Hydrangea macrophylla Endless Summer® Summer Crush®
Overview
Uses: Mixed borders, foundation plantings, outdoor containers, and cut flower gardens.
Benefits: Big mophead blooms in raspberry red in alkaline soil or neon purple in acidic soil. A compact reblooming bigleaf hydrangea that flowers on old and new wood from early summer into fall, and fits small beds and patio pots.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4–9
Sun: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Life Cycle: Deciduous Shrub
Growth Habit: Mounding, Rounded — compact and dense.
Bloom Color: Raspberry Red or Neon Purple (varies with soil pH)
Foliage Color: Dark Green
Mature Height: 1.5–3 feet
Mature Width: 1.5–3 feet
Bloom Season: Early summer to fall
Growth Rate: Moderate
Summary
Full-size raspberry-red mopheads on a plant small enough for a patio pot.
Summer Crush® carries the big, round flower heads bigleaf hydrangeas are known for on a compact, dense mound that stays around one and a half to three feet tall and wide. That size opens up spots a standard hydrangea would quickly outgrow: the front of a mixed border, a gap in a foundation planting, or a large container by the door.
Like the rest of the Endless Summer® collection, it blooms on both old and new wood. The first flowers come from buds set the previous year, and new stems keep producing blooms into fall. If a hard winter kills the stems back, the plant still flowers that summer on fresh growth, which is why this group is dependable in colder regions where older bigleaf hydrangeas often skip a year.
Flower color follows the soil. In neutral to alkaline soil the blooms open a deep raspberry red; in acidic soil they shift to a vivid purple. Dark green leaves set off either color, and the heads hold up well in a vase.
Care
Endless Summer® Summer Crush® Bigleaf Hydrangea Care
Plant where it gets morning sun and some afternoon shade. In cooler regions it handles more sun; where summers run hot, afternoon shade keeps the leaves and flowers from wilting and scorching.
Bigleaf hydrangeas like moist, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. To keep the red tones, aim for neutral to slightly alkaline soil; garden lime raises pH. For purple tones, lower the pH with a soil acidifier. Color changes happen gradually, often over a season or more, so adjust the soil slowly and follow the product directions.
Water deeply two or three times a week through the first growing season, and during hot, dry stretches after that. Bigleaf hydrangeas wilt quickly when dry, and a two-to-three-inch layer of mulch helps keep the roots cool and evenly moist.
Feed once in spring with a slow release fertilizer. Plants in rich soil need little more than that.
Prune lightly. Remove spent flowers through summer to encourage new ones. In spring, once the buds begin to swell, cut out dead tips and any stems that did not leaf out. Avoid cutting the whole plant back in fall or early spring, since that removes the buds that produce the first flush of blooms.
Growing in Containers
Its compact size makes it one of the better bigleaf hydrangeas for containers. Choose a pot with drainage holes and a quality potting mix, and plan to water often in summer; containers dry out far faster than garden beds, and hydrangeas show it quickly. Feed lightly in spring, since frequent watering washes nutrients out of the mix. Roots in containers experience greater cold exposure than roots in the ground. Plants hardy in the ground may require winter protection when grown in containers in colder zones.
Size
What Size is the Endless Summer® Summer Crush® Bigleaf Hydrangea for Sale Online?
Our Endless Summer® Summer Crush® Bigleaf Hydrangea ships in a greenhouse-grade grow pot and is appropriately sized for its container at the time of shipment. Plants ship dormant or near dormant in the off-season, so they may arrive as bare stems with few or no leaves. If you have specific sizing or planting questions, please contact us.
How Large Does Endless Summer® Summer Crush® Bigleaf Hydrangea Grow?
Expect about 1.5 to 3 feet tall and 1.5 to 3 feet wide at maturity, in a dense, rounded mound. Space plants about 2 to 3 feet apart for a low border or mass planting.
Additional Information
What are some common names for this plant?
- Bigleaf hydrangea
- Mophead hydrangea
- French hydrangea
- Hortensia
Why are my flowers a different color than expected?
Bigleaf hydrangea color depends on how much aluminum the roots can take up, and that depends on soil pH. In neutral to alkaline soil, Summer Crush® blooms raspberry red; in acidic soil, more aluminum is available and the flowers turn purple. Newly planted shrubs often bloom in the color they were grown in at the nursery and shift toward your garden's soil over the next season or two.
Why didn't it bloom much this year?
The most common causes are pruning at the wrong time, too much shade, or a very young plant still putting its energy into roots. Because it blooms on new wood as well as old, a late freeze or winter dieback usually delays flowers rather than stopping them. Give it at least a half day of sun and avoid hard spring pruning, and bloom usually picks up by the second summer.
How is it different from Endless Summer® The Original?
The Original grows about 3 to 5 feet tall and wide and blooms pink or blue. Summer Crush® is a smaller plant bred for red to purple tones, which makes it the easier choice for containers and the front of a bed. For more compact plants suited to pots and small spaces, browse our Patio Plants, or see all of our Shrubs & Bushes.
