I am looking for a hydrangea that will take full sun. I am in zone 6. Any recommendations? Thanks!
Hydrangea for full sun
I'd start by looking at cultivars of H. arborescens and H. paniculata, both those species can take more sun than the macrophyllas can. My climate is nothing like yours so I can't really comment on exactly how much sun they could take in your climate, but they are the most sun tolerant species so hopefully that at least gives you a starting point.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=hydrangea&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=paniculata&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=hydrangea&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=arborescens&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
Don't the FE&E and ES types (remontants) need full sun for the repeat blooms?
They don't need full sun to rebloom, although maybe they are more sun tolerant than other macrophyllas. Out here they still need afternoon shade though or else you practically have to water them constantly and even then they fry. But on your side of the country maybe they would do OK in full sun.
Ecrane3 is correct; where you live, they will do fine in full sun. If you take a drive north of Boston, throughout the Peterborough Area (Road 202) and head towards Loudon (NH), you will see a lot paniculatas being grown in tree form. You will also notice that they get full sun as well. I wish I could do that but hydrangeas will burn if I let them get sun past 11am-ish here in Texas.
I was recently trying to help someone called Maria, who could not remember the name of her hydrangea paniculata. In the link below, if you scroll down some, you will see the post and a bunch of links that I set up so she could check which one of several paniculatas was hers. Might help you decide what to get. Might also negatively affect your checking account too!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/872215/
You can also check varieties like the Endless Summer Series, Forever Series, etc. As long as your zone is ok with the variety, you could also plant mopheads like ES, Nikko Blue, .... Very important to check your zone against the variety that interests you.
Endless Summer Info: http://www.endlesssummerblooms.com/consumer
Endless Summer & similar alternatives: http://www.endlesssummerhydrangea.com/
Forever and Ever Info: http://foreverhydrangea.com/
I bought a Shooting Star hydrangea during Christmas and planted it this Spring (front of the house, morning sun/afternoon shade). It actually is surviving and it has flowers. The thing is the flowers are lower on the plant and I have these big leaves on the top of the which have browned a bit b/c of the 100 degree weather we had a little back obscuring them. I want to cut those leaves off so I can see the pretty flowers. But I'm afraid - though I think, at least it looks like, it blooms on new wood, so it should be ok. What do you think?
As far as I know, Shooting Star only blooms on old wood, I've certainly never seen any blooms on new growth on my plants over the years. I'm not sure if now is too late in the year to prune or not, but I think you probably still have a little time to prune without causing problems for next year's flowers. Also, keep in mind that those leaves are providing a little bit of shade and protection for the leaves underneath and for the flowers, so if you take them off you may start to find other parts of the plant getting a little crispy if you have more 100 degree temps, so I'd probably leave things alone.