bloom again like they did in June, they freeze. Last year they froze with lots of flower buds on them. Having a mac hydrangea the blooms reliably in zone 4 is a joy so I guess I can't really complaint too much.

Also, accepting that they wilt on hot days and don't need to run out and water them. That took me a year to figure out. They still do require a lot of water though.

I have two ES, planted last year. I put chicken wire around both and asked my neighbor to put his mulched leaves around them. I guess he misunderstood me and only did one. At any rate, the one he did has a lot of blooms now and the other only has one. Their blooms are all on new wood.

I didnt cover mine at all this winter and I have 2 blooms. The whole bush is rather small, but bigger than last year.

I have mixed emotions about ES. Similar to another experience posted above, I have about a 50% die-off with 1 gallon plantings. 2 gallon plantings seem to be bulletproof.

I am thrilled that we finally have a reliable bloomer here in the Midwest. In the 5 years before ES hydrangea, I got my Nikko Blues to bloom once. No more Nikko's for me, and I just bought another 10 ES to add to the 4 I have already. At $6 each, how can you go wrong?

I just planted my first one. The ones I saw at the local nursery had blue, purple, lavender, pink and barely pink all on the same shrub. But that's not what attracted me. I was attracted by the promise of reliable blossoming and hardiness here in zone 6. I know I can make them blue by adding sulfates, which I'll probably do.

I'm anxious to see how mine performs. It was considerably more than $6, I think it was $18, but had a ton of branches and is healthy-looking. It's my first hydrangea, but my sister planted some Lady in Red and they are doing so well I thought I'd try a hydrangea. Wish me luck.

Lainey

Fourth summer for mine. First summer bloomed non-stop. They were non-performers the second and thrird summers. This year one of the three is growing well (about 2' tall) - but only one flower bud so far. A second one is about 1.5' and no signs of flowers yet. The third is smaller but has a hosta crowding it so can't blame it exactly.

I'm in Zone 5, and this is the third summer for my single ES hydrangea. I planted it on the protected East side of my house, a foundation planting. It gets morning sun, and then shade from midday on. This summer, it is about 3 feet wide, by mabye 2 to 2.5 feet tall and so far has 4 blooms. It is alot wider and bushier than it was last summer, I also expect more blooms as the summer goes on. Last summer, I was about to shovel prune it as it only got one bloom all year, so with 4 so far, I'm already way ahead of last year.

The first year I planted it, it had giant beautiful blue blooms. Last summer, I applied some Aluminum Sulphate as it began to leaf out, but to my dismay, the blooms were all pink. This spring, I decided I would apply the Aluminum Sulphate a few more times. So I have been mixing a little with a gallon of water and water with that mix once every 3 weeks or so. My first bloom opened a couple weeks ago, and again, much to my dismay, it was again pink, although a much more subdued pink compared to last summer. I kept up with the Aluminum Sulfate/water mix and this past week, the second bloom has begun to open, and guess what...? BLUE!!! HOORAY FOR ME! I'm so excited about it. So now I have an ES with one light pink bloom, one blue bloom, and two yet to be determined blooms. I'm gonna start applying my A.S. every two weeks instead of every three weeks starting next spring. While the second bloom is blue, it isn't that eye-popping blue that it was when I bought it originally. Hopefully with a bit more A.S. next year, it will be even more blue than this summer. Oh I also put a few drops of pH Down in the A.S./Water mix to bring the pH down a bit to make the Aluminum more available for uptake each time I watered with it.

Endless Summer a bust...? Not for me, I finally have a blue mophead hydrangea in my alkaline soil garden.

My E.S. does still wilt on the hottest days. When the temps approach 90F, it will wilt, even despite watering it every other day. These E.S. definatly like the water.

I'm in West Tennessee. I planted my ES last summer. I had blooms until Sept. Wintered fine with new growth this spring. Started blooming in May. I had to move the plant two weeks ago while blooming and still blooming. Some leaf spot, but great blooms! Love it!

I just saw this thread and wanted to add my 2 cents.. if its worth anything...lol... From what I've heard and read reg. this there may be a bit of hype in regards to it being reliable root hardy in z4, unless it is afforded some protection or one is in an urban area benefiting from a microclimate... I personally don't see how it is any more root hardy than any other macrophylla...- it simply a genetic mutation and blooms on new wood... But for those of us in z5 and z6 where macros are root hardy but not always stem hardy and don't always bloom reliably, this is really a breakthrough. A local, very reputable nursery literally planted hundreds of them in the area last year at the nursery itself, at a new wing of a hospital and in the median strip of an major intersection with (full sun) at all places. I do not know if they died to the ground or not, but they are all now so full of blue and pink blooms that they cant even stand up... I've never seen a Nikko do that unless it was flush against someone's foundation... I was really waiting to see someone test them before I purchased any, but that was proof to me to go out and load up... I think my 5 Nikko's and their 2-4 blooms per plant are going in the trash...???

