This blog discusses the growing of hydrangeas in full sun, including the best types, watering, mulching, and soil pH. It also discusses the sun-tolerant and shade-tolerant hydrangeas, such as Incrediball, Limelight, Quick Fire, and Gatsby Gal. The Candy Apple hydrangea, with its striking red flowers, is a popular choice for gardens or terracotta pots. Its bright color adds an exciting flair to any outdoor space.
Among the five most common hydrangeas, panicle hydrangeas are the best for full sun. Paniculata, which means ‘with branched-racemose or cymose inflorescences’, ‘tufted’, ‘paniculate’, or ‘with panicles’, is the most tolerant of full sun conditions. Panicle hydrangeas are hardy to zone 4 and tolerate a wide range of soils. They perform well in full sun to part shade and bloom best with sun.
The blog also explores specific varieties, such as Panicle, Smooth, and Mountain hydrangeas, which are highly tolerant of full sun conditions. The Blushing Bride® Endless Summer® Hydrangea, with its pure white flowers, is a perfect match for different gardening environments.
📹 6 Tips For Growing Hydrangeas in HOT Climates! 🔥☀️🔥
Welcome gardeners! Today I wanted to share some tips I’ve learned for growing hydrangeas in my warm climate! I live in Northern …
Which hydrangea has the longest bloom time?
Oakleaf hydrangeas are long-lasting shrubs that bloom in late spring or mid-summer in warmer or cooler climates, lasting until fall. They bloom white, then age to pink and red. The leaves add fall interest to the garden. These easy-to-care-for shrubs are perfect for mass planting along shady walls, with early blooms and extended flowering seasons. They are sun-loving and have giant football-shaped flowers that bloom in early summer and last into fall.
What is the most reliable blooming hydrangea?
Fire Light ® Panicle hydrangea (H. Fire Light®) is a hardy hydrangea with upright panicles filled with florets that transform from pure white to rich pomegranate-pink. Its thick, sturdy stems hold up the beautiful flowers, making them prominently displayed in the garden. Hydrangeas are the top genus searched online, with hardier, showier varieties developed every year. Their versatility in sun to shade and bold blooms make them must-have shrubs for every garden.
The top ten best-selling Proven Winners hydrangeas include Limelight Prime ® Panicle Hydrangea (H. paniculata), which has darker, healthier-looking foliage, stronger stems, and a compact, upright growth habit. It also blooms earlier, with bolder, brighter color, and develops pink and red tones as the green blooms age.
How do you keep endless summer hydrangeas blooming all summer?
Endless Summer® hydrangeas thrive in morning sun and afternoon dappled shade, but they may not bloom if planted in full sun due to excessive heat and intense sunlight. Over-watering and over-fertilizing can also inhibit bloom production. To ensure hydrangeas bloom endlessly, it is essential to maintain moist, but not wet soil, and apply one application of fertilizer in spring or early summer. Sun exposure, over-watering, and over-fertilizing can also affect the blooming process.
To ensure hydrangeas bloom, it is essential to follow these tips and avoid over-fertilizing and over-watering. Visit the blog on making your hydrangea bloom for more information on hydrangea care and planting.
Are there hydrangeas that bloom all summer?
Hydrangeas, once only blooming once a season, are now available in a variety of colors and can be pruned at any time. Reblooming hydrangeas bloom on both new and old growth, providing long-lasting blooms from June until the first frost. They also perform a magic trick by changing color depending on soil acidity. To create stunning blue hydrangeas, amend your soil with Espoma’s Organic Soil Acidifier. The Original Endless Summer Hydrangea, the first non-stop blooming hydrangea, is easy to care for and offers color-changing blooms all season.
How to get hydrangeas to bloom all summer?
To maximize the number of bright hydrangea flowers in your garden, ensure your plants receive the right amount of sunlight and soil, use a fertilizer designed to increase bloom quantity, and follow a pruning and deadheading routine. Experts like Venelin Dimitrov, Amy Enfield, and David Becker recommend the following tips:
- Provide the right amount of water: Properly water your hydrangeas several times per week to encourage deep root growth and keep the leaves and flowers dry. Apply water at the base of the plant to keep the leaves and flowers dry, and water in the morning to reduce wilting during the heat of the day.
