The innovative Endless Summer hydrangea collection fulfills the long-held desire for multi-blooming farmhouse and plate hydrangeas. The new varieties score points with care suitable for beginners, robust winter hardiness and long-lasting abundance of flowers from May to October. Explore all the important details here.
What sets the Endless Summer hydrangea collection apart?
The Endless Summer Hydrangea Collection offers multi-blooming farmhouse and plate hydrangeas from May to October, which are known for beginner-friendly care, robust winter hardiness and long abundance of flowers. Popular varieties include The Bride, Twist-n-Shout, Bloom Star and The Original.
Planting Endless Summer correctly
You plant the farmer's hydrangea Endless Summer following all the rules of gardening in these steps:
- Soak the potted root ball thoroughly with water
- The planting pit is twice larger than the root ball
- Fill with compost-based ericaceous soil to plant the potted hydrangea
Finally, water the planting site generously and spread a layer of mulch.
Care tips
As it grows and blooms, water the farmer's hydrangea daily, with soft water in the morning and evening in summer heat. The great hunger for nutrients is covered by regular administration of acidic, organic fertilizer every 2 weeks from March to September or a long-term hydrangea fertilizer in March and June. These aspects of care are also relevant:
- Cleaning up wilted flower heads
- Thinning out the bush in August
- Light pruning is done in early spring
- Cut off frozen buds to the next leaf base
Before the first frost, protect the flowering tree with a thick layer of leaves and brushwood. The frost-sensitive buds are given a hood made of felt or jute.read more
Which location is suitable?
Place the Endless Summer farmer's hydrangea where it will be pampered by the sun in the morning or evening. The ornamental tree does not want to be confronted with the blazing midday sun. Ideally, the pretty flowers in the chosen location will not be ruffled by the wind, although a location surrounded by air is desirable so that rainwater dries off quickly.read more
The correct planting distance
The farmer's hydrangea Endless Summer sets just as decorative accents as a solitary plant as well as in a group or as a hedge plant. A wisely chosen planting distance corresponds to half the growth width. Position the white summer beauty 'The Bride' at a distance of 50 centimeters, as its normal growth width is 100 centimeters.
What soil does the plant need?
As a shallow rooter, the farmer's hydrangea depends on nutrient-rich, humus-rich soil. Fresh, moist and well-drained soil contributes significantly to vitality. First and foremost, an acidic pH value should be between 5 and 6. With an uncomplicated test set (€4.00 at Amazon) from the garden center, you can check the value without any previous knowledge of chemistry being required.
What is the best time to plant?
The planting time for an Endless Summer farmer's hydrangea begins in mid-May. At this time the danger of ground frost has passed, so that no harm threatens the young flowering bush and the tender buds.
When is flowering time?
One of the outstanding attributes of Endless Summer is the never-ending flowering period from May to October. This means that the modern hydrangea line trumps every other farmer's hydrangea and plate hydrangea.
Cut Endless summer properly
The farmer's hydrangea Endless Summer rarely wants to get to know the scissors. Cut the ornamental shrub on the following occasions:
- Cut off wilted flowers or, better yet, break them out
- In August/September, thin out dead wood and a third of the old branches
- Carry out a light topiary in the spring before the start of the growing season
If buds are frozen in winter, cut them out to the next he althy leaf node. Since Endless Summer also blooms on this year's wood, you won't have to go without a flower.read more
Endless summer watering
Water a farmer's hydrangea daily in spring and summer, in the morning and in the evening if necessary. Use mostly soft water, without lime content. Nutrient-containing pond water, which is poured directly onto the roots via the spout of the watering can, is ideal.
Endless summer fertilizer properly
Like every country hydrangea, Endless Summer is not a hunger artist either. Cover the high nutrient requirements from March to September in this way:
- Fertilize organically every 2 weeks with acidic needle or leaf compost, horn shavings, guano and coffee grounds
- Otherwise, administer a special slow-release fertilizer for hydrangeas in March and June
- Rhododendron fertilizer in the NPK composition 7-3-6 serves as an alternative
Wintering
To ensure that the farmer's hydrangea gets through the winter well, take these precautions before the first frost:
- Cover the root area with straw, brushwood and leaves
- The shoots are covered with breathable fleece or a felt cap
It is not always possible to prevent frost damage. Simply cut off frozen buds in early spring until the next he althy eye.read more
Propagate Endless summer
In order to grow more specimens of a farmer's hydrangea, we recommend vegetative propagation with cuttings. Cut non-flowering shoots 10-15 centimeters long in June or July. After the lower half has been defoliated, plant each cutting in a pot with peat sand and place a plastic bag over it. In a partially shaded, protected location, keep the substrate constantly moist. A first shoot signals successful rooting, so the cap can be removed. Your pupil will be planted out next year from mid-May.read more
Endless summer in the pot
Its compact habit with a growth height of 100 to 150 centimeters qualifies the Endless Summer hydrangea for pot cultivation. In a sunny to partially shaded location on the balcony and terrace, the farmer's hydrangea thrives wonderfully in loose, compost-based ericaceous soil. Drainage over the water outlet prevents harmful waterlogging. This is how exemplary care is achieved:
- Water daily as soon as the substrate dries
- Administer liquid hydrangea fertilizer every 2-4 weeks from March to September
- Break out wilted flowers to encourage rebloom
In autumn, put the hydrangea in the frost-free, not too dark winter quarters with temperatures around 5 degrees Celsius. If long shoots protrude from the bush, they can be shortened before clearing away.
Endless summer doesn't bloom
If the Endless Summer farmer's hydrangea does not bloom, the buds have suffered frost damage in spring. To prevent this damage, keep an eye on the weather forecast and protect the shoots with garden fleece if there is a late ground frost. Due to a lack of nutrients or drought stress, the farmer's hydrangea also refuses to bloom.
How to change the flower color?
It's up to you whether your farmer's hydrangea shines in blue or pink colors. The secret lies in the acidity of the soil. If the pH value tends towards alkaline, pink prevails as the color. If the soil value falls into the acidic range, the blue color pigments gain the upper hand if aluminum ions are added. How to influence the process:
- Pink flowers are produced by adding lime, up to a pH value of 6.0 to 6.2 (not higher!)
- Create blue flower color using alum, up to a pH of 4.5 to 5.5 (not lower than 4.0)
If the pH value is between blue and pink, you can look forward to the phenomenon of a two-colored hydrangea.
What is the difference between farmer's hydrangea and plate hydrangea?
The first hydrangea in the new Endless Summer collection presented itself with the mighty flower balls of a farmer's hydrangea. Other varieties within this line, such as Twist-n-Shout, develop the typical flowers of a hydrangea. This is hardly surprising, since both hydrangeas are botanically classified as the garden hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla. The difference is therefore only limited to visual characteristics, such as the shape of the flowers.
In contrast, it is sometimes held that the plate hydrangea stands out so clearly from the farmer's hydrangea that it represents an independent species with the botanical name Hydrangea serrata.
The most beautiful varieties
- The Bride: baroque flowers in bright white from May to October
- Twist-n-Shout: impresses with the pink flowers of a hydrangea, which turn blue when the pH value is acidic
- Bloom Star: a modern floral fairy tale with pink or blue-violet flowers over red-veined foliage
- The Original: the mother of an innovative hydrangea line with pink or blue flower balls
