A few years back, I made a financial plunge and purchased three ‘Endless Summer’

 

hydrangeas. It set me back a pretty penny, but I got a bonus check and decided to spend it on my garden instead of my wardrobe. I got two pink and one blue and carefully placed them in my garden.

The instructions said to plant in a sheltered location away from strong winds in loose, rich, water-retentive soil. The blue hydrangea requires an acid soil, so I placed it next to my yew. That way, I could use the yew needle droppings to mulch the hydrangea – giving it a little natural boost of acid. The soil wasn’t that rich, but I dug around a bit and gave it some compost.

The two pink plants I placed in my hosta garden under a maple – plenty of rich, water-retentive soil there as I never rake off my maple leaves. I also have a sprinkler system, so I knew they would also receive enough water.

The first year they looked great. Small, yes, but they were a beautiful peek of color in a mass of green. That winter we hardly had any snow. But, as I said earlier, I don’t rake off my maple leaves so I thought they would be OK. Year two with the hydrangea I saw sticks in the Spring. UGH! I did I kill them? I just could not pull them right away; maybe there was a glimmer of hope. Come July, that glimmer showed. Green leaves!

So they made it through season two. This Spring, they showed green right away. But when I saw blooms coming on my old fashioned hydrangea and nothing on the ‘Endless Summer’ I was sad. Then suddenly, boom, a bloom! It was pinkish-blueish on a pink and nothing on the other two, but a bloom none-the-less. And, the plants are healthy. Phew.

How about you guys, any success/failures with colored hydrangeas?