Favorite Full Sun Hydrangea with Sturdy Stems

whaas_5a

13 years ago

Anyone?

I only have Quickfire to fit the bill, curious if anyone has additional favorites.

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Comments (13)

laceyvail 6A, WV
13 years ago
I have 'Tardiva' and like it very much. I also planted 'Dharuma' last spring, but it's much too small to tell much about it yet.
prairiegirlz5
13 years ago
laceyvail~Please comment on the bloom color of your 'Dharuma', do you like it, what colors complement it in fall, etc. TIA! :)
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The only upkeep I do is to trim off the dead flowers at the end of the season and trim out the little bit of dead wood each spring. If you look at my photo from last August you will see what my Little Lamb looks like. That is pretty much what it looked like later in the season. This season is might be slightly larger, but there is no sign it will be floppy. I may have just purchased a very mature shrub. It doesn't lay on the ground the way people describe. I believe I planted it summer of 2008, but it was a fairly large plant (although I recall it had almost no roots, I was actually worried it wouldn't make it), so it isn't *really* just 3 years old. I actually mis-purchased...I wanted something that would get large for that corner (like Tardiva), but I'm happy with it. If you want floppy, you should see my Swan.
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Hello, Operaghost. A small/limited amount of wilting has happened to me before and I never found an obvious cause. I first looked for borer insects but found no evidence so I finally assumed it was caused by a windy day. The problem "went away" on its own after a few days or so. Wilting/drooping of leaves indicates that the leaves are loosing moisture faster than the roots can absorb them. So lack of moisture, a windy day or placing the shrub in a windy location will cause this wilted look. It is very common during summer time on many hydrangeas. But most wilting episodes involve almost the whole shrub, not just 2-3 leaves. If the wilting episode looks extreme, water Ã¯Â¿Â½ gallon of water immediately and ask questions later. Otherwise, insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 4" and if it feels almost dry or dry then water 1/2 gallon. If the soil feels moist or wet, do not water ..... instead, check the hydrangea again in the morning. If still wilted in the morning, water 1/2 gallon. You can use the finger method in order to determine when to water. Check the moisture daily for two weeks. For a "new" hydrangea, water 1 gallon of water if it feels dry or almost dry. Each time that you water, make an entry in a wall calendar. After two weeks, review your calendar notes and determine how often you are watering (once every two/three/four/etc days for example). Then set your sprinkler to water 1 gallon of water on the same frequency. If temperatures change 10-15 degrees and stay there, re-check using the finger method for another two weeks. Wilting can also be a sign that the roots are rotting. When the roots rot, the part of the shrub above ground does not get enough moisture and you get wilting of the leaves. It is hard to differentiate by wilting from lack of moisture or wilting due to root rot. That is why it is important not to water too much. Root rot normally affects the whole shrub or almost the whole thing. Since your problem appears to be limited to just a few leaves, I would monitor the hydrangea and its soil moisture closely. For now, assume it is either too windy or that it needs more moisture; water according to the finger method. Regarding your other questions/observations, when hydrangeas get insufficient moisture, the leaves brown out starting at the edges of the leaves so again, keep an eye on soil moisture. Too much sun shows up as complete yellowing of the leaves. They turn all yellow or white-ish. To prevent this, I plant hydrangeas here such that they get shade starting at 11am-12pm. Hydrangeas are not bothered by too many pests but there will be some that take a bite and move on. As long as the issue is small and limited as you see, I would take no action. But you could release some beneficial organisms like Lady Beetles, etc Does that help you, Operaghost? Luis
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It can be. Here are a few thoughts. 1. To get and maintain purples, your soil has to be in a narrow layer of soil pH that is difficult Ã¯Â¿Â½Ã¯Â¿Â½"but not impossible- to achieve when planted on the ground. Add garden lime per label directions if your soil is already acidic. If your soil pH is already alkaline, add garden Sulphur, green sand, iron sulfate or aluminum sulfate per label directions. Your own soil will govern how well and which shades of purple you can get when you amend. 2. It is easier to control soil pH when you grow them in containers. In the ground, you could end up with purple sections in the bushÃ¢ÂÂ¦ with other areas with a slightly different color (blue/pink) or shade of purple if some of the roots do not absorb the necessary minerals in the same amounts as other roots. 3. Named varieties with the word "purple" will produce good and deep purples. Glowing Embers, Enziandom, Purple Tiers, Purple Passion, Royal Purple, Nightingale, Mathilda Gutges, Marechal Foch and Merritt Supreme can give you nice purples. Enziandom leaves turn nice colors at the end of the growing season. Nightingale produces a lot of bloomage per stem. The named varieties given above produce blooms only in the Spring. 4. Colored re-blooming hydrangeas can also be useful but, they will not necessarily give the deep purples of the above named varieties. Example: the Endless Summer Series or the Forever and Ever Series. The good thing about rebloomers is that you get blooms at multiple times throughout the growing season and, as each set of blooms opens, you can see the result of changes to the soil pH, compared to the previous set of blooms. If new blooms in May were pink and if new blooms in June-July were blue, that means you have amended too much and need to tweak the soil pH in the opposite direction. So, it may take less time to get the purple shade that you/she want if you have colored rebloomers. 5. You can choose from many hydrangea macrophyllas or serratas but you will need to keep and eye on their winter hardiness (you are in Z5). Most if not all will need winter protection if planted outside in the ground. If planted in a container, you will need to bring the container into the garage or similar place during the winter months and water it once every week or once every two weeks. 6. Full sun exposureÃ¢ÂÂ¦ it may cause the color not to be as deep as it could be because the sun may bleach the blooms a bit. Hydrangeas must have afternoon shade (or the leaves will suffer from too much sun) here but, your not-as-strong summer sun in NY may allow you to grow them in full sun. If no one in your zone & location comments, I would drive around looking for similar colored (blue/pink/purple) hydrangeas and see where they were planted (sun-wise) and if they had winter protection. Luis
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laceyvail 6A, WV
13 years ago
prairiegirl, it's too small to bloom. Ask me next year!
whaas_5a
Original Author
13 years ago
I was thinking about the Tardiva...I've seen a few in my area that look quite stunning right now.