What is the name of the endless summer hydrangea?
Hydrangea macrophylla, also known as big leaf hydrangea, is a deciduous shrub that grows in rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils in part shade. It can tolerate full sun only if grown in consistently moist soils. Soil pH affects the flower color of most cultivars except white, which can be made bluer or pinker by adding aluminum sulfate or lime to the soil. Soil treatments should be started well in advance of flowering, as in late autumn or early spring.
Plants generally need little pruning, but if needed, pruning should be done immediately after flowering by cutting back flowering stems to a pair of healthy buds. If weak or winter-damaged stems are damaged, pruning should be done in late winter/early spring. Mulching plants year-round with shredded bark, peat, or compost is recommended.
Hydrangea macrophylla is winter hardy to USDA Zone 6, but for added protection, plants grown in USDA Zone 5 should be sited in sheltered locations and given additional winter protection as needed. Burlap wraps or circles of chicken wire filled with leaves or straw can be effective landscape options.
Endless Summer, a newer H. macrophylla cultivar, blooms on both old and new growth and is winter hardy to USDA Zone 4, ensuring plants reliably flower each year regardless of winter temperature.
Can you plant endless summer hydrangea in full sun?
Endless Summer hydrangea macrophylla planting requires careful consideration of your yard’s existing plants, spacing availability, areas needing color, and sun exposure. In northern climates, the more sun your hydrangeas can handle, the better. Planting in a location with full morning sun and dappled shade is recommended, while further south, the less tolerant they are to intense sun. Allow 2-3 hours of morning sun with afternoon dappled or part shade.
Soil preparation is crucial for plant health and bloom production. To determine the type of soil, ask your local nursery for a soil test kit or use the “Jar Test” method. Dig down 4″, remove ¼ cup of soil, place it in a clear jar with water and dishwashing detergent, shake for one minute, and let it settle for 24 hours. The bottom layer is sand, followed by silt and clay. Sand is sandy if the jar is over half sand, silt if very little clay and over half silt, clay if ¼ clay and a good amount of silt, and loam if 2/5 sand, 2/5 silt, and a narrow layer of clay.
Can Endless Summer hydrangeas be planted in full sun?
Endless Summer hydrangea macrophylla planting requires careful consideration of your yard’s existing plants, spacing availability, areas needing color, and sun exposure. In northern climates, the more sun your hydrangeas can handle, the better. Planting in a location with full morning sun and dappled shade is recommended, while further south, the less tolerant they are to intense sun. Allow 2-3 hours of morning sun with afternoon dappled or part shade.
Soil preparation is crucial for plant health and bloom production. To determine the type of soil, ask your local nursery for a soil test kit or use the “Jar Test” method. Dig down 4″, remove ¼ cup of soil, place it in a clear jar with water and dishwashing detergent, shake for one minute, and let it settle for 24 hours. The bottom layer is sand, followed by silt and clay. Sand is sandy if the jar is over half sand, silt if very little clay and over half silt, clay if ¼ clay and a good amount of silt, and loam if 2/5 sand, 2/5 silt, and a narrow layer of clay.
What is the most heat tolerant hydrangea?
The Smooth hydrangea, native to the eastern United States, is a heat-tolerant plant with dense growth and attractive grayish green leaves. It can reach heights and widths of about 10 feet and is accustomed to warmer climates. The Bigleaf hydrangea, with its shiny, toothed leaves and symmetrical shape, is another heat-tolerant plant with a mature height of 4 to 8 feet. It is divided into two flower types – lacecap and mophead – and is among the most heat-tolerant hydrangeas.
The Panicle hydrangea, another heat-tolerant plant, needs five to six hours of sunlight and can grow up to 20 feet. It is hardy and heat-tolerant, reaching heights of about 6 feet and turning reddish bronze in autumn. Oakleaf hydrangeas are drought-tolerant but still need moisture during hot, dry weather. To learn more about these hydrangea plants, sign up for the Gardening Know How newsletter and receive a free download of the DIY eBook “Bring Your Garden Indoors: 13 DIY Projects For Fall And Winter”.
