Hi -
We have an Endless Summer hydrangea we just bought this year. It is doing OK although not getting much bigger. It bloomed initially, and now has more clusters of flowers that are very small (maybe only 2 inches across, as opposed to 4-5 inches initially. It's been pretty rainy this year and I wasn't sure if the plant has been too wet or perhaps needed some food. Any suggestions would be great - thanks!
(I do have to say the weather's been weird, and for example our daylilies are looking a bit straggly and brown compared to last summer.)
tiny ES reblooms
It's a bit late in the year to be fertilizing now--did you fertilize it in the spring? If not, you might want to do that next year, and then depending on what the instructions are on your fertilizer you could probably fertilize again early in the summer (just don't use something with too much nitrogen, that'll stimulate lots of green growth but not as many flowers) Weird weather can definitely cause plants to behave different than normal though too, so if you fertilized how you were supposed to then it could definitely be the weather.
I would not worry about the size at this point. Due to transplant shock, hydrangeas and other shrubs like to first develop the roots that were cut when they were potted. That is priority one. I have a Glowing Embers that was planted in early July and it too has not shown much action. However, I am not concerned. The plant still visually looks healthy so do the same with yours. Let them get established in their own garden (it takes 1-2 years).
I do not fertilize new shrubs as potted plants usually contain fertilizer pellets already and you should not fertilize plants during periods of stress like when planting into the ground. In the north, you can do fine with 1/2 or 1 cup of manure or cottonseed meal in June 2009 and weak fertilizers during the growing season (coffee grounds, liquid seaweed, etc). Then stop all fertilizing in August-September until next year.
Here is a great hydrangea website for when you have some reading time: www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com
Luis is right--forget what I said, I read your post too quickly and missed the part about you just planting it this year.
I planted two ES in late spring and have not seen any sign of a bloom forming. I haven't expected to see any. The plants are growing and look healthy. That's good enough for me.
Since I want blue blooms I'll add aluminum sulphate and coffee grounds in the spring of next year and hope to see many blooms. If not ... there's always next year.
Gary
And follow the label instructions on the a/s package always Gary. Too much a/s can do a number on the tiny fribruous roots of a new shrub. Coffee grounds are ok too; just be aware that they do not contain much acidity after boiling in water to make the coffee; however they are an excellent source of nitrogen for plants during the growing season. Discontinue them around August or September so the plants will go dormant in time for winter.