A good choice. Tuff Stuff also has a Tiny Tuff Stuff. Have you checked it out? I think Rouge has one but that is probably not the correct user name. Other than paniculatas that you say you do not want, review the Forever & Ever Together and Summer Lace shrubs, Invincible Spirit and Spirit II (2). Some of the Let's Dance Series are advertised as good in Z5 and they are 'rebloomers'. Spirit is always pink but the others will need garden lime in acidic soil to get pink blooms and could have blooms issues sometimes but seldom posted as a problem in the forum. Check others in city gardens, etc. Do a search on the website for Tiny Stuff to find other posts related to it or where it is mentioned.

Rouge21 in Ontario has one as do Thyme2Dig and I, both in NH. All of us are zone 5. I see that you've discovered Rouge's post in the perennials forum about this plant. His is really pink, but he has more neutral or alkaline soil (not sure which.) My soil is quite acid, and here is what mine looks like. I only seem to have really early and really late season flower photos, but it blooms more of a blue-purple with my acid soil. Here it is in early July, right at the beginning of the bloom cycle.

This plant is a year and a half old, planted from a tiny sprig. The dying flowers fade to pink and white, rather like the colors of an older H. paniculata.

I don't know where you are or what your soil is like, so I can't predict what color this will be for you. If you want to add location and zone information so that it posts automatically at the top of your posts with your name, here's how:

Go to Your Houzz in the upper right of every page, click Edit Profile, and on the left side click advanced settings. Well down the advanced settings page is a blank labeled Climate Zone for Garden Forums along with a link to find your zone.

If you add info on your state or the nearest large city you will get even better information since zone only relates to average coldest winter temperatures. You can do this by adding it to your Profile Information under First Name (Publicly Displayed) on the first page under Edit Profile.

Then return to the top of the page and click Done Editing.

I live in Indianapolis...not too different than your zone...macrophyllas r DISAPPOINTING here...my neighbor has Twist & Shout & they bloom...I bought 1 & mine didn't bloom...covered it this yr(still covered)so we'll see...neighbor has hers planted next to a stone wall & they get more light...been blooming for 3-4? yrs...

Bella Rosa, I have the original Endless Summer, Endless Summer Bloomstruck, Twist & Shout, and Nantucket Blue, and they all bloom pink for me. I don't know how alkaline your soil is, but most of the hydrangeas I see around here are pink once they go in the ground. These have all done well for me, and all they get is some extra mulch dumped around them late fall. I have one of the Lets Dance, but it's still tiny and no blooms yet.

Dingo - have 5 NONBLOOMING 10 yr old Endless Summers...so yours that bloom - r u covering them during winter?

No I don't cover them, too lazy :). I do mulch around them pretty heavy in the fall, and they are well mulched through the summer too. I don't cut them back till spring, and most years I wind up cutting them near the ground. If I protected them, I'm guessing in a mild year like this year I might have some live canes left that would bloom earlier. I usually scoop some rose tone or holly tone on them when I'm doing the roses and other stuff. They might get some miracle grow or fish fertilizer if I'm spraying it, but not till they have buds set.

I'm so jealous!!...this year - first time ever I covered 1 Twist & Shout & 5 Endless Summers...waiting until May to uncover...have tons of arborescens that bloom but the macrophyllas drive me crazy...

I'm sure it's just luck! The last 2 winters were pretty brutal. Mine have been planted for a while, so were pretty well established. I think I read that too much fertilizer - too much N ? - can cause them not to bloom. Don't leave them covered too long! Crazy warm weather this year.

we've had some wonderful days & it's tempting to uncover but...did some "uncovering hydrangeas" searches on Gardenweb...read a lot & better safe than sorry so I'm still waiting...no fertilizer...mine only get the compost we make...they're old with nice leaves & no blooms...could use more light...if covering helps might move 4 to a better spot...

Thank you everyone for your information. I decided to purchase 1 Tuff Stuff and 1 Invicibelle Spirit II hydrangea from Garden Crossing.

Wow. Loving them both. I'll look for them at your local nursery once the garden season starts. Thanks again.

Nikko Blue is plant hardy to zone 5, but I wouldn't count on blooms unless you are far warmer than I. Here they die back to the ground each year, so if you want blooms you need to plant a variety that will bloom on current year wood.