Info on French hydrangeas please

My daughter wants a purple or lavender blooming shrub. In "Southern Living" magazine I saw a picture of (Hydrangea macrophylla) 'Nikko Blue' which seems to be perfect. Do they grow tall? Does it bloom on new growth so you would loose the blooms if you cut it back? Any information on this shrub or any suggestions for another shrub would be appreciated. It would be planted on the west side of the house, but gets some afternoon shade from a tree in the yard.

They will get about 5-6' tall and wide. They bloom on old wood, so prune right after flowering. You will most likely have problems with them wilting badly every day later on in the summer, particularly in the zone you are in. They really are rated only for zones 5-9.

I am in 8a, have them planted on the northeast side of the house which gets full sun only up till 11 AM, and they are always severely wilted in late mornings in the latter part of summer. Your daughter can try this plant, but I suspect she will have a lot of problems. Also, I suspect that her soil is alkaline (most of Florida is). In that case, she will end up with a pink flower.

A blue flowering shrub alternative that would do much better in zone 10a would be the blue plumbago.

Thanks so much for your reply. This is the information I really needed. We both remember the beautiful Hydrangeas growing at my grandmother's house, but of course that was in Western North Carolina! The Plumbago sounds like a good idea, it seems to grow well here. I also saw an ad somewhere for a "blue" Hibiscus. That also grows extremely well here, I have several lovely ones. Thanks again.
Pati

HHMM, Ive had this one for about 2 years now and it always seems to bloom on new growth. New branches come out from the ground and boom boom boom Ive got flowers all over the place. I do get new growth on the stems I leave on during the winter but most of the new growth and blooms come from the ground.
I do agree with the wilting in the summer hear as mine does that too and its in full shade.

Thanks Dravencat. As much as we love the Hydrangeas, we have decided to go with the Hibiscus. We found a purple one at a nursery in Pompano Beach (just down the road) and are going down there to look at them. They start at $24.50 and up, which is really pricey for me, but it's for my daughter's birthday.
Pati
PS: Also the Hibiscus are native here...just stick them in the ground and they grow!