So it is a mixed bag. Mine did well the first two years. This, its third year not a bloom in site. The garden place tells me the "full" sun here guide was wrong, they now think. Can they get too much sun and not bloom. Never heard of that. Not so sure it was a wise choice. I wish it weren't planted in the premium spot next to my front steps!

I am in agreement that you will be rewarded in year 3. Liz

Mine were planted in 2003 so this is the third year. Two with no blooms for the second year in a row. One with two flowers that receives part sun - mostly in the afternoon. I plan on moving one to full sun to see if it makes a difference. Otherwise I feat that this plant was overhiped for northern gardeners. I will let them stay through next summer 'just in case'. They look very healthy otherwise.

After 2 failed attempts, 3rd times a winner!!! I planted a 2-gal from a nursery ($29.99) in spring of 2006 in mostly sunny, unprotected area. I watered EVERYDAY, accidentally cut it to the ground in fall, then buried it in dirt for winter. I was expecting another death, but it's back and BEAUTIFUL, at least 3 ft. tall with several huge, blue blooms. Still watering daily--that must be the key, though I've never seen it mentioned in any planting instructions.

Bust? Not a bust for me up here in VT. I planted 9 in May of '06 and they are all doing well with plenty of flowers. I have not watered at all so far this summer; since I have been getting a pretty good rain once or twice per week. They get full-sun from 9-5 and even on my ot 90 degree days I have not yet seen a wilt--which did occur their first year on the very hot days.

It does not sound as if they do that well in hotter zones, but for up here they are a no-labor hydrangea. Cheers, JK

I posted on this recently. For me, a bust. Yea, the foliage sure is lush - and I do have a lot of it. Out of seven bushes, I have one flower head - ONE STINKIN' FLOWER HEAD ON SEVEN BUSHES!!! This is their third full season in the ground - they are mature. MATURE DUDS!!!!

Yea, I'm sure if I winter protected I would probably get some flowers. But doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of Endless Summer? It was marketed as blooming on new and old wood, so no winter protection necessary. Yea, right...

(and no, I'm not going to winter protect - I have a beautiful winter landscape and I don't want it cr@pped up with protection material/apparatus, especially not right in front of a 15' long living room window!)

I posted regarding my disappointment in ES recently. For me, a bust. Yea, the foliage sure is lush - and I do have a lot of it. Out of seven bushes, I have one flower head - ONE STINKIN' FLOWER HEAD ON SEVEN BUSHES!!! This is their third full season in the ground - they are mature. MATURE DUDS!!!!

Yea, I'm sure if I winter protected I would probably get some flowers. But doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of Endless Summer? It was marketed as blooming on new and old wood, so no winter protection necessary. Yea, right...

(and no, I'm not going to winter protect - I have a beautiful winter landscape and I don't want it cr@pped up with protection material/apparatus, especially not right in front of a 15' long living room window!)

I have four ES. None have blooms, though the plant is lush with foliage. I thought maybe the problem was the very cold weather we got this spring after I had blooms, because I had to trim them back again.

I need to move them, now I wonder if it is worth the bother. Does anyone else in zone 5 have non blooming ES this year, could it be the cold weather?

Definitely NOT a bust for me in my zone 5 garden!

I have 3 ES that I planted 3 years ago. For the first year, they bloomed like crazy. Then the second year, there was hardly any bloom, however, they really doubled in size! During that time, they were extremely thirsty and I had to water them twice a day. This year, not only are they less thirsty (probably due to the more established root system by now), they are blooming beautifully again! Full of beautiful blue flowers on all 3 of them. They are over 4 feet tall now and just as wide, and still growing!

I cannot think of any other plant that would give one so much joy and pleasure to have.... OK, my roses do, but then you have to work three times as hard on the roses!

I have 8 of them between 3 and 4 years old. I find they need a lot of water and fertilizer in my conditions (edge of woods - competition). I have some in a lot of sun, a little sun and very little sun. The one in very little sun definitely does not do too well - bloomwise. The others are very good bloomers, some a little better than others.

Overall, I love 'em! No bust here.

Fertilizer must have high middle number for blooms.

