Fertilizing them with a slow release 10-10-10 granular type fertilizer will make the new canes and growth come in stronger and thicker. I've noticed that my when I first planted my Endless Summer it bloomed and the canes just flopped over under the weight of the blooms. The new growth is coming in sturdier and can support the big blooms better without sagging to the ground. A little Osmocote goes a long way and you should just have to fertilize once a year. Just make sure you do it earlier in the spring/summer and not after the first of August.

Also as much as you hate to, with smaller plants you want to become bigger and better established, pick off any buds/blooms and the plant will focus on rooting and foliage instead of putting its energy into blooming. Just a thought. Oh and make sure you keep the soil moist.

Good luck with your LA Dreamin Hydrangea! I bought a small one on the internet and it arrived tiny and in a 4 inch pot. It has grown a lot since I planted it and fertilized it. They are gorgeous plants though! I probably won't let it bloom this year to give it a better start before winter.

Thank you! Do you think I should put the 10-10-10 fertilizer on the hydrangeas this summer, like in the next week or two? Or wait until next year? This is terrible but I can't recall if I fertilized the plants when I planted them this year. If I fertilized them at all, that's when it would have been.

Regarding the blooms, good idea. I do that with our fruit trees but hadn't thought of it for flowering plants. So, do I just pinch off the bud or bloom plus a small stem, above the leaf pair on the stem? And do you think I should also be pruning, a la the link advice? Or just stick to removing buds? Sounds like with all of this the staking would not be necessary.

Thanks again for this great advice!

Yeah I would. As long as you don't wait until the end of July to the first of August to do it. Fertilizing now will give your plant the food it needs to put on some growth before fall. You just don't want to fertilize right before fall because the plant will need to start going dormant and you don't want it growing when it needs to be going to sleep.

I just pinch of the cluster of flowers right above the next set of leaves. The new flower buds will come out from those leaf nodes. I don't pinch off much stem. But like roses you have to "deadhead" down to the next set of leaves because that stem will die back to the leaf nodes anyway. I don't prune in the summer. I only prune dead stems and leaves. Prune in the spring for hydrangeas that bloom on new wood, prune in the fall for hydrangeas that bloom on old wood. LA dreaming and a lot of newer cultivars like Endless Summer and Forever and Ever Hydrangeas bloom on both new and old wood. I try to prune as little as possible unless you are trying to shape the shrub. Hydrangeas put a lot of energy into flowering and will slow way down on growth once they bloom. To keep them growing, don't let small plants bloom the first year. It can take up to 3 years for a small plant to become fairly large and get its roots good and established. After that they will flourish. My little LA dreamin is just a tiny squirt but I am tending to it and giving it tons of TLC so it will grow big and healthy.

Yeah, as a general rule you'll get stronger new canes as the years go on. But the strength and thickness of the canes (and hardiness!) varies from plant to plant. It may very well be that LA Dreamin just has weak stems, but it has also not been in the hands of the general public long enough for a definitive conclusion.

I was lucky enough to find a plant 2' tall already. In heavy rain, it flops down to about a foot, and then manages to spring back up as it dries. That's all I have, so far. :)

I have a smaller Endless Summer that got a very poor start this year and basically had to start over all of its foliage growth in May. It is now lush and healthy because of Osmocote. It is still somewhat "squat" looking as it isn't really growing "up" but bushing "out" but I am confident it will put on a lot of growth before fall. Just be patient with your little beauty. Once it gets established it will be stunning.

Springwood, most of my hydrangeas "sag" when they get wet. lol. Once they dry back out they go back to normal but some of my hydrangeas sag from huge blooms so low the stems actually root themselves into the ground. lol. Free plants! Yay!

Kayla, great. You already inspired me to go home and pinch off two little buds, which I'm looking at right now in a tiny cup. Haha at least I can enjoy the flowers in some form. I think I've got the free plants thing going on too - several of the stems look like they're taking root in the ground, to the point that I was beginning to assume that was normal hydrangea growth. I'm so happy about it now though because once I fertilize maybe they really will be their own new plants with strong canes (<--did not know the stems were call that!). So, thanks for the positive spin!! And having your 3 year timeline is going to help me with patience in the meantime.

Springwood, gah you are indeed lucky to have found a two footer. Good point about more info becoming available once the plants are less new and more people have experience with LA Dreamin. Good luck with yours!

Thanks, and same to you!

That's awesome your LA Dreamin has already begun to propagate itself. Once the roots are good size you can dig up the new plant and cut it from the mother plant and you have a free hydrangea! You can do it in the fall or wait until spring. I have an Endless Summer that loves to propagate itself. I already have two baby plants from it. I am addicted to propagating by stem cuttings and layering right now so I have more baby hydrangeas than I will ever be able to plant. lol

Oh and I only called the "stems" canes because that's what they are called in reference to roses. I only hope that actually is accurate. Canes/stems same diff. lol

Wow, so pretty!! How old is she? :) I love those nice big leaves, not to mention the fluffy flowers!

One question on your propagating tips - how do I know when the roots are big enough to divide the new plant from the old one? Just by virtue of waiting until fall or next spring? You are a wealth of information, Ms. Kayla!

