Hydrangea macrophylla Endless Summer® The Original ‘Bailmer’
Overview
Uses: Foundation plantings, mixed borders, informal hedges, mass plantings, and cut flower gardens.
Benefits: The hydrangea that started the reblooming revolution. Large mophead blooms in pink or blue, depending on soil pH, on both old and new wood, so it keeps flowering from early summer into fall even after a cold winter.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4–9
Sun: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Life Cycle: Deciduous Shrub
Growth Habit: Rounded, Mounding — full, classic hydrangea form.
Bloom Color: Pink or Blue (varies with soil pH)
Foliage Color: Green
Mature Height: 3–5 feet
Mature Width: 3–5 feet
Bloom Season: Early summer to fall
Growth Rate: Moderate
Summary
The classic pink-or-blue mophead, without the years of waiting for flowers.
For generations, bigleaf hydrangeas in cold regions had a frustrating habit: a hard winter or a late frost killed the flower buds on last year's stems, and the plant leafed out with nothing to show. Endless Summer® The Original was the first bigleaf hydrangea selected to bloom on new wood as well as old, and it changed what gardeners in colder zones could expect.
The first flush opens in early summer from buds set the year before. New stems then keep producing fresh flower heads through summer and into fall, so the shrub is rarely without color. Even after a winter that kills the stems back, it flowers on the season's new growth.
The plant forms a full, rounded shrub about three to five feet tall and wide, with large, glossy green leaves. Flower color follows the soil: pink in neutral to alkaline ground, blue in acidic ground, and sometimes a mix of both in between. It suits a foundation bed, a loose flowering hedge, or a group of three anchoring a corner.
Care
Endless Summer® The Original 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 large leaves and flowers from wilting.
Bigleaf hydrangeas like moist, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. For blue flowers, keep the soil acidic and lower the pH with a soil acidifier if needed. For pink flowers, keep the soil neutral to slightly alkaline; garden lime raises pH. Color shifts take a season or more, so adjust the soil gradually 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. A two-to-three-inch layer of mulch keeps the roots cool and evenly moist.
Feed once in spring with a slow release fertilizer. Heavy feeding pushes leaves at the expense of flowers.
Prune lightly. Deadhead through summer to encourage new blooms. In spring, once buds begin to swell, cut out dead tips and any stems that did not leaf out. Avoid shearing the whole plant in fall or early spring, which removes the buds for the first flush.
Growing in Containers
It grows well in a large patio container. Use a pot with drainage holes and a quality potting mix, and check moisture daily in summer heat, since containers dry out much faster than garden beds. Feed lightly in spring, because 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® The Original Bigleaf Hydrangea for Sale Online?
Our Endless Summer® The Original 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® The Original Bigleaf Hydrangea Grow?
Expect about 3 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide at maturity, in a full, rounded shape. Space plants about 3 to 4 feet apart for an informal flowering hedge.
Additional Information
What are some common names for this plant?
- Bigleaf hydrangea
- Mophead hydrangea
- French hydrangea
- Hortensia
How do I get blue flowers instead of pink?
Blue blooms need acidic soil, where the roots can take up aluminum. If your soil is near neutral or alkaline, the flowers will lean pink. Lowering the pH with a soil acidifier and watering with rainwater rather than hard tap water both push the color toward blue. Many gardens produce a mix of lavender and purple tones in between, which is normal.
Why didn't it bloom much this year?
The usual causes are spring pruning that removed the old-wood buds, deep shade, or a young plant still building roots. Because it also blooms on new wood, a late freeze typically delays flowering rather than stopping it. Give it at least a half day of sun and limit spring pruning to dead wood, and blooming usually picks up by the second summer.
Are the flowers good for cutting and drying?
Yes. Cut fully open heads in the morning for fresh arrangements. For drying, wait until late summer, when the flowers begin to feel papery and take on muted vintage tones, then hang them upside down somewhere dry. For a smaller bigleaf hydrangea that fits containers, browse our Patio Plants, or see all of our Shrubs & Bushes.