On one of the ES threads here I mentioned my test with fertilizer this year. After several years of ES not doing anything, I added a fertilizer with 'high middle number' for blooms as wendy says - and then added super triple phosphate on top of it. Guess what - so far two of mine look like they are going to bloom like crazy. The one in more sun is ahead of the other. The third one that receives much less sun doesn't have any buds - yet.

I think the fertilizer is a BIG deal for those of us that suffer winter die back. Sun also seems to make a difference.

No - I won't protect mine either.

Silvergold, I've been hoping you'd have a good report this year. I'm so glad they're blooming for you!

~MH

Endless Summer Hydrangeas  Looks liked a "bust": I put in a total of 26 Endless Summer Hydrangeas, on 3 separate backyards. Some were planted under full sun, others under partial sun and others light shade. The three-year-old plants have not set blossom on new wood  as advertised  nor has the two-year-old plants. The plants are healthy looking specimens but no blossoms for three years. We are in a zone 5  old wood doesnÂt make it thru 90% of our winters. Endless Summer is touted to "bloom consistently on both old and new growth." Looks like a bust.

I am in zone 5/6 and had success with the ES. It took three years before I had profuse blooms. The pictures are from my cottage on Lake Erie in Ontario. I am a weekend gardener and planted about 10 Endless Summers and they do quite well.

They are a welcome addition since they require little care during the week when I am not at the cottage.

I'm new to growing hydrangeas and I read how easy ES were for beginners because they bloom on new and old wood. I think that's true. I bought mine in the heat of the summer and cut off 50% of the leaves which I think is a good practice when planting in the summer. This allowed it to get rooted and since then new leaves and shoots now flowers all over. My only disappointment so far is the tag said it was the blue flower and it came out pink. I know changing the ph can get the blue flowers but I figured they had already taking care of the ph if they were marketing it as a blue plant. One tip that may help from my expirence with other summer flowering plants would be to do a hard thinning style prune each year which basically you remove a good portion of the inside of the bush to allow air to circulate. Every 5 years I would consider a rejuveniating prune when you prune about 75% of the bush to around 8 inches high which will help if the plant is no longer blooming or only a few blooms.

I bought my first Blushing Bride (the sister of Endless Summer),which has white flowers turning to pink. After I planted it, I had to leave town for work and I forgot to ask my husband to water it. When I got home four days later it looked more like the bride of Frankenstein. It lost almost all it leaves and buds. I cut it back, gave it a lot of TLC and now it is blooming nicely. I also have 2 Endless Summers and they have kept blooming throughout the season. Maybe it's the zone 5+ climate of Cleveland Ohio or maybe it's the because they are sheltered from the afternoon sun.

Hopefully it does fine for me. I just planted my first one. The location gets morning sun and dappled afternoon shade. It was a 1 gallon plant, I dug a hole 1ft deep and about 2 ft wide and filled with water to see how it drained. It emptied in less than 2 hours, so I think the drainage is good. I mixed the dugup soil with some compost and proceeded to plant the hydrangea, watered good. Hope it does well. When I water the lawn, the water will reach this area so I will be able to conveniently keep it watered.

This will be my third year for my ES. I live in an apartment so I have mine on my porch in a square container. It blooms beautifully every year. I work at a garden center also, and yes, they do bloom throughout the late spring and summer repeatedly. I think this year I am going to attempt a color change with some lime.

Good luck with your ES!

I have two endless summers and my sister has one. We both have had more bad years than good. Every year we have received atleast two blooms, but that is hardly what they advertise. We are in a zone 5b. I also have two blushing brides and have never been dissapointed with them yet. Along with I have some Forever and Evers and Let's Dance series of rebloomers and have been very pleased with so far. The only one that has gave me real problems is the endless summer???

These plants are a marketing scheme gone wrong. I live in Tennessee and they perform no better than the old fashioned hydrangeas. My sister lives in Virginia and her plants didn't bloom either. I think they are a dud!

My big ES blooms like mad all summer even in the years when my nikkos stay green all season. I resisted this plant for a long time, and now I wonder why. I just love it. I bought another (smaller) ES for another bed, and we'll see how that goes. I think one reason I had such good luck with the first one was that I bought a big plant to begin with.

Mine is really happy too, I bought a 5 gal. size one early last year and it was a big show off all summer. We'll see how it behaves this year.

I've got it planted in dappled shade in the morning and most of the afternoon, then in hot sun for a couple of hours. It becomes a waterholic then, but as long as I give it an extra drink it's a happy camper.

So lets re-open this this arguement-how is Endless Summer? Here in eastern va with age it has become a star.

