yesterday I walked by a mac (guessing ES) in a parking lot..it had ONE pink bloom..I looked closer and saw a few small "broccoli" heads on the way..I was surprised..mine don't rebloom..this one is getting much better light than mine..Fri night it will be cold here..the flowers on the way might get zapped..if they don't get zapped there's not much time left for them to grow and for anyone to enjoy them..then all that's left will be the one bloom..just not worth growing macs in Indiana..

Hyed. I love that blue blossom.

Is it going to be be all pinks and whites from here on out

Don't poke the bear ;-

I just happened to drive by a gas station around the corner from my house the other day. Haven't gone that way in a while and I completely forgot they had Macro's in the front of the gas station. They've been there for years so they are definitely not newly planted from a nursery. They are in full sun all day, no sprinkler or drip irrigation. Only water it gets is from rain. Soil is heavily mulched though.

Now this is where it gets weird. They are covered in blooms (6a in Mass). I've never seen Macros with that many blooms in my immediate area and I've been paying close attention this season. Besides this gas station Macros, all other macros in my immediate area are bare or have 1-3 blooms. Also, the blooms are pink which is not natural for New England since our soils are acidic (guessing they added lime or that patch of soil is very alkaline). Just odd the level of blooms it has and the fact that the blooms are pink...... Wish I knew what variety it was since it's bloom performance is extremely impressive when compared to other macros in the immediate area.

Are you sure they are macs? Sounds more like a type of hydrangea with greater full sun and drought tolerance and one whose color is not influenced by soil chemistry, so either a type of paniculata or arborescens. Can you post a photo?

It's definitely not a paniculata. I've never gotten out of the car and taken a close look at them. From a distance they look like a Macro but could be an arborescens.

I'll drive by and take a close up photo for further investigation to determine the variety by the more experienced folks on here. For the time being I did check google maps street view. It's not the best photo but you definitely can make out it was covered in blooms (street view was taken during the fall).

I’m with gardengal, here is a picture from last yr in November just before frost...no pink... a variety of Hys

Billy, they still look like a paniculata....maybe a closer picture ... take a pic of One Bloom

from driving by they don't look like a Limelight, Vanilla Strawberry type paniculata. Maybe it's a paniculata variety i'm not familiar with. I'm no shrub expert by any means =). I will pull over, get out and take a close up photo for you guys.

a1an if weather holds , i’ll Have maybe 25 more blooms. Cut the hold plant to the ground in April... here is a picture of a ES in October

It's been awfully warm for the northeast - well until what looks like next week.

Well Jack Frost, visited the last couple of nights... the 25 or so buds I had just ready to bloom on a ES ...Gone Bye Bye...

so aggravating..

Hyed, your tall macs might be winter protected by the flatenning them to the ground with a cardboard method & putting mulch on top. I do not do that with my small ones but someone once posted about his winter protection techniques, this being one. All I remember was that his user name started with hay-something... Not useful for this early frost scenario that you went thru. More for protecting during the length of winter per se. Just for your info...

That would be hayseedman :-) Here's a link that leads to various posts re: his overwintering techniques.

I've tried growing Macs here in z6b for the past 10 years at least. Have tried at least 5 different varieties, all reputed to grow on new wood and bloom in z5 or warmer. I've planted them in a number of different locations. I've pruned as instructed. I still get very few blooms. I am getting ready to pull them all out and replace with paniculatas. I have one Oakleaf Hydrangea that never fails to put on a show every year in part shade. Maybe z7 is better, but I used to be in z6a and it's changed to z6b on the map and that is still not good enough.

We are in the same zone and same state. I've had very good luck with Nantucket Blue's I've had them now for 3 years and they have bloomed beautifully every year. I actually just recently posted about my success with them on here.

You mentioned you "pruned as instructed". There's really no reason to prune a mac in my opinion. Pruning a mac opens up the possibility of destroying next years bloom so it's best to avoid it at all possible costs. Just something to consider.

I'm in Indianapolis..15 years ago I bought into the Endless Summer hype..I bought 4 ES Originals..then I tried Twistnshout..Bloomstruck..a Let's Dance..they never bloomed as advertised..

NW. Been trying all of the below myself. Noting to write about on the ES. Bloomstruck, haven't quite made a decision on that. The LD I like.....in it's 3rd year, blooms are like 10inches+ easily. Don't see much foliage as it's blooms are covering it all. Each one has about 2 new visible stems this year that are about 8 inches higher than the bloom canopy, very stought/strong stems. Seems like a strong grower for me.

Well whaddayuh know. I've got blue blooms in abundance. First time in 17 years.

