Hydrangea

Have any of you in the Houston area had luck with hydrangeas planted in the ground? I'm considering an Endless Summer. I have two of the Nikko Blue, but they're in pots. I've never been able to get these to thrive here. I'm guessing it's the high summer temps. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who's had good success and which variety you've got. I have a consistenly moist, partly shaded location for it.

I haven't had luck either. however, I bought a 1 gal. plant on sale last year, and planted it inground, in a moist area. It seems to be growing but I dunno. Just cautiously optimistic. However, I have driven by houston properties that had monster hydrangeas. I must not have the touch.

Thanks, Vosner. I think I'm gonna try another one in the ground. I'll let you know how it does. Would stil like to hear from anyone that's having success and with which cultivar.

My first attemps were w/ Annabelle, I was duped by some incredible catalog pics. My last plant was a local buy, a pink noid. Have been tempted to buy Endless Summer, but since I have lost 4-5 shrubs already, not too crazy about spending any more on them.

I bought two last year. Put one in shade the other in part sun because there was no label or information and I hadn't come across dave's garden yet. They both died down and my being ver ignorant, I just pruned them all the way down thinking they died. I figured I had nothing to loose. Low and behold, despite the freezes we had, they came back! I don't know the variety but I think they might be endless summer.

Here's a pic of the one in partial shade

This is the one in mostly shade. No blooms but still not bad!

Shortstuff, all hydrangeas except Endless Summer, bloom on last years growth. If you pruned them down, you won't have blooms on them. Maybe one is Endless Summer and the other is a different variety since it doesn't have blooms?
They look pretty healthy. If they were planted before the summer heat, how did they handle the high temps?
My grandmother had one of these that was about 8 to 10 feet tall and the same in width. It was on the north side of the house and got full blazing sun. It bloomed in a big way. She never fed it, sprayed it, or watered it. She was a little north of us, in Sabine County, but geez, it's not that big a difference in climate in less than 200 miles.

I was thinking I got one endless summer and something else...maybe nikko blue becuase I lean towards anything purple or blue.

From what I can remember last year, the one in partial shade did better than the one in the shade in the summer. I didn't water them that much either since my water spout was broken, which is why I thought they had died. I would go ahead and try it if I were you. I think partial shade is probably ideal in our climate, but your grandmother apparently didn't have any problems in full sun! Because of our high temperatures, I would suggest partial shade.

Crow I live north of you up close to Madisonville and I planted an Endless Summer last year. It did real well and bloomed real nicely until we got into steaming hot summer. It looked pretty sad before fall set in but didn't die. It has come back strong this spring and is blooming now. I need to fertilize it. My blooms here are a pretty pink.
I think you should try the Endless Summer. I bet you would have good luck with it.

Thanks, DanceyTx. I'm going to try one, keep my fingers crossed and see what happens.

Can't hurt. The blooms are so pretty!

I am west of you in zone 8b. The new zone map bumps this area down to zone 9. I have 5 big-leaf hydrangeas, 2 Annabellas and had one oakleaf hydrangea. The oakleaf is supposed to grow in full sunlight and according to tamu it can handle sun in Texas as long as it gets plenty of water. Mine got late afternoon sun — too hot! It barely made it through its first summer and was dead by the second. I think I should have erred on the safe side and given it morning sun and filtered light for the rest of the day.

The 2 Annabellas are planted about 20 feet from each other on opposite sides of the front door which faces north north-east. One gets only morning sun. The other gets the same amount of morning sun, but gets a little late afternoon sun and reflected heat. Around here they die almost to the ground. The one that gets only morning sun is larger, healthier and produces more blooms than the other. I think that relected heat and late afternoon sunlight is too much for it. I plan to more it this winter. I'm also going to try covering them when we get hard freezes down to 23ºF and see if they'll grow larger.

My big-leaf hydrangeas are doing well. I covered them this year with good results. A greater length of stem survived. Larger ones should be able to survive the winter with less damage.

The hydrangeas are all growing in sandy loam and get plenty of water. In summer, they may need water every day to keep the large leaves turgid. I fertilize several times during the growing season.

Some TAMU articles you may find useful.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/county/smith/tips/trees/hydrangea.html
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/county/smith/homegardens/Shade/hydrangeas.html

Thanks for the info Betty. The TAMU articles were a help.

I have had incredible luck growning hydrangeas in Houston. Drive by the 1600 block of South Blvd and you will see them. I have many different species and the mopheads, lacecaps and oak leafs do the best. I have blue and pink mopheads growing in the same space (don't know exactly how that happened) and I have one lacecap that is half blue and half pink!

My hydrangeas love water, of course, and I have a spinkler system that waters them every morning. They receive morning sun and afternoon shade. I have a few in afternoon sun that need a drink of water in the afternoon.

I believe that the secret to hydrangeas in Houston is to pamper and baby them until they have been in the ground for three years. Then they are on their own. I believe that they are thriving this year because we had a cool spring.

While some people say that they prefer a northern exposure, I find that they grow well in every area of my yard as long as they get enough water. However, they especially love the shade canopy that our big old oak trees provide.

I hope this helps.

