Zone 5 is a little iffy for a lot of the Hydrangeas, I believe Endless Summer is one that will flower on current years growth even if it does get cut to the ground. Even where I am in zone 8 if we get a late freeze after the buds break dormancy there's a good possibility I'll lose most of the flowers on mine, this is why I leave the dead flower heads on until there's no danger of a freeze. You might have some success with different Hydrangeas if they are covered during cold spell, a lot of us do this with some Daphne here. The link below might be of some help.

Annette

Here is a link that might be useful: Hydrangea info...

Hey friend to the North,

I'm really into hydrangeas lately. I now have eight.
Annabelle is the oldest but is white and has prolific blooms, a nice big shrub about 4 ft. tall and wide. She loves a haircut and gets bushier.
I do have Endless Summer which is actually planted in mostly sun and goes from pink to blue.
BUT...my newest ones are 2 Nikko blues. They are pretty much in full sun. They grow 3-5 feet high and about 5-6 around. And bloom in all shades from pink to darkest purple depending on your soil. We've named these babies "The Nikko brothers...Nikko and Rikko". They are in the front of the house running along the garage so they have some serious space to fill. Hope they do well...they survived the drought this summer.
On the North side of the house we have a hydrangea vine. I haven't killed it yet but it's slow growing there and the soil is not so great.

I love them for their 4 season interest and they take up a lot of space. And they seem to like Zone 5!!!!

Good luck,
georgeanne

You might want to visit the Hydrangea forum and read through some of the posts - you could learn quite a bit from other hydrangea lovers around the country on the ones they prefer and that perform best in their specific area.

Aside from Endless Summer (and a couple others) that offer increased hardiness and bloom on both old and new growth, the brightly colored bigleaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) are not considered reliably hardy below zone 6.......and even in that zone, winter protection is recommended to be safe and more importantly, to ensure blooming. In your zone, winter protection for these will be a requirement, not an option, and still does not guarantee successful flowering.

Coloring of these types of hydrangeas is also rather variable, as it is associated with soil chemistry - more acidic soils will produce bluer flowers and more alkaline soils will produce pinker flowers. But this is pretty generalized also, as some pinks are pretty stable in their coloring and not so easily influenced by soil conditions.

One thing you will learn from that forum (and if you do additional online research) is that growing mophead or lacecap hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) in colder zones is a tricky proposition at best. That's why many northern gardeners are encouraged to start with Hydrangea arborescens (ie., Annabelle) or paniculata (ie., PeeGee), both of which are very cold hardy, bloom on new growth and so are far less affected by winter bud damage. But they offer only white flowers that often fade to pink as they age. Or those few selections - like Endless Summer - with increased winter hardiness and the ability to bloom on new growth as well.

What is your objection to Endless Summer? It and its sister plant, Blushing Bride, are a couple of the best choices for more northerly zones.

Here is a link that might be useful: the best online hydrangea info

I guess that's why Endless Summer is really the only variety I can find in our nurseries, the zone/weather problem. Nikko blue looks quite pretty :) We also have a climbing Hydrangea that climbs the front of the house, although I'm now looking for something smaller for the garden.

Ideally I'm looking for a variety that is cold hardy enough to bloom each year, even if I have to protect it a bit. Something that (hopefully) is not colour-dependant on the soil pH, although I'll deal with that if I have to. Something other than white. Sounds like there aren't too many options.

My main objections to Endless Summer are that it changes colour depending on your soil, which I'm trying to avoid. But mainly that it is what EVERYONE and their mother grows around here. It is the only variety in most nurseries, and the only one that anyone has in their gardens. I was just trying to look for something a little more unique. Its like the Stella D'Oro daylily - every nursery has it, so every garden has it. I was trying to look for a little variety, that's all :) I hadn't heard of Blushing Bride, what is the difference between them?

Pretty much all the colored flowered hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) are dependent on soil conditions for flower color and yes, they are going to be somewhat variable. You can certainly seek out some of the more distinctively colored cultivars (like from the previously linked website) but be aware that you will need to provide winter protection to ensure flowering for most of them.

As you might imagine from the name, Blushing Bride flowers white but fades to a blush pink or pale blue, depending on soil conditions. You might also want to look for the 'Forever & Ever' series for a good cold hardy, repeat blooming mophead.
http://www.foreverhydrangea.com/info_red.aspx

Here is a link that might be useful: Blushing Bride

Wow!!! that Forever and Ever double pink is stunning, It's now on my want list. I haven't seen it for sale in my neck of the woods or it could be I need to look harder :o). Thanks for all the good sound information you always have to give. Hope to see you posting here often.

Annette

I'm smack dab in the middle of Toronto and I have several Annabelle Hydrangeas. They are about 3-4 feet tall.

I also have two unidentified Hydrangea that were given as a houseplant to friends who threw them out. I planted them in my garden and they have been doing beautifully for over ten years. They are shorter and more spreading that tne Annabelles.

Sorry, no photos to show you.

Thanks for the kind words, Annette :-)) I'm not exactly a cottage-style gardener......more of a mixed border fan, so I lurk here more than I contribute. But this is such a happy and friendly forum, I do enjoy visiting. And admiring through the great photos all the work and love you guys devote to your gardens. THAT I admire in any style of garden!

Pam, gardengal

I can vouch for the information given above! (and I wish I had done a little more research before I planted). I just love hydrangeas. My first purchase was a Nikko Blue which is very finicky at best. Then I moved to a new house and took it with me, then moved it again in the new location so I got zero blooms this year. The first season I had the thing, I only got maybe 3 blooms on it. It's about 3 feet high now...but still no blooms. I'm giving it one more season to get a bloom and if it doesn't encourage me, I'm moving it to the backyard! (she said loudly for the hydrangea to hear her!) :)
This year I added a variegated leaf variety, (Mariesii Variegata), Merritt's Pride and a Lavender/Pink one that I don't know the name of - I guess I'm just a glutten for punishment. :)

Still - in this zone you have to be patient and persistent. I may even try to cover them with burlap. I was reading somewhere that some protection from cold helps flowering the following season.

Estelle