Just a followup from last year... Let's Dance Rhapsody blue is floating around in 2-gallon pots sourced from Willoway Nurseries Inc. in Ohio. I dropped $20 to replace an ES that got hit exceptionally hard by the winter and has done nothing Looks like RB is going to end up "blurple". :) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Also, Lowe's is once again selling Red Ribbons/Monred, a.k.a Red 'n Pretty. It might be genetically similar or identical to Oregon Pride, but these all need to be treated like the Merritt's series as they originated from such. These have not been bud hardy much at all and I do not recommend them for zone 6. Additionally, Pink Ribbons is Monink a.k.a. Pink 'n Pretty and dates back to Charme/Compacta, which is also not very hardy. Furthermore, PnP shifts to solid blue very easily, which makes it useless as a pink or red specimen. I've YET to find or see a good remontant OR bud-hardy mac that blooms pink/red, reliably, in zone 6. This post was edited by Springwood_Gardens on Thu, May 15, 14 at 14:10

Just wondering, are you speaking from experience, or what the retailers/growers have put out there?

Harmony's definitely decent, namely for the pastel colored blooms in various shades, including a "minty" tone. Also it's winter hardiness is well above average. It produces lots of new stems each year and about 15-20 on mine survived late frosts to a height of 2' with no protection at all. Fair "warning" though, it grows the largest of the Everlasting series (easily gets to 4' in one season).

Hello, hydrangeahead. I guess no one has it or too few people have it. There is usually very little difference sun-wise between all the various big leaf varieties from a sun perspective. Meaning, if a location works for one mophead, it will usually work for another similar (height, etc) mophead. That being said, big leaf hydrangea typically fares best when the conditions you planted it are similar to the conditions where mopheads originated from. Usually. And that translates to dappled sun locations; or morning sun/afternoon-evening shade; or bright shade. In northern locations that are cold and the sun is not strong, big leaf hydrangea can be in close to full sun conditions. But in warmer northern locations and all the others, I would recommend afternoon shade for best results. But the problem sometimes is that, yes, the plant may not have sunlight issues but, it may have blooming issues with winter weather. Mopheads have a difficult time reliably producing blooms as your location gets colder... say, Zone 5 or colder. Even down here in Z8, I have had mild winters that are mild, suddenly get very cold, zap the flower buds and I get no blooms from old wood. In cold zones, this problem may require that you try remontant (re-blooming) mopheads instead of those that only produce flower buds on old wood. But Z4 is "pushing the envelope" A LOT. The ads for Love do not state that it is remontant so, until this is stated, assume it blooms on old wood only. It may be risky to grow it in cold zones like yours, where the old wood may get killed. The plant may come back from the crown but it will not bloom since it is not remontant. But for dara_gardener, it may do well in BC in afternoon shade. Hopefully, dara_gardener will chime in and say where she planted hers. Browning of the blooms is not necessarily too much sun per se; too much sun or actually hot weather exacerbates moisture issues and causes the plant to abort blooms when the big leaves loose moisture faster than the plant can absorb more water via the roots. Where the sun is strong (in the South of the US for example), too much sun results in sun scorch (the leaves in direct contact with the sun turn all yellow, including the leaf veins, and the other leaves remain dark green). For sunny places in Z4, your best choice is a hydrangea paniculata. But again, one has to be mindful of the location. Down here, as sun tolerant as paniculatas are, the leaves need protection from our harsh sun or they fry. FYI Only... If wondering... I have seen other similar double-bloom mopheads around. Check these; they are remontant: Forever & Ever Together; Forever & Ever Peace; Double Delights Perfection. I believe they are hardy to Zone 5. Forever and Ever Mopheads however, are usually advertised hardy to Zone 4. They will probably loose old wood flower buds but will then produce blooms later in the Summer. Caution: ES is also advertised as hardy to Zone 4 but blooms poorly sometimes based on the complaints in the forum. F&E does not have as many complaints.