| YES! I fell right in love with Nikko Blue Hyrdangeas the first time I saw them and wanted them, only to be crushed to learn they are not hardy in Maine (except if you are lucky and can go to extremes to protect them)... they are picky and thrive in Rhode Island and Cape Cod, but not here. BUT!!!! Ever hear of the new Endless Summer Blue Hydrangea? I planted one 3 years ago and have loved it ever since!
It's a new cultivar that, unlike Nikko Blue, blooms on both old and new wood, so you don't have to worry so much about how or whether you prune it, and it survives Maine just fine, and is GORGEOUS! It will, like other blue hydrangeas, turn purple or even pink if the soil is alkaline instead of acid. So test your soil where you want to plant it (unless blueberries or other acid-loving plants are already doing well there, in which case you are all set) and amend the soil if needed to make it acidic. I got some Espoma Garden Sulfur, and also use Espoma's Holly Tone which is good for any acid-loving plant, and if you want to go really frugal, toss those coffee grounds (cooled of course) on the soil around your hydrangea each day... they will help keep it acidic. Gotta love those Endless Summer Blue Hydrangeas! Avail. everywhere, even Home Depot has them in season.
Happy Planting! Oh, they aren't like Nikko Blue in that they will wilt under full sun, and they don't do well in the hottest part of summer if they are in the sun. So give them partial sun, dappled shade and morning sun, or something like that. Full sun all day will wilt them to the ground in July. Mine get shaded by the house by afternoon, yet 1 pm in the hottest part of summer, I have to water them all day to keep them from wilting. But they survive. |