Yes, with age!! Namely, the one-gallons are a waste of time, and for $10 more you can get a nice 3-gallon with 30 stems (if you get there soon enough). Much more challenging to find Blushing Bride in the same format/condition.

Plant in a semi-sheltered well-drained location rich in organic matter and you're set!

And definitely don't buy ES at a nursery unless you can get a #7 or #10 at a discount...

Could not agree more!!! I have found that the smaller plants do better potted up for a year or two and then ground planted.

Hi everyone. I'm extremely new to gardening and plants period! As any new person, I went out and just bought plants and didn't do any research! However, I bought these hydrangeas at Lowe's and the frist pic is how they looked like when i first bought them. Gorgeous, with tons of potential. Now the 2nd and last pic are what they currently are looking like. I don't know if it's me (which my husband swears i'm killing them!). I mean, the first couple of weeks i watered them well until i felt they were 'established' I've already fertilized tehm because I saw them turning all sorts of ugly colors and they have morning sun and afternoon shade. I'm also not sure if its the barand I bought, which I think was the forever maroon bucket at Lowe's. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. OH and yesterday I dug up my last one which is the one that is the last pic and put it in a container and replaced it with another hydrangea that I bought at Walmart, they were in a blue bucket.

Uh... There's only one picture here, and they look fine to me. Aside from that, they need a few years to become established.

And no offense, but by the looks of the general surroundings, the hydrangeas are the LEAST of your worries. And please create a new thread for issues like this - has nothing to do with Endless Summer!

emrogers,

Welcome to gardenweb and to gardening too. It's a great hobby and most (but obviously not all) gardeners are very nice people. :-)

I think you can only upload one picture using the "choose file" button shown when posting a message. To post more, you need to have the pictures hosted on a site, and copy a link into your message.

You could start a new thread and just post one picture showing the problem.

The area you planted looks lovely, so I'm sorry you're having issues with your hydrangeas. Hopefully we can help.

Ariala_ny
Thanks! You are correct, I can only upload one picture. Thanks for being nice
Springwood_gardens, Actually these are endless summer and therefore thought I was doing the right thing by NOTposting this on another thread. Sorry this was so upsetting for you. Wow, the fact that you had the nerve to say something so ugly about my yard, just makes me laugh. How old are you again?! It's actually in the process of being redone, thanks for your concern.

This post was edited by emrogers on Wed, Jun 5, 13 at 20:01

My es hydrangeas were planted last summer and had a fair share of blooms throughout the summer and into Fall. They were very stressed by the heat as well as some fungus problems. I didn't have much hope for them this year. Have I ever been surprised! They have been absolutely magnificent for over a month now and still are. They are just beginning to pass the peak, but new buds are appearing. I don't expect a repeat of the earlier performance but I am hoping for more show. We are continually fighting the fungus!

Keep plugging away. You'll have the garden you envision in time. I don't worry too much when plants go south a bit. They have been transplanted and they'll do what they darn well want; especially the first year. Just give them some time to adjust and see what happens. Do you have these planted in full sun or do they get some dappled shade? Too much sun can be a problem with early planting. Hang in there and be patient.

Thanks for the encouragement mzdee! I have been concerned about the location of them, but they were put in by a professional landscaper. I have to hope he knew what he was doing! Some of the ones he planted get morning sun and are in the shade by about 2:30 or 3. Others get afternoon sun from about noon until... Those do get a bit of shade from a small tree. Now the ones I had planted previously are in dappled shade all day and don't wilt in the daytime nearly as much as the newer ones. I seriously considered moving the newer ones, but hoped that they would adjust to the sun when they become better established. I live in zone 8--so when it's hot, it's hot. Because of the fungus problem, I worry more about overwatering than underwatering. They are in raised beds and I check for moisture around the base before watering. As you can tell, I am pretty new to serious gardening!

This is one es about a week before peak. It gets lots of sun--maybe too much once the weather gets hot.

Patty, I love your hydrangeas! I'm so jealous -- and purple blooms! I can only dream of the day that I'll have something remotely like that... *sigh*

Hi Everyone,

I am fairly new to any serious kind of gardening. I bought this home a couple years ago and only now am I getting a chance to live in it and actually pay attention to the gardening. While I was gone, this hydrangea grew like crazy. I have been doing a lot of research trying to figure out why type it is and from the pictures I have seen in this forum, it may be the Endless Summer. I would love some expert opinions as well as advice on pruning it for winter since it is getting rather large. It just started really blooming about a week ago.