In the past, most hydrangeas would only set bloom buds in the fall. In June the buds flower. If anything happened to these bloom buds during the fall or winter (e.g. they were pruned off or a freeze-snap killed them), these hydrangeas would not set new blooms.
Endless Summer
Now things are much different. Hydrangeas that would set bloom buds again and again began coming on the market in about 2004 . If the first set of buds was killed or pruned off, another set of buds would grow and bloom that same season. Hydrangeas that set more than once during the same season are referred to as “remontant.” Nurseries selling these hydrangeas often call them “everblooming.”
‘Endless Summer’ was the first hydrangea to be sold as an everbloomer. Latter, two other hydrangeas were added to this Endless Summer Series: ‘Blushing Bride’ and ‘Twist and Shout’ (a pink lacecap).
Other hydrangeas that are extremely similar to ‘Endless Summer’ in everblooming ability as well as in appearance are ‘Penny Mac’, ‘David Ramsey’, ‘Oak Hill’, and ‘Decator Blue.’
Several other hydrangeas have claimed to be reblooming, but they have not established a reputation of being so yet. After the summer of 2009 it is hoped (by me, anyway) that they may have proved themselves as rebloomers. These include: ‘Forever and Ever,’ Forever and Ever Double Pink,’ ‘Forever and Ever Red,’ and ”Forever and Ever Peppermint.’
Forever and Ever
For a list of online mail-order sellers of these and other hydrangeas, visit my site at: http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/purchasing.html.
November 9, 2010 at 7:28 pm |
When do you prune everblooming hydrangeas?
November 10, 2010 at 7:35 pm |
Tom,
Even though I’ve heard reports that these hydrangeas can be pruned in the Fall and in the Spring and still bloom, until I have some experience with this, I’m still going to advise people to use the old tried and true method. This means that we should prune only after they finish blooming and before August. The best month is July, even if there are still blooms on the shrub. Pruning is not necessary for good growth, but if you have to prune, do it in July. Here is a page describing this process: http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/pruning.html. Another reason to use the old method is that many hydrangeas labeled “everblooming” don’t turn out to be all that dependable. If you want to experiment and prune half of your plant and leave the rest unpruned, itwould be interesting to see if both sides bloomed. Hope this helps. – Judith