Can Anybody suggest a reliable online nursery that wells Nikko Blue? I work for HD, but am totally frustrated by it because all they carry is ES!!
Thankx in advance for answering!!!!!
Nikko Blue
Here are some: http://davesgarden.com/ps/go/49311/ (Anytime I'm looking for a plant, the first thing I do is look it up in Plant Files, often you will see a link at the top that says "xx vendors have this plant for sale" or something similar to that, if you click the link it'll show you the list of who has it.)
Are you prepared to protect it for the winter? The nice thing about Endless Summer for your climate is that it blooms on new as well as old wood so even if you have some chilly weather in early spring you won't lose your buds. Nikko Blue blooms on old wood, so in your climate, many years some/all of the buds will get zapped by a late frost or cold snap and you won't get blooms. To get around that, you'll have to pile leaves over the plant for the winter or protect it in some other way.
Nantucket Hydrangeas sells a sport of Nikko Blue that blooms on new wood, called Nantucket Blue. Write to Frank there and ask about it. I've bought most of my hyds from him and have been very pleased with the hyds and the service.
I live downstate and the Nikko Blue will die back to the ground with a frost. Last winter I mulched it heavly with leaves. (I put a wire cage around it and filled the cage with leaves. Still, when uncovered, the plant grew from the ground up. It is, however, developing a few blooms -- but small ones. It's only about 9 inches tall though. Thanks for the tip on Nantucket Blue. I may have to try that one.