Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' pink hydrangea

Credit: Acabashi

Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' blue

Credit: Captain Tucker

Pink and white Hydrangea 'Endless Summer

Credit: Annette Taratuta

Hydrangea macrohpylla 'Endless Summer' green foliage

Credit: F.D. Richards

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer', an abundantly flowering hydrangea

While hydrangea macrophylla 'Mariesii lilacina' and madame Émile Mouillère' Hydrangea were created in France, Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer' comes from the USA. Minnesota, to be precise. Bailey Nursery has developed several cultivars from hydrangea macrophylla (Hydrangea macrophylla) in its greenhouses, under the name 'Endless Summer'.

How to recognize Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer'?

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer' measures 1.50 m in all directions. This shrub has a bushy, rounded habit.

The woody, branched trunk is covered with ochre or grey bark.

The deciduous foliage consists of dark green leaves. They are oval, with toothed margins and tapering tips.

In summer, Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' is adorned with rounded bouquets of flowers. The shrub has the particularity of flowering on this year's wood as well as last year's. The color of the inflorescence depends on the acidity of the soil and the variety. Hydrangea 'Endless Summer Original' blooms blue in acid soil and pink in alkaline soil. The 'Summer Crush' cultivar, on the other hand, blooms raspberry-red, whatever the soil type.

Despite genetic modification, the plant remains toxic. Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer' causes digestive, nervous and cardiac disorders if ingested by animals. Hydrangea can also cause skin irritation and allergic reactions on contact with the skin.

Our maintenance tips

The color of your Hydrangea 'Endless Summer depends largely on the pH of your soil. In acid soil, flowers are blue. In alkaline soil, flowers are pink or white.

Watering

Endless Summer' hydrangeas can withstand neither drought nor excess water.

Before watering, check the condition of the potting soil. The surface must be at least one centimeter dry.

Repotting

Obtain a perforated pot twice the size of the root ball. Fill it with a mixture of equal parts heather and garden soil.

Plant your Hydrangea 'Endless Summer in the center. Add potting soil, but do not fill the pot completely. Stop a few centimetres from the edge to form a watering basin. Press down and water generously.

Flowers are heavy and can bend branches. You can stake them to take the strain off the plant and keep it upright.

Fertilization

You can stimulate the growth of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.

Fertilize with a fertilizer for acid-loving plants. You can choose a hydrangea or bougainvillea fertilizer, for example.

Prune

Endless Summer' hydrangeas bloom on the previous year's wood. You mustn't prune too much, otherwise your plant won't flower.

Remove wilted flowers. Also remove frozen or broken branches.

Prune branches one to two centimetres above the last buds. Use a clean, sharp instrument to promote healing.

If your Hydrangea 'Endless Summer is old, cut back a few old branches by half to encourage new growth. But don't do it to all the branches! You won't have any flowers for a year!

Plantation

Once the last spring frosts have passed, you can plant.

Plant your Hydrangea 'Endless Summer in semi-shade, along a wall or under a tree to protect it from direct sun, frost and wind.

Soak the rootball of your Hydrangea 'Endless Summer, still in its container. Preferably use rainwater. Tap water is often too hard.

Meanwhile, dig a hole 1.5 times deeper than the root ball and three times as big. Place a little compost at the bottom.

Plant your Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Endless Summer’. The collar should reach ground level. Fill the hole with a mixture of heather soil (50%) and garden soil (50%).

Mulch the soilwith organic matter such as dead leaves or pine bark. Water copiously to encourage rooting.

You can also stake the flowers if their weight causes the stems to bend.

Cutting

Select a branch that has not yet flowered and whose tip is still flexible.

Take a section about ten centimetres long. Cut with clean, sharp pruning shears below a node.

Dress your cutting. Remove the leaves on the lower half of the shoot. You can reduce the size of the others by half.

Fill a pierced pot with a mixture of universal potting soil(1/3), sand(1/3) and heather (1/3). You can also use potting soil for seedlings and cuttings mixed with perlite. Form a pre-hole and plant your cutting in the center. Pack lightly.

Cutting is done in a smothered fashion. Place your Hydrangea 'Endless Summer in a mini greenhouse or translucent crate. You can also cover it with a transparent plastic bag.

Your cutting needs humidity to develop. Fog the leaves and potting soil whenthey are dry, to maintain a high level of humidity. But beware of rot! You need to aerate for a few minutes every day to avoid rot.

Diseases / Threats

Powdery mildew

Mealybugs

Information

Family	Hydrangeaceae - Hydrangeaceae
Type	Hydrangea - Hydrangea
Species	Large-leaf hydrangea - Hydrangea macrophylla
Lifecycle	Perennial
Foliage	Deciduous
Exposure	Half-shade
Substrats	Humus soil Sandy soil
Planting methods	Open ground In pots In tubs
Categories	Shrub Flowery
Tags	Beginner Flowery Rustic Toxic
Origin	Southeast Asia
Hardiness (USDA)	7a
Leaf color
Flower colors