You can dig up a 1x1' circle of soil around the layered branch and see how much of a root ball there is. If more than a handful you can probably sever it. Otherwise, it's easier propagate from cuttings. You can also divide the crown but it may require a saw or hatchet.

Ahh, gotcha. Thank you!

I just dug up a rooted stem/cane today and the root ball was about the size of my fist. I potted it up and plan to give it to my mother in law. You can bend the canes over and select a set of leaf nodes that touch the ground, gently pull off or pinch off the leaves, dig a trench in the soil and place the cane into the trench then cover with soil and place a rock or brick on top to keep it down. Just make sure at least another set of leaves is above the buried cane for new growth of the baby plant to come from. *One set of nodes in the soil, one set above the soil* When it is rooted, cut the new baby from the mother plant just below the rooted area. You don't even need rooting hormone. It should be rooted well within a month or two. I love hydrangeas!

Oh and my Endless Summer was planted as a 3 gallon plant in May. It was a mother's day gift from my husband. It is doing really well in the location it is in. Zero wilting. It gets morning sun until around 11am and then dappled evening sun after 4 or 5. I am beyond pleased with the Endless Summer line. I have about 5 babies from my mother in law's Blushing Bride. They rooted in the spring and are already at least quart sized plants. I didn't think all the cuttings would take, but I didn't lose one cutting. They root really well and seem to put on growth pretty fast. I can't wait to plant them in the spring. =]

This is really helpful! Thank you! I must say I'm jealous of your Endless Summer's growth, but hopefully mine will get there. If I can find a spot, I'll go for that line next year :)

Thank you! I have fallen in love with the Endless Summer line. Mostly because that is the main macrophylla my local nursery carries. lol. Anything else I want I have to order online or buy from Lowe's. Your LA Dreamin will be big and glorious soon enough. Mine is a tiny squirt but I am patient. lol

Just bought 3 LA DREAMIN for $17.00 each and got 1 planted

I'll throw in my experience here: We bought our house in Nov '14. The previous owner had recently planted these hydrangeas in a terraced part of the back yard, but she didn't specify what type. That winter was a cold one for Atlanta standards and they died back to the ground due to a couple single digit lows. The following summer the foliage grew back and new stalks appeared, but no flowers. By that November it was still warm and they began to put out some buds, but then winter came. Now, this spring there are a TON of buds that are just now opening. To my surprise, they are the L.A. dreaming variety I've seen in the garden centers. They are very large plants now--about 5 feet in diameter. They're a little leggy and flop when they're wet, but otherwise stand up well.

@gdpossehl, Woah, 5 feet! Mine are still coming along, maybe 2 feet across and 1 foot high, if that. The one that gets the most afternoon sun is the leggiest but biggest, while the one that gets more morning sun and shade is the fullest and flowery-est (if that's a word). But sounds like yours are about a year older, so I can't wait til next year! We are about to begin home renovations so I'll have to move them... hoping I can find a good spot to keep them growing along.

@tranny, that's beautiful! So big! My buds are so tiny in comparison. Love yours!

my next generation poppet by Ball nurseries same as LA dreamin

Let's try this again , came across this beautiful hy LA Dreamin, at $34 how could I pass...but I'm the one who said I had it with Macs I'll stick with the whites

Nice looking Mathilda Gutges. :P

Who said Next Gen Poppet was the same as LA Dreamin? Just curious.

Both developed from Ball Nursery

Plant patent for 'Lindsey Ann' = LA Dreamin'

From a Ball Hort publication:

“My son and I noticed an interesting Hydrangea in a neighbor’s yard and watched it over a few years. We were attracted to its stunning blue color and the fact that it also displayed pink, purple and mauve colors in between. The blooms lasted well into the Fall and the plant survived our harsh Michigan Winters. We asked the neighbor if we could take cuttings off the plant. The following year, we took our first cuttings of what would become L.A. Dreamin’. John McDonough, our BOS rep, was attracted to our Hydrangea and started asking us about it. Now we are partnering with Ball to spread this wonderful Hydrangea further. The L.A. Dreamin’ name comes from Macrophylla Lindsey Ann, a tribute to my late daughter and the life that we were blessed with for 11 years.” – John Bakale, Michigan Evergreen Nursery, West Olive, MI

L.A. Dreamin’ PPAF

Height: 5 ft. (1.5 m)

Spread: 6 ft. (1.8 m)

Zones: 5 to 10

The first Mophead that shows pink, blue and bicolor blooms without special treatment A real standout in the crowded Hydrangea market

PPAF for Next Generation 'SAXREBII' = Poppet

Info from the same Ball PDF on Next Gen Poppet:

Poppet ‘SAXREBII’ PPAF

Height: 3 ft. (0.9 m)

Spread: 3 ft. (0.9 m)

Zones: 5 to 9

Smaller flowers, but lots of them! Cream-colored eye sets off deep pink petals. For a change…acidic soil produces dark blue to purple blooms. Compact habit for low-growing shrub.

So, though both marketed by Ball Horticultural, not the same.