I couldn't resist it was really fabulous. My camera is bad but the close ups following are better
I just bought Big Daddy
This is a close up. It is beautiful
This is just changing color
Mmmm, that is lovely! I've never heard of Big Daddy before!
Book - I just bought mine about 2-3 weeks ago in one of the nurseries here in Jersey. They have it on sale - $12.99 for a 3-gal container. Originally it would have been $29.99.
Big Daddy is sun and heat tolerant. I read it got one of the biggest blooms hence it's called 'Big Daddy'. Stems are suppose to be stronger to hold up the blooms.
Here's mine (behind the double-decker echinacea) - blooms are still small and changing to blue:
Beautiful, Tex! A blue hydrangea is high on my wish list, though I might lean toward a lacecap, since I don't have any in that form.
Here's my 'Big Daddy' back in 2006 when I bought it along with a coffee cup to show the giant heads, which need no staking.
Wow, Pirl, that really puts it into perspective!
Book - you can always change the color of your Big Daddy. Color depends on your soil ph. You can't do it overnight or in one season, but if you amend the soil then maybe in the next season it will change color.
I made the dreadful mistake, while feeding Japanese irises, to spread aluminum sulfate on Big Daddy so he's blue - I wanted to keep the pink. Time to get out the lime again. Poor Big Daddy will be so confused.
So far I don't have any varieties that change color. I only have three hydrangeas: Pinky Winky, which I LOVE; Limelight, which has really impressed me; and a serrata called Preziosa, which is just struggling along. I think it needs a shadier location. DH mowed over it once last year, before I really had the whole bed established and mulched, and it did come back and survived the winter, but is still only about 6-8 inches tall, and looking kind of yellowish and unhappy.
I have a question: My DH bought me two beautiful Endless Summer hydrangeas for my b-day a few days ago. the small (maybe 8" pot) is doing fine but the big one (12" at least) isn't really bouncing back. I know they droop from heat and lack of water so I've made sure it's plenty moist but it doesn't bounce back as comp,letely as the other one in the late afternoon when it cools off. The small one is the original Endless Summer and the big one is the Blushi,ng Bri,d,e. Sorry my comma's messed up!
Any help would be appreciated and I don't want to lose it!!!
Thanks!
Maybe it's still adjusting to it's new environment. Sometimes the bigger the plant the more time it takes to recuperate.
I moved this macrophylla last spring and it took about a month to recuperate. Look at it now!
I suggest you cover your newly planted hydrangea with a shade cloth or burlap for 2 weeks or so. That's what I did to mine. But then I really don't know what's happening with yours. It could be other reasons.
Tex68 - Thanks for the info. That's kind of what I was thinking, but I've not ever grown hydrangea's so I wanted someone else's opinion that has some experience with them. I'm taking care not to overwater it - on feeling it there's still really moist (not wet) soil at the top inch of soil, so I guess I'll just give it some time.
Thanks again!
I am planning on keeping this one pink. I have a couple of blue/pink that I keep blue. I need to acidify endless summer in the fall and spring as the new growth blooms are more purple than the sky blue I love.
I still NEED Mystic Opal but I think my DH disagrees so I need to wait a couple of weeks.
I bought Forever and Ever Blue Heaven earlier this year at Lowes and I am disappointed with the performance. The plant is healthy but seems to be much slower in growth than any of the other hydrangea I have (and I have 11 varieties)
Tex68 - also, the burlap's a good idea. It only get about 2 hours total all day (mostly am) as it's in a bed under big trees, but it may not hurt anything!
Book - That is so true about the Forever and Ever from Lowe's. They look like healthy plants but for whatever reason there seems something wrong with them. I bought two red sensations, very healthy then develop brown fungal spots and whitish/grayish mildew stuff on the leaves. I thought it was my environment but I noticed the same on all the red sensations they were selling after about a month time. They were so ugly looking with all the brown spots and I can't believe they were still selling them at full price as such. I ask one of the guys that work there and told me it's "normal" for hydrangeas to have those spots. I said 'No it's not!" I dug-up the two I have and returned it to Lowe's.
LOL Just realized we have two "books" on this thread--Booker and bookreader! I was getting confused, thinking, "What did I say about Forever and Ever?"
Maybe it would be easier if I just signed mine
Angie
I saw the nasty ones at Lowes after I bought mine. Mine is okay and no fungal spots or leaf spots it just doesn't seem to be doing anything. I picked up a one gallon Limelight at a farmers market for almost nothing and it has about doubled in size and has buds this year.
If I don't get good spring growth for Blue Heaven I will pull it out and go to my favorite hydrangea place. I spend about 40/plant but they are very healthy 5 gallons and worth every dime.