Would anyone over here be able to shed some light on this?

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/579622/

I would be most appreciative if anyone would be in a position to clear up the confusion regarding 'Endless Summer' and 'David Ramsey'.

Thanks much,
Lauren

I would suggest you read Michael Dirr's book, Hydrangeas for American Gardens, pg. 82 shows a photo of "David Ramsey' - the verbiage discussing it begins with "Endless Summer" ( patented by Bailey Nurseries, Inc., St. Pau, MN under 'Bailmer'). He then lists 'Decatur Blue', 'David Ramsey', 'Oak Hill' and Penny Mac'. He writes, "Remontant types; quite similar". This is followed by more detailed information. On pg. 95 Dirr begins a detailed, historical discussion of how Endless Summer was patented by Bailey Nursery. It's interesting stuff. He writes that the plant material for what was finally patented as Endless Summer was actually found by a Bailey Nursery employee, Vern Black, in a garden in St. Paul. Dirr suspects that it was a green house plant purchased by a homeowner who planted in his/her garden where the remontant (reblooming) trait was recognized. Dirr describes the whole trial process in detail. Hope this isn't more than you ever wanted to know , but it seems to me you received some pretty good information from your supplier. I can't comment on the difference in quality, if there is one. Critical testing was done on "Endless Summer" at UGA, which showed it to be truly remontant.

Thank you, I love detailed responses.

Yes, Michael Dirr does a great job of explaining the details of this stuff. If it's in his book, you can trust it.
And the Hydrangea forum may be slow in the winter, but just wait until spring! Then we really kick into gear!

Pixy,
just an observation - nothing personal - at least I knew about it **jab -jab**
Al

Jabbin me are ya Al... at least I had the gumption (this will be a shocking revelation to you but... women can and do ask for directions at gas stations when they get lost) to venture out of one of my regular forums to go shamelessly begging for help ;) At least that was after I realized (thanks very much to you) that we had a Hydrangea forum to beg and grovel for help at. I wanted clarification of the dna as pertained to the patent issues. I have no pride when it comes to plants and getting information from people who might know and looks to me as if peony01 provided the "goods" and I already went and shared his/her response over in the other thread so all of us people who weren't in the know could be enlightened. Which reminds me, I need to go and let Ken know that this plant blooms on both old and new wood. He will like that very much.

Al, I'm gonna get you and your little dog Toto too for that photo you posted of Thin Mints.

Hey Pixie, is there anything you don't grow darlin? When I grow up can I be like you instead of Martha Stewart? She makes an inordinate amount of money but she doesn't have your heart!

Hats off to peony for the typing, I wasn't up to it. Hey my library had that book - this ain't no podunk town!
I don't know about getting one though - yes they will flower every year, but I can't imagine them ever getting over 2' high with dieback. I am going to add a new paniculatta this year - maybe quickfire or something.
I *sigh* am in about every forum it seems.

I have cookies in about every room right now - now to squeeze the money out of those deadbeats.
Al

You mean people order from those cute little girls and then don't pay? You are kidding aren't you? Geeze Louise if that isn't scummy since these kids count on the profits for activities. Al, are you going to the Upper Midwest RU in June? If you are and if you end up with leftover Thin Mints, let me know and I'll cut a check and buy some from your daughter. My thighs will thank me.

I have Hydrangea arborescens and H. cinera here but have never tried any exotic Hydrangea before. The H. 'David Ramsey' and 'Nikko Blue' will be my first and I'm planting them up in tight by the house. You people are corrupting me and pretty soon I'm going to be out of space around my home!

They almost all pay, sooner or later if you stop by enough.
Funny movie "Better Off Dead" with John Cusack - ' I want my 2 DOLLARS!'
Anyway I am not commiting to the roundup yet, my brother lives in Janesville - maybe I'll send him to scout you guys out first.
I'm not worried about you running out of room, more worried that you won't have time to enjoy them.
This is my favorite hydrangea
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/93710/

I like the wave of greenery around here. Just coexisting with plants and being able to work outside surrounded by life forms works for me and it sure doesn't hurt being able to look out every window and see something growing because that sure puts a smile on my face.

I don't watch tv so I've never seen that movie. Is it funny?

Hiya Lauren. :) Is there anything I don't grow? WEll, probably. But that's likely because I don't know about it yet! LOL
I am more addicted to hydrangeas than just about any other plant, even CPs. I probably have about 20 varieties. My latest sub-addiction is the Japanese cultivars. Very delicate and lovely!

Pixy, I'm finding myself loving the Japanese lacecaps to. I planted 'Shamrock' (from Bluestone perennials) last year. It was in a 4" pot and did it ever take off! Keeping my fingers crossed for blooms this year. I have always loved hydrangeas, but now that I live in a wooded environment (they love it!) I can collect them with reckless abandon!

