Hydrangea Bloomstruck!
I have to say that I am quite impressed by the newest edition to the endless summer collection, hydrangea, bloomstruck. I got mine last season in 2 gallon containers.
The first thing I noticed is that I had suprisingly little dieback overwinter in zone 5. Its quite an attractive plant with nice dark green leaves and red stems. The plant has grown quite vigorously even though its only in its second year. The thing that stands out the most about it is that it produces loads of flowering stems and nice full blooms. You'll be amazed by just how many flowering stems this plant puts out. As you can see mine are starting to bloom now. The blooms can be made a nice pink color too in alkaline soil.
I highly recommend hydrangea bloomstruck and i would even recommend it to people who have tried the original endless summer but did not have success. This one is definitely easier than the original.
The only drawback I see is that like all mophead hydrangeas it can get wilty in the hot afternoon sun. Nevertheless, I would say it is still more heat resistant than other mophead hydrangeas.
Comments (52)
Steppskie (5a/b IN)
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Frost tonight and hydrangeas
Comments (3)I would plant it in its permanent position, but cover it with Agribon, Reemay, or a similar fabric held well above the plant on supports such as arched wires or capped bamboo sticks if there is a chance of frost while you will be gone. You don't have any location info, but here in New England H. macrophylla do best with morning sun and afternoon shade. Too little sun and they don't bloom well, so I wouldn't recommend the north size of the house unless you are in a really hot area and there is lots of indirect light. If you want to add location info to your profile so it posts by your name in GW posts and we don't have to ask, here's how: Go to Your Houzz in the upper right of every page, click Edit Profile, and on the left side click advanced settings. Well down the advanced settings page is a blank labeled Climate Zone for Garden Forums along with a link to find your zone. If you add info on your state or the nearest large city you will get even better information since zone only relates to average coldest winter temperatures. Then return to the top of the page and click Done Editing....See MoreBloomstruck
Comments (6)In warm locations like mine, it is very difficult to grow mophead hydrangeas in a western exposure, especially if they will get hit with afternoon sun in the summer months. You in Z5 are not as warm but, in the west side, it would be best to make sure that the leaves will get afternoon shade, little winds and plenty of moisture during the summer. Temps can also get hot in the summer when sunlight bounces off the house's walls and indirectly hit plants so inspect the location well. All that can be troublesome, especially for mopheads that typically like/need lots of water. However, things are relative. On the west side of my house, I grew a mac with golden foliage for several years. It was actually planted on the east side of a small pine tree that was growing close to the house so, the plant was both, on the west side of the house and on the east side of the small pine tree that provided it with afternoon shade. There was probably a 2-3' distance from the house to the pine tree. It worked fine for me. Eventually though, I moved it. I usually give hydrangeas more water than I give the other shrubs and, this location required that I water the plant by hand (no drip irrigation there). As you can suspect, after a few years, I grew tired of doing that just for one plant. So, I feel that west is always hard for camellias, azaleas and hydrangeas so I would not recommend it here but, you being in Zone 5, maybe... if you know that it will get afternoon shade, if direct and indirect summer sunlight is not intense in that location, if the spot does not get too hot or windy in the summer and if you can appropriately water the plant there. . If you decide to try, consider first growing it in a container so it can be easily moved. Keep it in the container for 1-2 years in the location you are considering... to see if that location 'works'. If not then just move the pot. If the plant likes the spot, consider winter protecting to get more reliable blooms....See MoreWhen planting a hydrangea, what nutrients do you add to the soil?