If its not Tardiva, its Unique. I didn't look at them up close.

My local nursery is telling me Kyushu is perferred over Tardiva because it blooms earlier and at a younger age for the plant...then I red that the rosy color change is quite weak.
ditas
13 years ago
ANGEL'S BLUSH!!! ... 2nd to QF!!! ... quite upright canes in my collection of 9!
whaas_5a
Original Author
13 years ago
I ended up chosing Tardiva, but Angel's Blush was my second choice. I just couldn't find any with the exception of a #1 cnt.

I have 6 Quickfire's so I am set there...one my favorite shrubs.

Twist and Shout may soon take over. First year flowers were pretty weak, but if they flower nicely next year...wow, what a shrub.

They are starting to exhibit an awesome vibrant burgandy foilage...something close to an Itea!
ostrich
13 years ago
My Snow Mountain hydrangea tree has stems and blooms that remain completely upright even after a huge rainstorm! Yes, it tolerates full sun here in zone 5b too.
ditas
13 years ago
In our similar zones, as much as I love my (Princess) Kyushu tree, she does not blossom any earlier than my 2 Tardivas in full/sun ... also does not turn pink like Tardivas do ... she turns creamy-lime, which I love as well!

'Hope this helps!!!
mrgpag SW OH Z5/6
13 years ago
I have about all the recent introductions
Pink Diamond
Limelight
Angel Blush
Quick Fire
Pinky Winkey
A couple of Mike Dirr's "Select Seedlings"
White Moth
Little Lamb
Dharuma

and Pink Diamond is my best plant by far - sturdy and strong upright vigorous stems with large pink blooms that last what seems like forever.
whaas_5a
Original Author
13 years ago
Surprised to hear that on the Pink Diamond. My Quickfire began with the creamy white blooms the third week of June.

Here is a pic from today, 9/17. She has the dark pink and there even some new white blooms. Crazy...approaching 90 days with blooms!!

This is by far the longest blooming shrub I've seen (besides a shrub rose).

{{gwi:279180}}

I may have to try a Pink Diamond...I have an east exposed area. Althought its small, Oakleaf Hydrangea is just begging to get in my landscape.
mrgpag SW OH Z5/6
13 years ago
I would like to suggest a little project if you have the space and time. Try growing H. paniculata from seed. Gather the seed in Oct-Nov by placing a dried flower head in a zip-lok bag and shake. Tilt the bag so a corner is down and the dust you see in the bottom is the seed. Clean away all the chaff and store the seed in a cool place until you're ready to sow. Seed germinates in 7-10 days and a first year plant can be 12-14 inches tall depending on how many times you pinch back the new growth. I usually repot 4 times during the first year growing season. I suggest a cold frame the first winter and plant out the following spring. Protect from deer if they are around. The plant may bloom that year, but the key here is to get some growth and structure. Will definitely bloom the next year and third year some plants should grow to 4-5 feet tall. This is very easy to do and the differences in plants is fun to watch. I use Pink Diamond seed exclusively for this and grow some every year. I also am a volunteer grower for an arboretum and we did this with four different seed sources and now have a bed of 55 in their 4th year. Lots of differences in these plants and many mimic the cultivars we are now seeing in the retail trade.

If you need a seed source, email me and I can provide you with plenty.

Marshall
ditas
13 years ago
Hi Marshall - so glad to see your post ... please compare Pink Diamond & her child (Ruby) Angel's Blush ... my AB is a year younger in my soil, I tend to favor AB to PD for the same reasons you prefer PD ... I wonder why?

By the way I've been hoping you'd check back in to update us on the 25+ Lil Lambs you mass planted around the flagpole in the Arboretum or was it the Library ... I'd really love to here how they did this season. Many thanks in advance!!! Â;)
mrgpag SW OH Z5/6
13 years ago
My AB never did grow much for some reason. Had it for several years and when it went to the compost heap, it was the same size as when I bought it. May have been a root mass issue - I don't remember.

The Little Lamb planting is still in place, although the staff elected not to prune them this spring. But they did fine except didn't develop much color in the blooms. You can see a pic in the link attached - the first image. The other hydrangea pics are of some of the Pink Diamond seedlings that are in their 4th year. Some are pretty nice and we may propagate some cuttings next year .

Marshall

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Gallery Photos

Favorite Full Sun Hydrangea with Sturdy Stems

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laceyvail 6A, WV

prairiegirlz5

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Favorite Full Sun Hydrangea with Sturdy Stems

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