What hydrangea does best in full sun?
Hydrangea plants, such as panicle Hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata), can thrive in full sun, especially in warmer zones. The new reblooming dwarf series Let’s Dance® and dwarf big leaf series Cityline® grow best in full or part sun. Smooth hydrangea varieties Incrediball® and Invincibelle® Ruby are also recommended for full or part sun. To prevent leaf scorch, provide extra water during stressful times, irrigate in the morning and evening when temperatures are at their highest, and water at the base of the plant.
Oakleaf hydrangeas, such as Alice Oakleaf and Ruby Slippers Oakleaf, can tolerate full sun in the northern US but prefer at least some afternoon shade in warm and southern climates. These plants are the most adaptable to different sun and shade conditions, making them suitable for both full sun and shade.
Can hydrangeas take hot afternoon sun?
The panicle hydrangea is a hardiest and most preferred type of hydrangea, capable of absorbing full sun all day. It can also thrive in partial shade and is the most hardiest hydrangea. For those looking to grow in full sun, the Pinky Winky Hydrangea is a popular choice, with its two-tone flowers that return every year and thrive in urban gardens. For more information on hydrangeas, visit our total guide to growing hydrangeas.
📹 Top 5 Most Beautiful Blue Flowering Hydrangeas | NatureHills.com
5. The Big Daddy Hydrangea is an ornamental shrub with huge, blue flowers. This fantastic plant is utilized well in your landscape …
You made a very key point in gardening, don’t be afraid to fail! I make myself try at least one plant every year that I’m not sure how well it will do in my space. I feel like this is expanding my gardening chops immensely! Always try something new every year! This year I am trying beneficial nematodes and other good bugs and trying to better assess pest damage and doing a better job of IPM. Usually I either bury my head in the sand about it or reach for the neem oil.
Great tips!!! I finally found a website with my exact USDA Zone and sunset! Here in the wonderful Northern Cali, it can be very challenging to grow my favorite flowers- the hydrangeas! I have a couple that failed and a couple that survived through trial and error. I kept my big leaf hydrangeas in pots on the porch and my Annabelle, interestingly enough, is doing very well once I moved it out of the pot. The other one that I kept in a pot died. I am going to plant some limelight and oak leaf ones soon! Your tips are most appreciated! Thank you so much!
When fertilizing all my hydrangeas last week with Rosetone, and mopheads also getting iron tone and soil acidifier, I thought it was taking much longer than I anticipated. So, I stopped to count them….tallying 78, knowing I was also planting a few cuttings from Annabelles I trimmed and rooted a few weeks before, bringing the total to 85. They really thrive in my zone 5/6 northern Michigan garden.
Thanks Janey! One thing I learned that perhaps you already know, the florist hydrangeas will not grow in the ground (bloom) for me in zone 7b. I tried for 3+ years even transplanting, still no blooms. My garden center shared this tidbit of info. So, out it went and I’ve replaced with a domestic (not sure of the variety) and have fingers crossed🤞🏼
Thanks for the info. I’m in zone 9b and Sunset zone 9 and have hot dry scorching summers here. Like you, I have had success with Limelight Hydrangeas in the shade. And, on my garden center’s recommendation, just planted a Ruby Slippers Oak Leaf Hydrangea which have beautiful white blooms that turn to pink as they age and the dark green leaves that turn to a deep mahogany in the fall. So far, it’s doing great…I’m crossing my fingers it can handle the heat. After perusal this I think I’ll add an additional drip emitter to the Oak Leaf. Thanks for the help. 🤞🌸 M
Thank You Janey!!! You are such a great teacher. I live in 7b, W. TN, and our summers are very hot / humid. Then, some months later we get a massive drop in temp and a hard, killer freeze. We barely get a “winter” except for those few days or weeks. I stupidly pruned one of my hydrangeas after patiently waiting and waiting for just the right time. Brown sticks were poking out of it, and when I cut them off, to make the plant look nicer – I later found out that I should NOT have done that! Since then, I have bought two oakleaf hydrangeas. The hard freeze of Dec. 2022 nearly took them out, but then new growth appeared! They are fine now, but I think a deer has stripped off many leaves. Those naughty deer!
