I am impressed with Tuff Stuff
In my zone "TS" has come into bloom sooner than any of my several other hydrangeas. And with the most recent very demanding winter all these blooms have happened quickly on new wood. I have it in full sun and this serrata is advertised as a rebloomer which is small in stature.
Here is a link that might be useful: Tuff Stuff Mountain Hydrangea
Comments (35)
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
9 years ago
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
9 years agoRelated Discussions
New here and I am impressed!
Comments (14)I made this for Christmas dinner a few years ago. The family loved it. Easy on the waistline as well. Pork loin stuffed with fuji apples SELF : November 2005 Santiago De La Cruz Servings: Makes 4 servings. Ingredients 1/4 cup golden raisins 3/4 cup Riesling 1 1/2 Fuji apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes, peel and core reserved Pinch of cinnamon 2 lb center-cut boneless pork loin (ask butcher to make a 1-inch incision in the center all the way through) Sea salt Vegetable-oil cooking spray 1 medium onion, diced large 1 carrot, diced large 1 celery stalk, diced large 4 stems fresh rosemary 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar Preparation Heat oven to 375ðF. Soak raisins in cup wine for 10 minutes. Combine raisins (including wine not absorbed), apples and cinnamon in a bowl. Fill pork-loin cavity with apple-raisin mixture. Season pork with sea salt and pepper; set aside 15 minutes at room temperature. (If loin splits, tie with kitchen twine.) Meanwhile, coat a roasting pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Sear pork on all sides until golden brown, about 4 minutes total, turning frequently so it doesn't stick. Place onion, carrot, celery, rosemary and apple peels and cores in pan; place pork on top. Cook 25 minutes or until pork reaches 150ð. While meat cooks, reduce vinegar and remaining 1/2 cup wine in a small saucepan 15 to 20 minutes on high heat until thick and syrupy. Remove pork from pan; let rest 10 minutes. Slice pork and divide among plates. Drizzle reduction over pork....See MoreTiny Tuff Stuff Hydrangea
Comments (5)Thanks, everyone. That's why I posted the question. I think I may go with the Pow Wow Wild Berry Echinacea instead. The spot does get shade starting at about 2:00 in the afternoon. Do you think an echinacea (cone flower) would still bloom profusely in these conditions?...See MoreTuff Stuff or Little Tuff Stuff
Comments (7)My Tuff Stuff has survived -23F without showing any issues and blooms well on new wood. I don't know how much colder you expect to get than that. Although I only planted my Tiny Tuff Stuff last year, I haven't been impressed so far. It is so small that I thought it had died and although I recently discovered that it didn't it is so tiny it has no current value in the garden. Perhaps in a small courtyard or if I had an apartment balcony it would work well, but in my garden it's so small that it is getting overwhelmed by even relatively small perennials. This isn't an issue I've had with other hydrangeas....See MoreWhat's wrong with my Tiny Tuff Stuff hydrangea?
Comments (6)The summer sun here is quite strong so I suggest making sure it gets shade starting around 11am (no afternoon sun). No evening sun either. Transplant it if it is getting more sun than that. My shrubs have handled 110+ temps in prior years with little leaf damage but they got zero afternoon/evening sun (only bright shade) and were already established by the time the 110s hit. Also, since it is a new shrub planted in the summer, give it even more shade with a chair/umbrella/etc and give it more water than in the Spring. I give mine 1g in the Spring; 1.5-2g in the summer per watering. During the daily 100s, I water 3 times a week, provided a finger inserted to s depth of 4" fels dry. Add 2-3" of mulch year around past the drip line to further help the plant. And watch for leaves browning from the edges inwards, an indication that they need more water. The round leaf spots can be ignored for now but are usually common issues due to overhead watering so, as a precaution, water the soil always, never the leaves. To remove ugly leaves, cut the petiole that connects the leaf to the stem. Hydrangeas get stressed when planted after late May here so continue giving it TLC and check it often in its first few summers. I have been looking for a TS/TTS locally. Where are you and where did you find yours?...See Morefloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
9 years agodiggerdee zone 6 CT
9 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
9 years agoUPDATE
Here it is as of today. Lots of blooms and the perfect size thus far.
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
9 years agoluckyladyslipper
9 years agodiggerdee zone 6 CT
9 years agoa2zmom_Z6_NJ
9 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
8 years agoUPDATE:
Another brutal winder and this same TS is just fine. It is 3 feet across and lots of blooms are beginning to happen. This one is in full sun. (I planted another TS last season in a much shadier location. It is doing well but as expected it is behind in its flowering).
ked1985
8 years agogreen_go (Canada, Ontario, z 5a)
8 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
8 years ago
magpiepix 5b/6a
8 years ago
GardenHo_MI_Z5
8 years agogreen_go (Canada, Ontario, z 5a)
8 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
8 years agoThyme2dig NH Zone 5
8 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
bella rosa
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
7 years agoTuff Stuff 2016:
One of our two TS. This one gets less sun
and in this very dry sunny summer it is doing better than the full sun one. (I
have had to give supplemental water to both) The color is nice but I am hoping
to see more blooms in total at any given time:
Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
7 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
5 years agohl_60 I am disappointed thus far as both of our well established TS show very few developing blossoms. (I know this past winter and April were quite challenging weather and so all flowers would be developing on new wood but I am sure this has been the case in the past).
hl_60
5 years agorouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
5 years agoUPDATE (2.5 months since my last post):
We have two very established TS and one had no blooms this season and the other had maybe 2 or three but still took up lots of space (4 feet wide):
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoIt looks like another year of few flowers on this very established and otherwise healthy Tuff Stuff. :(.
I used to be so "up" on this variety. I guess it just shows you that a longer term review is worthwhile.rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
4 years agozekeafroid (Z7 - South Jersey)
4 years agowoodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
4 years agoThe Tuff Stuff I planted a year or two ago is also doing poorly in the flowering department - not worth taking a picture of the few florets that have some colour! But my Tiny Tuff Stuff planted 5 or 6 years ago that has not done anything much since, is finally making a show! Mind you, it's so small that a show doesn't amount to much :-) Maybe the big Tuff Stuff needs a few years too to mature enough to flower decently....?
Pictures of Tiny Tuff Stuff from yesterday afternoon:
From just inside the front arbour, showing Tiny Tuff Stuff's companions:The poor little thing tends to get swallowed by its more vigorous neighbours!
Hopefully the full-sized Tuff Stuff will eventually perform as expected!
hl_60