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Is it time to prune my Endless Summer? (pic)

15 years ago

After the poor performance last year (due to that awful late frost), my Endless Summer bushes are bursting with flowers this season! However, the flower heads and the leaves look a bit smaller than before. Overall, I guess they have done well, considering they were just planted 3 years ago! Anyway, I never really pruned my ES before. Given that the flower heads are getting a bit too small for my liking now, should I just go ahead and severely prune them when the flowers are done, just like what luis' friend did? What do you say?

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Comments (6)

itsmemick
15 years ago
Wow, they look great. Thanks for sharing the picture. Could you tell me if they get morning or afternoon sun or both?
Micki
ostrich
Original Author
15 years ago
Micki, thanks! This area gets morning sun and also an hour or two of direct noon sun. Then it is shaded from the afternoon sun completely. Even here in zone 5b, the leaves do still wilt a little bit with that direct noon sun. Then they will be fine again by the evening.

Anyway, Micki, don't you think that these bushes should have larger leaves and mopheads too?
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ES is a macrophylla, same as Penny Mac and blooms on old wood. Any pruning past mod-late summer and you may remove next years flower buds. ES was a slow starter for me. I planted 2 in early fall, one from 3gal., one from 1 gal. The following year, the larger one had 3 blooms, none on the 1 gal. 2nd year, about a dozen on the large one, still none on the small. Third year was charm! The large one produced 75-80 flowers and a few on the small one. Each year since, the larger plant has produced in excess of 100 flowers and the smaller one is trying to catch up. They usually begin blooming by Easter each year, but not so this year. I still don't have a flower bud on either. This past winter was very hard on macrophyllas and serratas. For the first time ever, I am having to remove dead canes on the majority of them, some have required the removal of all of the old canes. I don't expect to see many flowers on any of them this year. So goes the luck of a gardener! Rb
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Ah, there are the pics. Figured it out. You can see the dramatic difference in size a little better now. True to first year it sleeps, second year it creeps, third year it leaps. Thanks for the compliments. I agree they look healthy and happy, but in years past they were watered every morning. I think I've watered them maybe 5 times this summer because workmen trampled on and broke my watering system. They're made of stern stuff! I don't think I put the usual 10-10-10 on them in the spring either. I pruned them before I took the pictures. They're shooting up new buds that are now above my head. I never expected them to grow to such a height. I may prune much more aggressively in the future. I think my soil is naturally acidic so I didn't do anything to get the blue color. And naturally, I wish I had some pink hydrangeas. ha. # #
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I don't know about your zone and am far from a master gardener.... but here in my micro climate zone 8 next to the house, mine freeze in the winter and return beautifully in the spring. They are still blooming now. Therefore, I think it would be just fine for you to prune hard, repot and get ready for the show next spring. T
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You could wait until the end of May if located in cold zones; if they do not leaf out by the end of May then they will not. I have had some of these dried out looking sticks leaf out late and sometimes bloom. The ones that are difficult to decide are the ones who leaf out partly at the bottom and then either do not leaf out on the top or leaf out the top late in the season. Hydrangea flower buds are located near the end of the stems so wait or guess carefully.
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ego45
15 years ago
Nope, don't prune them, just fill all vases in your house every week for the next 4-5 weeks (or untill you have no more blooms, whichever happens first) starting from tomorrow and you'll have essentialy the same result as if you would of prune them all at once.
Tip 1: cut the lower flowerheads first and top ones the last.
Tip 2: cut above 4th to 6th pair of strong buds would be a general suggestion, but since you are looking to increase the size of individual blooms, look for UNEQUAL pair of buds (one strong and one weak).

The whole pruning idea might not work at all since Mother Nature might (and probably will) prune it for you in her own fashion during upcoming winter :-)

What is that tall plant between astilbes and tradescantias?
Agastache?
ostrich
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, George! I think I might do just that! My friends will be getting lots of hydrangeas in their vases :-)

That tall plant is a toad lily! That darn thing is now starting to take over the space there, bullying its neighboring tradescantia too! Sigh... I probably will need to divide it next spring. Poor tradescantia is not looking too good this year - the huge fluctuation in the temperatures and rainfall has made the foliage a bit tired looking already. I may be chopping it all off soon, and then they will come back later.

BTW, George, you will kill me but I just planted tons of perennials around the kidney-shaped bed.... I love how it looks now! Hey, the combination of huge perennial sale at Lowe's, mighty fine weather and long weekend just means that I had no choice but to plant!!! LOL! Will post a pic when it's all done and they start to bloom too :-)
ditas
15 years ago
Good AM Ostrich - WOW!!! I'm not as picky about the size of blooms as much as the ability to hold her head up proudly! I'd take both of course - I've had to stake up & corral ES#1 - the multi-pastel- she's only 2.5' tall. How small is small blooms?

F&E also just 2.5 tall (more compact) has less blossoms about 10 (perhaps small clusters are forming) & really huge, I think (8x10") but able to hold her head up (goes into wilts but never arches. BB has large/plentiful blossoms & has sturdier limbs like F&E.

Would pruning ala George's method thicken the ES's limbs or will age,
eventually do it w/ cotton seed mill's help?

BTW - my tradescantia is quite an 'invader' here, I'm surprised anything can crowd him - I've had to move, corral & thin - got himself tight as an eggroll now in his corral!!!

Can't wait to see what you did, lately in your Kidney Isle. That's usually what I do while waiting for bushes to fill-out & grow ... Columbine is a favorite for temps - 'love their foliage & Lavender for wafts of fragrance; annuals too - Verbenas, Lantanas (of course Impatience in shades) to invite Hummers! Â:)
pearlgirl
15 years ago
My goodness, Ostrich! Those plants are so pretty until I
would just enjoy their beauty for now. So many blooms. It's
encouraging me to plant more on eastern exposure.

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