I voted no. This plant came with the house. I wouldn't buy one and put it in. Spring frosts that destroy the blooms are too frequent. This spring was warm, thus the blooms.

I'd definitely buy a panniculata, though. They bloom on new growth, so no problem with those frosts.

LF, I total agree, this was a very exceptional yr in the Boston area . Everyone has blue Hys... I will never buy another

@ Billy - When I say prune as instructed....I know not to cut off next year's blooms. For instance last year we had no snow cover and all the hydrangeas had winter kill and I had to cut off dead stems and it grew back from the base. That is the only time I prune them and I only take off dead stems. Some years, I never touch them, hasn't made any difference.

OK. Then there must be something very specific with your exact location that isn’t good for Macs? I don’t know..... Just trying to toss up ideas at this point.

a1an..I'm jealous of your success!..there's a fine line where zones of the same number differ just enough that macs bloom..Indy's too cold..

liquidfeet..those blue blooms are just beautiful..my arborescens aren't blue but I love them..some in back..some on the side..

nicholsworth, you have so many! Beautiful.

I was thinking about this thread this morning and different gardens, different experiences. I think the way to decide it, is dependent upon how much you really like mophead Hydrangeas. If you really love them, then it makes sense to try ONE and see how it does in your garden. If you like the paniculatas and the mopheads then you might find the paniculatas more reliable in the colder zones. It never hurts to try one of anything you like. I'd just understand where to plant them, how to care for them and then if you are doing all that correctly and you still are not satisfied with the bloom, then try a paniculata and see which one you prefer. Just don't invest in a whole bed of them without knowing how they will do in your garden.

Can we talk siting ? I have serratas forming a hedge next to the garage. it seems afternoon sun. In the spring, it does get burn but it does tend to acclimate as the sun get's more intense and will flower. It doesn't thrive/flower like the one I have in shade though.

Same goes for the macs. I've been trialing in full sun - 6AM- shading this time of year is starting around 5:30ish PM. Some of the blooms are starting to bleach/fade but it was marrrrelous a few weeks back when the heat wasn't here.

I know we often talk about the siting but doing the opposite, they still grow. Just not as great as in it's recommended siting

It all depends on how far north and which macrophylla cultivars you grow. There has been some real advances in mac breeding by crossing reblooming macs with H. serrata for improved hardiness. From what I've seen in Michigan these three are rock solid in zone 5: Bloomstruck, Let's Dance Can Can and Tuff Suff Ah-ha. In zone 3 & 4 go with H. arborescens and H. paniculata as they are super reliable.

Bloomstruck

Let's Dance Can Can

Second wave of flower - new buds coming on Can Can July 15th.

Tuff Stuff Ah Ha

I have a Bloomstruck in Indianapolis (6a)..and it's bloomless 🙁..I leave it since I don't need the space..it's an out of the way spot and not an eyesore..several neighbors have nonblooming macs..we've talked about it..

Actually, if you read the reports here and elsewhere, even the reblooming macs have flowering issues in any zones below 7 unless winter protected. I would not consider any of them to be reliable bloomers in colder zones.

gardengal..sad but true..fortunately other hydrangeas are beautiful here..

I'm in Chicago in zone 5...have had great success with bloomstruck and even LA dreamin..but this year, only a couple of my bloomstrucks (I have lots) and 1 LA Dreamin (I have lots) bloomed. I heard it was a weird year. I did purchase Tuff Stuff serratas to trial.

I also have one that is called "Free Bird" no longer available and that one I had for 5 years and every single year it had cazy blooms on it...except for this year. Not 1 bloom. Here's a photo of how it normally looks without any winter protection. Except for this year. :(

llnoe..Free Bird is beautiful..I don't understand why you have blooms and I don't 🤔..I'm in Indianapolis zone 6..you said you had it for five years..what happened to it?..

I'm guessing there was a late frost this year. It's the only thing I can think of. I think it depends on how they are sited too. The 2 bloomstrucks that did bloom this year are maybe in a bit of a microclimate...kind of a protected area near my house.

BTW, I'm in 5, some zone maps say it's zone 5b and I've found some that say my address falls into 6a. So we are in similar zones, I think.

One year I counted all my varieties and had about 19 different varieties that I purchased throughout the years. In the beginning of my gardening adventures, I was hoodwinked by all that marketing and beautiful blooms on greenhouse grown hydrangeas.

I do find that they are very finicky and besides the few I mentioned above, I'm ready to get rid of them all.

I've been collecting panicle hydrangeas over the last several years. Just so much more reliable.