Elani Gray Hantel

I'm way north of your area but last summer was so devastating that everything was literally cooking. I have a canopy (that previously was a screen house until the squirrels did their thing) and we dug and potted everything we could including 5 hydrangeas and put them under the canopy.....so sorry I still don't know what they are except they have huge flowers....one is the red something that has small flowers. When the heat wave broke and it cooled late in the fall I relocated all of them in shade with bright light. This Spring they haven't skipped a beat. My beds are heavily amended and of course Epsom Salt on everything.

Don't you just hate it that I am so dumb I can't really give you all the information. Went to HD yesterday. Bought 3 Ever and Ever and 1 Endless Summer. Making the front bed over completely and these will be the focal point. Hopefully fill in the majority of the area. All shade. These two were planted early April, 2007. The rain and wind broke off the banana leaf.

This is one that was dug and relocated last year. Really haven't helped you any for Houston have I. I'm just so amazed that I have mistreated them and they still sing.

Lou, they all look pretty good to me! I currently have two, one in ground and one in a pot. Neither are the newer ones that bloom on new and old wood. The one in the pot has always bloomed well, but it looks really pathetic this year. The leaves are pale and yellow, in spite of adding ES and Ironite. The one in ground looks better, but it's only been in one year. Luckily it's right by the water hose, so I've kept it well watered and I think it may make it.

Ehantel, I'll keep in mind the magic 3 year number and baby it until then. I still need to buy an Endless Summer too.

oak leaf hydrangea's do well for me in Houston.

I have also noticed that by the time I get home, the one I have in part sun is starting to wilt. I think it gets more sun than I thought. I usually water it when I get home.

Crowellli, check the soil pH of the one in the pot. It could be that the soil is too acidic. If the soil is too acidic, the plant can't utilize the nitrogen and needs repotting.

Thanks, Betty. I'll check that. I was going to put it in the ground, but the spot I have in mind I prefer to try one of the Endless Summer, so I'll repot this one.

Elani,
I have a hydrangea in a pot on our patio, in its 2nd year. It started blooming about 3 weeks ago, and made several tiny pink blossoms. They've since died back, but the stem has all these new leaves coming out. I read somewhere that the soil ph determines what color the bloom will be: pink = neutral? blue = acidic. Well I'm trying this crazy(?) experiment with old, percolated coffee. Since I've been reading about all the benefits of the coffee grinds in the compost piles and in the soils, I figured, if compost "Tea" is so great, how about using the leftover coffee on some of the acid loving plants? Well, the lab experiment 'ain't over just yet. I have a friend who is growing specimen quality foxtails, and he uses the fertilizer for Azaleas and acid-loving plants. I started using the leftover coffee to water mine. I dilute whatever's left in the pot with 50% added water.) That foxtail fern is perking up (no pun intended) like gangbusters! The fronds are getting fatter and greener.

Still waiting for the hydrangea to do something. Will keep you posted on the hydrangea progress. I'll try to get some pics this evening.

I was given one12 inch tall Hardy Pink Hydrangea 3 years ago. Planted it on the east side of my garage next to a fotena (sp). I later learned that it is considered invasive sooooo I have just let it fill the whole area up. They get @ 2 hours of morning sun then 1 hour of noon time, which they wilt down then pick right back up when the shade hits them

This image will show you how invasive they can be.

Kip, will you please post a close-up of your plant. That doesn't look like a hydrangea. Hydrangeas are not invasive. Clerodendron bungei, Cashmere Bouquet, on the other hand is.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1253/index.html

Betty, You are right as usual. I guess she was told the "Mexican Hydrangea" name and forgot the Mexican part. Anyway, It is filling up. OH, the leaves have a wierd slitly stinky smell but the blooms are sweet.

PS: Go to bed

I thought some of you hydrangea enthusiasts might enjoy this photo of my 'royal red' potted hydrangea. While it is not red, it was a most beautiful deep pink all summer. It faded to green, then brown. It was purchased as a three year old plant and is four years old in this picture. I have a dripper watering system (hydrangeas love this), so that it gets am water for 5 minutes. It receives approx 4 hours of morning sun in this location. I live in Houston central, near Rice University.

That's a gorgeous specimen. I've got one in the ground now. One of mine in the pots died a slow death after several years. I put the other one in the ground and it bloomed and has made it through the summer. It's a little worse for wear after the new puppy chewed on it a bit, but we'll see how it fares over the winter.

ehantel, that is a gorgeous specimen. Hydrangea "reds" are really a deep pink. I would give an arm and a leg for a true red hydrangea!

crowellli, your hydrangea should be fine in the ground. I'm in 8b and mine come back from close to the ground. Last year, I lightly covered one of my hydrangeas with burlap cloth when a hard freeze was predicted to see if it made a difference. It survived winter with very little damage and has more than doubled its size this year. I plan to do use burlap covers on the rest of my hydrangeas this year as well as a fire bush that dies down to the ground every year.

My hydrageas grow well here in east Tx. I have mopheads, lacecap and oakleafs. Rooted many of them in the spring, some of the mopheads to my surprise bloomed the first year. My oakleafs get huge. My largest Mother plant died during the rainy season this year. I just could not get the ground to dry out. It was 8' tall and 6' around. I also have a var. one but it seldom gives me any blooms but beautiful color. All of mine are in the ground other than about 10 oakeafs that I potted up this spring. All, ground and pots, are in mostly shade areas. Will see how they do over winter. Could trade an oakleaf if any one was interested.
DD