Hello, ncgardner. Hydrangeas can tolerate full sun if you live in the northern states. As you begin to move into warmer climates, some varieties will tolerate full sun and others will balk. When you reach the southern states like Texas and Florida, it becomes a no-no for all varieties. The recommendation from the Endless Summer Website (see the link below) is for Part Shade. Newly planted and/or transplanted hydrangeas need more moisture during their first year because their root systems have not been established in their new surroundings. I suppose something similar could be said of hydrangeas planted in windy locations. I can only assume that your plant label came from a nursery in the northern states where full sun is ok for them. Of the various types of hydrangeas, Pee Gees (H. paniculata Pee Gee) and Oakleafs tolerate full sun best (assuming you keep the soil moist). A word of caution. Please be careful with all this daily watering. You may be adding to much water into the soil and hydrangeas like moist soil, not wet soil. You can confirm that water is needed if the soil feels dry when you insert your finger into the ground to a depth of 2-3 inches. Too much water can create root rot or make it easier to get fungal diseases. I suggest you make the following test to tell if the plants are getting too much sun.... Water the plant in the morning and do not water again until the next morning (or unless you notice extreme wilting). Next, see how the plant is doing (a) late in the afternoon, (b) about 2 hours after the sun has gone down and (c) in the next morning. If it appears to be wilting in the afternoon but recovers by morning, it is ok but you will need to monitor the soil humidity. If the plant is still wilting in the morning, then it is getting too much sun. If at any time during that test you notice extreme wilting, discontinue the test and add water (if needed) because it is getting too much sun. Just checking.... I assume you have plenty of mulch? I have 3 inches of mulch extending 6-12 inches past the dripline on my Macrophyllas and my Oakleaf. In case you decide to move the plants, choose an area that gets less than 6 hours of sun (the definiton of "full sun" is 6 hours of sun or more). I shoot for 3-4 hrs of sun here in Texas (dappled sun is best). The more sun you get (within reason), the more/better bloomage you get but, no hydrangea will thrive in full shade. Also, do not plant them directly under trees because the tree roots may be attracted to the moist area and may steal some of the water. For more information on hydrangeas, go to this link: http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/index.html I hope that helps. Good luck, Luis Here is a link that might be useful: Endless Summer Care

I get repeat blooms, and lots of them, if I deadhead the old ones. I have six plants in 10-3 sun and there are tons of blooms on them. They will get to looking a little droopy around 2pm, but as soon as the shade hits, they start perking right back up. You can see them here: http://agrowingcuriousity.blogspot.com/

Endless Summer is not my favorite hydrangea, but that doesn't answer your question. :-) If someone here can't tell you, I'm sure you can get answers on the Hydrangea Forum. But my first thought was to consider a paniculata (Limelight or Pinky Winky, for instance) instead of a mophead. Paniculatas aren't water hogs like the macrophyllas. When we had a long stretch of super-hot, dry weather this summer, the mopheads got droopy in a hurry (in half sun), but the paniculatas (one of them in full sun) never showed a sign of wilting. Pricey? Is she selling you an especially large shrub? I paid $7 for each of my Limelights last year. They were small, but they're getting big in a hurry. I think my Endless Summer cost $15. It blooms very poorly for me, but it dies to the ground every winter. It may do better for you. Sadie Ray is said to be a very hardy mophead, and I love mine. But boy, did it wilt in the hot sun....... What about Annabelle? Not strictly a mophead, but close enough, maybe? She's on my shopping list, but I don't know anything about sun tolerance.

That's what I want is to tell it how you think it is. Yes, removing so many leaves wasn't attractive for about 2 weeks but I thought it would look better than leaves with crisp burnt edges. I'm pretty sure that was from transplant shock. I won't do that again because it won't be needed. Daily waterings? I know ES. and other hydrangeas are prone to several disease such as antracnose. Wouldn't watering daily increase the disease pressure especially due to the high humidity we experience here in the summer? I like to water twice a week as long as it looks healthy and I water deeply for about 20 minutes. If I need to water more do I water only shallow for about 5 minutes a day then? Maybe I'll just let a few flowers open to see the color so I can work on the soil to have the right color I want next season. I'll then prevent it from blooming as mentioned for the rest of the season. Thanks for your input and I will use most of your recomendations with some modification due to daily monitoring on it's health. Also is it a problem to cut them back to 6 inches to encourage a more bushy plant. If so when is the best time to do that with ES.?