I'm sure this has been posted many times, but I'm "newer" to the hydrangea forum and In reading through, I've found some conflicting info...

Aside from Endless Summer that blooms on new wood, I was looking for some other macrophylla's or serrata's that would bloom somewhat reliably in z6a... I just wanted to see what type of experience people in the midwest and NE had with various types...

I know Nikko blue is the old standby here in NE Ohio, and it does bloom well, if given a protected area... Even though I live in "town" where temps are moderated, I can't seem to get more than 4-6 blooms per Nikko in any given year even though the plants are nice sized 4' x 4' and I winter protect them religously with a ton of leaves... I've also seen some Nikko's in town that are completely loaded with blossoms. Honestly, after seeing the blossoms on Endless Summer, I am ready to yank the Nikko's out because the blooms are by far superior on ES in comparison to Nikko... Thank God for the Endless Summers that are full of blossoms...

Anyway, looking around at local nurseries I see the same ones which I'm told are "hardier" varieties... The ones I've seen over and over again include: Homigo, Parzifal, Blaumeise, Lady in Red, Sister Therese, Cardinal, Glowing Embers, Penny mac, Big Daddy, Amethyst, Blue Wave and of course Nikko Blue... So do any of these have superior cold hardiness??? Do some of these have tendencies towards blooming on new wood??? Does anyone have any experience with the above list or any other varieties that may have good hardiness... Thank you all so much for any suggestions...