Great info Janey! I’m learning so much. Pruning in the fall is best for large mop head hydrangeas as they bud up so fast in spring. I cut back quite alot last fall and man….did I have a huge amount of flowers!!!! I thought I’d cut back too much but looks like it needed to be cut at least 3 to 4 buds back. I’ve got a mini limelight that I didn’t prune and it was covered this summer, beautiful 😊.
Janey, I LOVE ❤❤❤ YOU. I also feverishly love hydrangeas and have been trying so hard to grow them in Arizona USDA zone 9b/sunset 13. I tried limelight primes last year and they looked HORRIBLE in the dead of the summer but this spring (2nd season) they are doing okay. Your amazing article has given me some confidence to keep babying them until they are established. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Morning Janie! I’m really enjoying your website even though I’m in Tampa,Fl. Learned something new today “Sunset growing zones”! I’m a 9b also but I know there’s a big difference in heat/humidity tolerance. I do have some hydrangea and I keep them in a shaded area luckily they do pretty well. Thanks so much for all your efforts for the gardening community! 🌸
Thank you! This was very helpful and very timely. I have brand new Felcos waiting to do this today. I have Limelight, Little Lime, and Limelight Prime Hydrangeas. Here in southern Wisconsin, they do so well. Another favorite hydrangea of mine is the Double Delight Wedding Gown Hydrangea, which is a reblooming Hydrangea. I had one and added 3 last year because I love it so much. I cut a beautiful bloom in November, and it dried so beautifully and is a rosy green still looking great. Your soothing articles make me happy!
oh my goodness! I have been looking all over for info about growing in So Calif. and withing 5 minutes you gave me everything I needed to get started. I found the Sunset zone map and what a revelation! I’m in zone 22. I remember my grandmother growing large hydrangea shrubs back in the 1980’s and ’90’s so I know it can be done, but the USDA zones map puts me in 10b, which is considered too hot. Thank you so much! I’m so excited and can’t wait to plant my first panicle variety in my front yard which faces north. 🤞
My newly planted Annabelle is withered, brown and half dead because of our TN (zone 7) heat wave this summer (it actually began in late spring!). It bloomed a little bit before the heat wave and now what blooms are left, the deer are eating! I’m going to dig her up and put her in a large pot. I’m not keen on the panicle shaped blooms. I need a medium flowering shrub for my southern exposed garden. Thank you. Learned a lot. (Used to live in SF!)
I am in fl zone 9b. I have lots of sun. House facing scorching afternoon sun. So no hydrangeas in front yard. When i moved to this house i brought 13 hydrangeas with me. The only place i can grow them is in the back yard where i have an oak tree that shades quite well & they also get sun. The area is small so most are in pots for now. Thanks for the tips. You can experiment, but you don’t have to let the plant die. Dig it up before then please. Put it in a different location or put it in a pot and set in a better location.
I’m in 9b too (Sacramento) and new to hydrangeas. I found a panicle variety that i want to try on the south side of my yard. Your article mentions that you water at 4 gallons an hour with two emitters per plant (2 gallons per emitter). How long do you let your watering system run at that rate? Would about an hour on summer mornings be enough? And do you water in the cool season? Thanks! Subscribed & looking forward to learning more.
