Twenty geezerhood ago , northerly gardeners did n’t consider usingHydrangeamacrophylla , ordinarily known as bigleaf hydrangea , in their gardens . While many cultivars were crown hardy inUSDA Zone 4 , bigleaf hydrangea form flower buds in autumn , which normally froze over the winter , lead in plants with no flowers in early summertime .
That all changed in 2004 with the founding of theEndless Summer ® hydrangeaby Bailey Nurseries and the multiple cultivar of the Endless Summer brand . While the original Endless Summer has been an unreliable foul-up in northern garden , the more recent foundation have been hardier and more reliable blooming plants in our garden .
In 2019 , the fifth cultivar in the series — called Summer Crush ® —was introduced . develop by Bailey Innovations , the Georgia - based breeding company of Bailey Nurseries , Summer Crush was extensively test before being introduced , not only in northerly gardens but across the country .
In alkaline soils, Summer Crush blooms are a bright raspberry color.
Summer Crush is a shorter , more hardy and heavily branchedHydrangea macrophyllawith stocky , saturnine leafage that resist mould and wilting from summer passion . One of its parents isEndless Summer BloomStruck ® , which has been faithfully unfearing in geographical zone 4 . Gardeners in zone 3 can apply Summer Crush attractively in container , and if you overwinter it carefully , it just may come back for you .
The color of Summer Crush makes it unique in the serial . In Minnesota ’s by nature alkaline soils , the colour is a rich raspberry . In acid soils , it is a gorgeous majestic color , but you will find it sold in the garden centre in the raspberry color . If you desire to sample to accomplish the purplish bloom , you will need to acidulate your soil . For that , I recommend soil sulphur rather than Al sulphate so that you do n’t burn the roots .
Reaching a ripe height and spread of 18 to 36 in , this is a grand plant not only for container polish but for garden or foundation planting . It is well planted in evenly moist soils ( use some Grant Wood mulch around it ) where it receives sunshine in the morning through early good afternoon . If you’re able to give it some ministration from the blistering afternoon Sunday , that is best , but I ’ve seen Summer Crush perform well in full Sunday , with adequate wet . There are no major insects or diseases to worry about .
Like other varieties in the Endless Summer serial , Summer Crush isremontant , which think of it shape flower bud on both old woodwind instrument in fall and new wood in outflow . depend on how much nose candy we get and how cold the winter is , we can sometimes lose those fall - formed buds to cold , but be promise that it will create new heyday bud in early summertime . It will then bedevil out blossom throughout the time of year .
My Experience
Many reader ofNorthern Gardenerknow that I work for Bailey Nurseries and , full disclosure here , I am creditworthy for product ontogenesis . The testing and introduction of Summer Crush has been an authoritative part of my duties over the last six years . I have had a Summer Crush in my one thousand in South St. Paul for six winters and can say with confidence it has come through every unmarried winter ( even 2019 ! ) and has bloomed systematically for me each yr . I have tested it in container on my back deck of cards and it is just a bang-up plant in a pot . While I understand some of the disappointment in the original Endless Summer , I feel that our stock breeder have made huge strides in meliorate the species and creating varieties that work for northerners . When I address to garden clubs and master gardener radical , I always recommend that northerly gardeners use either BloomStruck or Summer Crush for consistent hardiness and bloom .
You ’ll find flower Summer Crush hydrangea in local garden centers in spring 2020 .
This article byDebbie Lonneeoriginally appeared in the May / June 2020 issue ofNorthern Gardener .
