Anyone have 'Forever & Ever'?

I just put 5 of these in next to the patio (AM sun/PM shade) and I am curious if anyone has any info on them. The nursery had a couple of 'Endless Summer' but they were in bad shape so I went for F&E instead. Do these reliably bloom all summer in Z5?

I'm curious how quickly they grow and how large I can expect them to get. I have them planted about 3 feet apart and they have plenty of room to grow into the size the tag said, but I want to know if this is a shrub that tends to get larger than what the tag says. Right now they are about a foot tall by a foot wide.

This are my very first hydrangeas so I want to make sure that I take good care of them and get as much info on them as I can. Thanks for any replies.

I bought Endless Summer last year. It was quite small and didn't grow much but it rebloomed very well. I think it spent so much energy on blooming that the bush didn't have a chance to grow.
I may try feeding it more this year since its such a prolific bloomer.
Hopefully it will grow some this year.
Any Hydrangea experts here have any suggestions on what fertilizers work best for them?

PS mine is the same size as the ones in your photo.

How are your Forever's doing?

Forever and Ever is good in Zone 4 so it should work for you. Interestingly, F&E seems to be more reliable than Endless Summer (from a blooming stand point). More people post about no or little bloomage ESs than they do about no/little bloomage F&Es. Personally, I cannot complain about either. Luis

Left out the comment about fertilizing... in the northern states, small hydrangeas should be fertilized in June with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of manure or cottonseed meal. In the southern states, hydrangeas should be fertilized in early May and July (same amounts). Coffee grounds and stuff like that is ok throughout the year but no fertilizers should be added starting around August-September. You want the plant to go dormant and fertilizers can disrupt this process. A general purpose slow-release chemical fertilizer can also be used in lieu of manure & cottonseed meal. If you have and want blue hydrangeas, make sure the chemical fertilizer or other ammendments are not high in phosphates since high amounts will inhibit absorbtion of aluminum (think Triple super phosphate).

I bought FE&E Radiant Red last summer, it put out lotsa buds this year- then deer came and ate the buds!!

PS-- Just bought some heavy-duty deer repellent posts, have to put them up. Deer also ate LimeLight, and THAt one was right by the front door!!!!

Been awhile since I checked here...

My F&Es are doing ok. I ended up moving them all over the place because they weren't what I wanted where I put them (don't we all do this at some point? :) but they are where I want them now. They die down to the ground every winter here for me but put up new growth in the spring and by July I have flowers. This is their second year where they are staying so I hope to see more flowers this year than last.

I have two F&E Double Pink, planted last year. They are doing very well. Buds are just forming on new wood. They died completely back to the ground last winter and had no protection.

Phospohrus can tie up aluminum in the soil. But it must take alot cause I use triple phosphate every spring on the hydrangeas and still get blue blooms in soil pH 6.5. I've had success fertilizing in early April with phosphate and again in early May with a balanced slow release. This regimen seems to work fine.

This is from Michael Dirr "Hydrangeas For American Gardens" 2004

Fertilizer

"Hydrangea macrophylla requires moderate to high nutrient levels and should be bertilized in late winter to early spring before leaf emergence." He goes on to recommend a 10-10-10 slow release formulation.

In regards to aluminum availabilty and blue color he states:
"Excess phosphorus in the soil will also tie up the aluminum in insoluble preciptates even in acid soil. "

My own conclusion is that triple phosphate can be successfully used to coax reluctant bloomers into flower production without sacrificing blue flower color. It may even be necessary in a soil low in phosphorus. I use triple phosphate with good results.