I have an Endless Summer in the ground, not a pot. I put it in last year but it was terribly damaged by our late freeze in spite of being carefully covered. So...I haven't had it in bloom yet and probably won't for another year and a half at least.

As for the color...here's a quote: "If your blue hydrangeas are flowering pink you can make your soil more acidic using Aluminum Sulphate fertilizer. This is the best way of turning your hydrangeas blue. Using an all-purpose fertilizer like MirAcid will maintain acidity but will not change the color very quickly. To turn your blue hydrangeas more pink, add lime to your soil. These techniques will work gradually. Lime, especially, take weeks or months to work in the soil." Bear in mind that the aluminum sulphate is not a complete fertilizer and should be supplemented for the health of the plant.

My Daddy used to say you could get bluer hydrangeas by putting rusty nails in the ground underneath but I wouldn't bet the farm on that one.

Hey there Diana,
I've got 2 ES's but they are also in the ground. They're located in the same bed about 5 feet apart. One is a soft blue and the other one pink. Hoping they survived the winter. Originally I wanted them blue but the pink is really nice. I'm thinking of getting a couple more to go up next to the house by the garage.
I think yours will look gorgeous on the deck!!
I might also try the rusty nail trick.....can't hurt.

georgeanne who thinks Juliette (Lost) is evil, look-out Sun!

I love this hydrangia. Excellent choice! I've been gradually adding hydrangia as I get more shade in my garden. This is my next choice. One tip I've heard is to use your coffee grounds around your hydrangias to help maintain the blue. Apparently it has just enough of the acid they like to keep them from going pink. Although there's nothing wrong with a pink hydrangia either ;-)

Hydrangeas will do well in an ample container. I grow just regular old (really old) blue mophead hydrangeas, in acid soil. I broke a branch. There was a two gallon pot with regular potting soil in it nearby, so I stuck the cutting because it was there. It rooted and when it bloomed the next spring, it was pink.

It grew and bloomed pink for a couple years. I planted it in the ground the other day because I'm not fond of watering pots. We'll see how quickly it reverts to blue. It only took one season for a pink lacecap hydrangea serrata to turn blue after I put it in the ground.

I told this rambling story not to imply that potted hydrangeas will be pink, but to say that yes, hydrangeas can thrive in pots. Acid soil like for azaleas should produce blue flowers.

Nell

Since we don't have acid soil here, I add aluminum sulfate (sold in garden centers) to the soil in early spring, to redulce the pH, making the soil more acid. Acid soil makes aluminum more available to the plant, which is what determines whether the plant will flower blue or pink.
Acid soil = more aluminum = blue flowers.
At least I think that's how it works !

Carol

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'm just going to go for it and plant them with straight azalea container soil. I'll add some cottonseed meal for good measure. They must be potted in acidic soil because the emerging blooms look like they will be blue. I'm excited. : )

I better get started on this project. We have really warmed up and should get to 80 today. We are normally around 70 this time of year. Yikes! But the roses are loving it so I'll cut the whining short. : )

Thanks again and I hope y'all have a great day in your gardens!

Diana

"One tip I've heard is to use your coffee grounds around your hydrangias to help maintain the blue. Apparently it has just enough of the acid they like to keep them from going pink."

This is exactly and all that I do. I sprinkle coffee grounds around the base of the plant about once or twice a month. This is the result:

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Like a lot of other plants in my garden, they were coming up great early on, then got nailed by the cold snap, and are just now recovering. While I like the blue, I wouldn't mind having them turn out pink either.

mrmorton - I've got to agree w/ you. While I'd also prefer that my ES's be blue, I'd just be happy to see some form of life at this point. If they come back, tho, I'll be sure to try the coffee grounds 2x/month. Thanks for the tip!

Ilsa