I have several Endless Summers, and a Forever Pink and now three new Oak leaf, Sykes, I think, but the smaller variety anyway.
I want them to be blooming wonders at my new home. They never bloomed very much for me before. I can't wait for your ideas. Thanks,
Judy
What should I fertilize my hydrangeas with?
I use Epsoma Holly-tone on mine, it's an organic 4-6-4. I have Endless Summer, Annabelles and Pink Beauty and Nikko Blue macrophyllas. The Endless Summer did great using it - the Holly-tone is for acid loving plants. My Annabelles turned a chartreuse green, I think from the acidity in the fertilizer. Even though they looked cool, I still like the traditional creamy blooms - they were gigantic, some 8" or so. I've never had much success with the Pink Beauty and Nikko Blue with blooms. Last year I had wrapped them up like babies for the winter and got them through it great. Then we had that nice warm early Spring... or so I thought "Spring"... so I unwrapped them and fed them and Wham! we got a frost and it killed all the buds so there went the blooms. I just unwrapped the Pink Beauty yesterday since it's much smaller than the Nikko Blue. We are still in the 60's here and 40's at night so I'm holding off til maybe this weekend.
Have you had success with your Endless Summer blooming on old wood. This is my 2nd full summer with them. Last year the frost got all the buds on them also and this year I think our winter was just too cold, the buds bit the dust again. I'm a bit disappointed with them, I thought they'd do better in our zone but then it did get very cold here with alot of snow this past winter compared to others. I really love my Annabelles, talk about hearty! With them it's cut, cut and grow, grow, grow. I haven't even fertilized them yet and they're about 18" high already.
There have been a few other threads around here about Endless Summer--seems like it blooms fine on old wood (as any macrophylla does) but it doesn't put out too many blooms on new wood, which was the whole reason it was developed in the first place. So it's great for those of us in climates where we could already grow any of the macrophyllas we wanted to with no problems, but for everyone in the colder zones who had their hopes up this one has not met expectations. Some of the newer reblooming cultivars supposedly do much better (others in the Endless Summer series besides the original ES, Forever and Ever, All Summer Beauty, etc)
I've got an ES covered in buds on new wood. Try side dressing with Triple Phosphate or superphosphate very early in the spring. It's not too late now, but bud set and bloom will be delayed.
I did get a fair amount of blooms on the new wood last summer which was my first full summer since the old wood buds got hit by the frost. I planted them in Aug. '06. I fertilized them in late Sept. after planting and then mid-April last year, so possibly that helped in the blooming? I haven't gotten to all of them yet to fertilize. Should I use my regular 4-6-4 and then the Triple Phosphate too? I'm not familiar with the triple phosphate. Is that good to use on all flowering shrubs and perennials?
Snapple - have you ever gotten blooms on old wood?
Phosphorus is the middle number in a complete fertilizer. It promotes root growth and flower production. The only kind available locally is the one shown in the link, but any phosphate product will work. Different formulations work at different rates, and by rate I mean fast or slow availability to the plant in the soil. It is alway best to work it into the soil if side dressing or place it in the root zone at planting out. Flowering shrubs respond well. Perennials benefit too but use a light hand. A little goes a long way.
http://www.espoma.com/content.aspx?type=p&id=3&intCategoryID=3
I've never gotton blooms on old wood from the ES because it dies back completely to the ground each winter. I give it no protection.
Thanks. The garden center near me carries all the Epsoma products so I will have to make a trip and get some. Another good excuse to check out the shrubs and flowers! Hopefully I'll get some blooms on the Pink Beauty and Nikko this year, would be a nice change of pace!
In about a month or so we'll have to get a thread going and share hydrangea bloom pictures. Should be some dandys.
Thanks for your posts, medinac. I think I just learned what to do to prepare for next winter in our area. (Someone kick me for talking about winter... shame on me)
I wish I new about this site last year.
Happy Spring!
Hi mcd0019, know right where Oak Forest is... Grandma is in Tinley Park. I guess I wish I knew about this website before I planted all the Endless Summers! Oh well, ya work with what you've got. I did run out today and got the Triple Phosphate and picked some up for a friend who just planted some hydrangeas too so thanks again for that tip! I do have 3 spots open to plant more hydrangeas where I'm going to pull butterfly bushes that don't do well where they're at. What to plant, what to plant??? I have to read more threads on this forum and do more investigating. The area gets bright morning sun for about 3 hours only and then a short time of filtered sun then complete shade. I have 3 Tardiva down on the other side of the tree. Suggestions are always welcome!
I'll be looking forward to the pictures of our blooms!
You culd try to plant some of these, medinac: Hydrangea p. Quick Fire or Limelight and Hydrangea j. Coerulea
luispr, funny you should say that. After I posted I went searching. I looked on the Proven Winners website and looked at the Quick Fire and had already been looking at the Limelight after seeing it planted at a new home construction - I HAD to know which one that was. I LOVE Limelight but think color would look nice in that spot since I have the Tardiva just down the line on the same side of the yard. Just checked out the Coerulea and love that one too! I saw someone had it planted in NY so it would probably be fine here too. Thank you!
Limelight starts green, turns white and then a shade of pink. Ppermint might also work but I am not sure how well it does (it is new and I have not heard from many people yet): http://www.foreverhydrangea.com/info_peppermint.aspx
I've got two Forever Double Pinks. They went in the ground here last June. They were given no winter protection and died back completly to the ground. They are coming on strong at this time, but I see no developing flower buds yet. This Forever is a smaller hydrangea and tolerates a litle more sun than the macrophyllas I currently have. The blooms were exquisite last year. Small but plentiful. I'm anxious to see how well it performs after a zone 5 winter.
Snapple45, in a month of so? It's already happenning over here in CA! : )
robcorreia - Envious of your long bloom time and your hydrangea bloom as well! That double pink flower is gorgeous and unusual. I'm anxious too snapple45 to hear/see how yours blooms after this winter. I'm so happy we are going to FINALLY get warm weather this weekend. This spring has been dreadful!
If it makes you feel a little less zone envious..it's pouring right now and super cold! lol
My daughter lives in San Diego. Super cold is when she has to put on a sweater when she goes to work in the morning. Excuuuuuuuuse me. That is NOT super cold. LOL
hahhahahah! ....and it's sunny again today...