Love it, new to your website and saw your hydrangeas so jelaous… im in las vegas 9A but had no idea about sunset zones. I’m a 11 . I tried once they were babies I planted them in summer first day it was like 9am already in the 90’s they were goners lol. Def trying again in a little bit more shade ❤
Hi Janey🌺 . Your wedding pictures are so beautiful and you look wonderful in your wedding dress also the bouquet of hydrangeas flowers . I love it . Good informaiton about hydrangeas . I have the big leave drangeas and they do well .I hope to get other types of hydrangeas beacause in our nurseries there is only this type . Have awonderful day .🌺🦋🌺
I love the big leaf hydrangeas, I live in Stockton Ca. Am I okay? My hydrangeas, are in containers so far they are getting morning sun. Will this work for me, every year I buy and they die hopefully this year since I’ve moved I can learn more and more from you. You give vey good easy to follow advice. Thanks so much for sharing!! 🥰👵🏽🙏🏾 75 year old who loves to garden! 😊
Well this is a wealth of knowledge thank you so much hydrangeas one of my favorite flowers definitely yes I just added on my favorite in the running Amaryllis!! Anyway I do have an Annabelle mop head blue that I got from Mother’s Day years ago it’s in a 15 gallon half barrel and has doing fabulous in my very very hot zone 10 rezoned 10 I put it under my eve on my patio and have a market over it and I do it almost every single day everybody on my patio gets a rain shower missed from my sprinkle hose at least once or twice a day to give them somenice deep breaths. But after perusal your article I am going to definitely look for Pinnacle and Oakleaf thank you so much
I hope you guys have nice weather for the tour, I’m curious to see how many new subscribers you get. You have a ton new now, must say I’m really happy for you, but I’m sure you’ll be too busy to chat in the comments. 6 mins to dig holes, sounds like a dream, also nice that you included using the right setting for the auger. Also, I wasn’t kidding when I said people should see your garage set up, it looked great today.
Thanks for the info. I can relate as I live in Sydney Australia and the sun is very strong here especially in Summer, Just as you mentioned I’am struggling with my Panicle’Sundae Fraise’ hedge which gets the strong afternoon sun. They are well mulched and watered. It’s their first year in this spot if they don’t perform I’ll move them next season.
USDA zone 8b, I killed 1 Endless Summer macrophylla and two Little Lime panicles before I figured it out! 😄 I have two Endless Summer macrophylla that have been doing well the last 2-3 years and I’m giving Little Lime one last try this year. Mine are growing in pots as I have alkaline soil, they do not like. Unfortunately this year I was unable to bring them into the garage when we had a 13* overnight temp. Our December had been very mild before that so they still had leaves on them when that happened. They aren’t leafing out very fully this year and the blooms are close along the stems. I will wait it out this year and next to see how they recover.
I am brand new to Hydrangeas. I have been perusal lots of youtube articles about Hydrangeas. I am in Salt Lake city, Utah, Zone 7a. I have two areas in my front yard: 1. Morning sun from 6am to noon, and shade in the afternoon(after 1pm). 2. Full Sun. I would like to get recommendations of what kind of hydrangeas to plant in those two areas. Where to buy them. Thanks.
Janie your garden is looking beautiful for your garden tour! I’m an old retired PT, living in the Midwest, who also loves hydrangeas. But I love perusal your 9B articles! Your warm smile each morning is a delight! QUESTION: What is that lovely plant in today’s article just over your left shoulder? Its leaves and dark stems are so striking against your dark fence!!
Where can I find my zone and info on what my zone number means? On the sunset website all I can find is a map of the whole US which is too fuzzy to read. I live in San Antonio, TX, which is not in any of the smaller regions listed. Going by my guess of color on the large map, I may be in zone 11, 30, or 43. I cannot find anything that tells me what any of those zones mean (except 11, which sounds like it is in California).
I don’t agree that pannicle hydrangeas are the best type for warm climates. Virtually none of the pannicles change color from white to pink here because our nights here in Tallahassee, FL. (zone 8b) are way too warm. I recently ripped out several varieties of pannicles and replaced them with big leaf, oakleaf, snd mountain hydrangeas.
Thank you! Like you, I live in zone 9B and I have had no luck with growing hydrangeas. This spring I bought 2 more with kind of a “what the heck” attitude. This is the first comprehensive article I’ve ever seen on this subject and our particular climate. So I now am excited about bringing these 2 into adulthood and possibly adding others. Sincere thanks. I have hope!
It’s not true, most people I know including myself have had problems with the endless summer not blooming at all after the first two years! We do not cut the old stems as they are supposed to flower on old wood. We fertilize, etc but the endless summers have good showy leaves, that’s what we need to be content with, I had bought 15 of them, non of them have flowered the past 3 years!