Such great info on this thread, and much appreciated. The possibility posted above about the discovery of the reblooming capability perhaps coming from a florist hydrangea got me wondering. I work at a florist, and brought home some potted hydrangeas after Mother's Day a couple of years ago that were past their prime( 2 Nikko Blue and 2 unknown pink). Last winter they died back to about 6", but all bloomed beautifully last summer. It was quite a suprise for me. Is that normal?
Neal

Hi to other hydrangea lovers. I'm fairly new here but would like to add a few items: A sad day for all of us, Penny McHenry died.....she is the Atlanta lady so well known for her hydrangeas....being featured on Erica Glasener's show several times. I'm just glad to have just bought one "Penny Mac" called "Bloom 'N Again" grown by McCorkle Nurseries. If I can just keep the deer away from it.
Also, a florist hydrangea given when my daughter was born in 1972 was planted and bloomed for many years.

Penny McHenry was an actress also, was she not? I remember that show, and what a beautiful garden of Hydrangeas she had. I'm glad they named one after her, before she passed.

I'll offer an opinion and personal experience about florist Hydrangeas. They are usually force bloomed, which results in their being out of their normal blooming cycle. They are also often over fertilized, so that the foliage is a deep green for their recipients. Finally, they have not been hardened off, so when they are planted in their natural setting they struggle. We grow a lot of Hydrangeas down here, because we don't have the die-back problem, but we have the combination of high temperatures and high humidity, so our plants must be tough. We get force bloomed Hydrangeas 50-75% off from Lowe's after they begin looking ratty, plant them in areas with other Hydrangeas, let them settle in for a few weeks, and then cut them back hard, near the ground. The following year they bloom normally, and have begun to grow normal size stems. I don't know if this would work in KY, but I don't see why not. It may be worth a shot. I have some raised beds on a piece of ground I putz around on outside of town, and I like to buy sick, puny Hydrangeas, put them in my test beds, revitalize them, and then offer them for sale at non-profit plant sales a group I do volunteer work with has. I have a high rate of success, but I look at the plants from the value of the root system only - I always cut the topside growth back hard.

peony1, that makes sense. The forced ones I brought home did'nt bloom the 2nd year, but did bloom the 3rd. Must have given them time to harden off properly and get back onto a natural bloom cycle.

Gosh, I forgot to hit the 'watch' button on this thread!
Neal, I'd say your experience is 'normal' in my world. And 'reckless abandon' just about describes my hydrangea adding habit from last year. I was like a kid in a candy store. I can't wait to see what blooms this year. I think the 20 cultivars I posted to Lauren above is low. I'm afraid to list them all. LOL I added 6 Japanese lacecap varieties alone last year.
It's nothing but pure plant gluttony.
I found 'Paris' and 'Venice' both grown as florist hydrangeas, but labeled with the cultivar, which is unusal. I got them on clearance for 2$ each and came home and put them in the ground. Our weather is really mild most of the time here, but we did have some extraordinary cold this winter. Both of them are putting out new growth, so I hope they bloom.
I never could understand what all the fuss was about with the 'everblooming' hydrangeas. I have a large blue mophead that blooms for months, putting out blooms on the old wood from last year, and putting out more blooms on the new wood from this year. Same with a couple of my lacecaps. I thought there were lots of hydrangeas that did this.
I am sorry to hear that Penny McHenry died. Last year I received cuttings from the original shrub named for her and I have them rooted in pots. They'll go into the ground this year.

Pixy, I sure hope you're going to try your hand at rooting cuttings of some of those beauties (nudge,nudge); great for trading (hint,hint) lol.
The lacecaps are what I want to really explore now to. Sounds like I need to keep an eye out for reduced plants at the grocery florists.

Here where we get colder winters, you'd see why the everbloomers are so popular. I'm lucky to live in a protected microclimate, but at my mother's house just 30 miles west of here, Nikko Blue only flowered every 2-3 years because of winter die back. It was even planted in a nook where the chimney meets the house on the north/east side.

Hydrangeas have really won my heart. Already a rose and lily lover, I now find the combination of roses, lilies, and hydrangeas so romantic. I love the contrast in form they offer each other.

Hi Neal, I do see your point about the winter dieback. It would hardly seem worth it if I had to wait a couple of years for blooms because of hard winters. I think I would be tempted to try to 'create' a microclimate if I didn't live in one already.
Oh yes, (wink wink), I'm sure I will try rooting some cuttings from some of the lacecaps this year. Some hydrangeas root easily, and some, like the small French 'Pink Elf', just don't root easily at all! A few of the newer cultivars I have are just rooted cuttings themselves. I got them from a guy on ebay because his prices were pretty good and he had some varieties that I couldn't find many places without paying big $$.
Last year I was able to put cuttings in the veggie filter attached to my pond and they just went crazy with roots. So I hope I can reproduce some of the cooler ones this year. I'll keep you in mind!! LOL

What a great idea with cuttings in the pond filter! The only fun one I have so far is Shamrock, but I think I'll try to layer it this year-I always have better luck layering. If you don't already have it and I'm successful, it's yours! Is that lovely lily speciosum Rubrum or perhaps Black Beauty? Interesting you posted that pic; I just planted L.speciosum Rubrum and Album around one of my Nikko Blue.