Comments (10)Nutrients are different from amendments. And I add neither :-) It has long been determined that amending individual planting holes is of no benefit to plants and in fact, can prove detrimental. Especially when dealing with a clay soil, as the enriched, amended soil in the planting hole absorbs moisture from rain and irrigation that is unable to drain freely because of the heavy, slower draining clay. The result is a bucket of overly saturated soil surrounding the plant roots and a very real risk of root rots. Working with your native soil is always best but if you do need to amend - and sometimes there are valid reasons to do so - amend over the largest possible area you can manage. Hydrangeas are not "heavy feeders" and do not require a lot of fertilization. I have never fertilized any of mine except those I grow in containers. But I do mulch all my plantng beds with compost each season and that adds to soil quality and provides some nutrient supplementation. You can add nutrients to fine tune flower color on macs but I prefer to wait to see how they adjust to my soil conditions first before coming on strong with aluminum sulphate or similar product....See MoreTrying to save new Bloomstruck hydrangea in this heat
Comments (5)If I was planting it so close to the summer months, I would water the soil -never the leaves- every time that the top 4" dried out: start watering the soil at the crown/base and then continue watering outwards in all directions. Then provide 2-4" of organic mulch, protect from drying summer winds and give it extra shade (like you already have). I do not know if Bloomstruck can really tolerate "extra" sun (not on year one) or if the garden center was trying to make a sale; however, you are very close to locations where some macrophyllas can tolerate unusual sun exposures. My MIL, for example, had Nikko Blue growing on the west side of her home. That would never happen in my home (Texas). The plant has a limited root system at this time so expect leaf/bloom/stem wilting during days when temperatures reach or exceed 85°F. But if the soil is moist enough, they should perk up on their own in the morning (if not, the soil was not moist enough so water them right away). In an extreme wilting event, you can either water immediately or you can extract the plant from the ground and dump it in a pail full of water until it stops throwing air bubbles. Then replant it. That should re-wet the rootball when it becomes hydrophobic and begins to repel water even when the soil is wet. The extra shade should help minimize the problem but it always sensitive to this in year one....See More
Kayla
8 years ago
guyground
8 years agoguyground
8 years agoruth_mi
8 years agoguyground
8 years agoKayla
8 years agoguyground
8 years agosally6340 (6a, So OH)
8 years agoOctober_Gardens
8 years agoKayla
8 years agoguyground
8 years agoSteppskie (5a/b IN)
8 years agoguyground
8 years agoSteppskie (5a/b IN)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoIt was started last year. The attached picture shows the 7 of them across the westside of my house. The 6 at the left were planted almost 5 feet apart and the 7th, the hydrangea at the right, was planted this spring (so it is a year behind).
They are each about 3-4 feet tall and wide. I cant wait for them to be 8 feet tall!!!
Here is the thread where I posted these pics, if you're interested: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3115169/limelight-help
guyground
8 years agoSteppskie (5a/b IN)
8 years agotranny
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
bella rosa
8 years agotranny
8 years agobella rosa
8 years ago
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
8 years agoprinceton701
7 years agobella rosa
7 years agotranny
7 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
7 years agohuckdog1
7 years agobella rosa
7 years agoUser
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoguyground
7 years agobella rosa
7 years agotranny
7 years agoguyground
7 years agoguyground
7 years ago
Carolina Girl (Zone 8b)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoI've bought two Bloomstuck Hydrangeas in 1 gallon containers ($12.99 at Lowes). One I put in a pot that gets Morning sun until about 2pm. It's only been there for about a month but it's still looking good. It the sun starts to wreak havoc on it I can move it to a shadier spot. Not sure where I will plant the other yet. This picture was taken this morning at about 10am.
This container comes up to my knee. Not sure what size it is.
guyground
7 years agoluis_pr
7 years ago
Gibson Zone 9 (Central Valley, CA)
7 years ago
princeton701
5 years agoluis_pr
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agosally6340 (6a, So OH)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoI’m also a Bloomstruck lover! Bought two last year, and they are already budding and blooming! I’ve had Red Sensation in the same flower bed for 3 years and only get one or two blooms. But Bloomstruck is amazing! By the way, we had one of the worst winters, and I did not protect it at all
jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
5 years agoQuestion: Thanks! I just planted 2 Bloomstruck about 3 weeks ago... These are blooming pink but I'm guessing they have not placed much roots into our native soil yet... So I probably should wait until next year to see what color the blooms are???
But my question is if I need to change my soil to create blue blooms whats the best products to use??? Thanks!
tikva5
5 years agoa1an
5 years ago
NHBabs z4b-5a NH