I did come across this article on the forum last night: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/1997764/endless-summer-winter-covered-vs-uncovered#n=38

A little way down she shows pictures of how she protects her ES hydrangea in Canada. I will give that method a try this year on my ES. Seems easy enough. If it doesn't work (I've tried the chicken wire and leaves and it didn't work for me), I'm pulling them and most of the others out.

I had a Nikko Blue at my old house that wasn't blooming..I moved it to a protected spot..when the house was for sale June 05 I had 14 blooms (I counted!)..the new owners ripped out a lot of our landscaping..including Nikko Blue..the house looks horrible the last time I drove by years ago..at a garden center shopping for my new house I see ES Originals..I think aha these will be perfect..of course they're duds..one had a few blooms once..they're still here along with Bloomstruck and Twistnshout but I had zero blooms this year..I've tried winter protection..I had minimal success..not enough for the effort and ugliness all winter..I've overwintered in a pot in my shed..I did have some blooms..I've posted lots of pics here if you want to take a look..there's pics of my arborescens above..you must have a microclimate that I don't have..we have the same zone but I'm further south..you've had more success which is surprising..I will never buy another macrophylla..

I remember the post you linked..I've read the hydrangea forum often since I've had problems with macrophyllas..

I'll give it a try this year with the seran wrap. I have tons of Annabelles and Incrediballs. I love them too. I also purchased a couple of Invincibelle Spirits last year (want more pink blooms). Also have a Bella Anna (also a pink arborescens, but flops quite a bit). I also have 3 small Haas Halos that I'm excited about.

But looking at the pics posted in the link that I shared makes overwintering them seem worth it. LOL

I did the chicken wire and leaves on a whole bunch of them last year and nothing. It was a pain in the but. I tried wole leaves on some, shredded leaves on others. I think the seran wrap would give more protection. We'll see. This may be their last year in my garden. :)

llnoe..you have more energy than I do Lol..once I convinced my husband to build a "box" with an open bottom and top out of cedar boards..we sat it over a Twistnshout and dropped leaves on top..it looked nicer than the other things I tried..I had blooms but again not enough for all the trouble..I have a Bella Anna..not fabulous but it's better than ES..

The cedar boards weren't that great? I know a lady in Minneapolis that has a twist and shout (she's in 4a)...she usually only gets like 2 blooms, but they are huge and gorgeous. LOL

I'm definitely trying it on my Twist and Shout too.

I'll try to remember to report back next year on the saran wrap. Fingers crossed!!

Wow...all that work and not much to show for it. That sucks!

llnoe..yes..and it looks ugly for months 🙁

pics 1 & 2..macrophyllas when protected..edited pic 1..pics 3 and 4 arborescens..3 is a mix..4 is Bella Anna..mine could use more sun but I don't have any..

I have different varieties in my RI garden; since we are near the ocean they seem to like it. On occasion we have had a year when the blooms are very sparse. It’s due to a late, hard freeze that kills the emerging young blooms.

lynartist..so gorgeous!!!..and without winter protection right?..I'm jealous Lol..

I’m not there in the spring so yea, no protection! If I were there and a heavy frost was predicted I would throw blankets over them! That’s what we do down here in Fla! I just take my chances up there! The lace caps and late panicle varieties seem to fare better. As you can see; some years are better than others😂

Nicholsworth. My Bella Anna is actually huge and gets tons of blooms. It's quite beautiful. It's situated near my house, east facing. It's just that the blooms get so big that they flop. :)

Lynartist, absolutely stunning. I think I need to move near the ocean just so I can grow macs. LOL

This is the first year I didn’t get blooms on my Macs. Had snow/ cold in May, I think they got knocked back & just didn’t have time to bloom. Great year for the Paniculatas though!

lynartist..they look fabulous in every pic..great bloom colors and the leaves aren't scorched!..in some hydrangea pics I've seen the leaves aren't fresh..but not yours!

llnoe..my Bella Anna underperforms a bit..all of my plants could use more sun..but compared to ES Bella Anna is fun..it does at least bloom!..

Dingo..we had the same nasty frost..my Macs never bloom anyway but yours do..it's logical that record setting low temperatures affected yours..

I purchased a few Bloomstruck hydrangeas maybe 3-4 years ago. First year they bloom blue. Second year, no blooms. Third year, they bloomed pink and some of the plants are over 5 feet tall. They are planted on the Northside of my home with filtered sun coming through. I'll try to post pics when they bloom. Didn't do anything special to them.

As the root system grows and extends from the original pot’s potting mix into your garden soil, the bloom color adjusted to reflect either low/no aluminum in the garden soil or-and a higher soil pH. Bloomstruck must have been able to get the stems to grow tall enough and get enough sunlight to produce blooms. Enjoy! Hope the shrub has the multi-colored blooms that I often ser in its pictures.