Not much flower development since last I posted:

I reached out to BAILEY and they did indicate that it is possible (but not usual) that an ES offering could appear in a black pot. They asked for more information but have yet to get back to me.

Is the bloom really raspberry red or is it too early to tell where you are? Here they sell for upwards of $40 US dollars. Too pricey for just slight tone change in color unless they include an iPhone too. 😄😄😄🤣🤣😜😜

Updating with my own.

Bloomstruck x2, transplanted to this spot 2-3 years. 1 bloom total last year.

Original ES x2. 2-3 years new. Zero bloom last year.

Newly bought SC for 2 weeks. 5gal pot but the root barely got to 2/3 of the way down the pot. Frankly felt like the SC plants got rushed to market. Color is great, can't complain

@rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a) That new picture looks more true to type than it did in the first.

Btw @pennlake do you winter protect yours?

@pennlake is it continuing to look more SC like?

Today:

Looks like it. Perhaps a bit stretchier looking but that could have been cultural conditions at the nursery.

So glad to have found this thread! I’m in zone 5 and was having second thoughts about purchasing two of these. Pennlake it looks like you are having good luck with yours..which is very reassuring.

Found these on sale for $17.50....I couldn’t pass them up. I would have bought more but they were the only ones left.

The blooms are huge.

@pennlake et al, here is that same hydrangea (fingers crossed that it really is a SC) I purchased over a month ago now in (almost) full bloom:

So is it possible to distinguish SC from some other ES offerings based only on the flowers or is it the mature size ie smaller that is the defining feature?

Still looks like it could be summer crush to me and probably is.

All the varieties in the Endless Summer collection are very distinct so if that is not summer crush then who knows what you got.

Just tonight Baily's Nursery got back to me. (I sent them the latest picture). FWIW the rep was very confident that it is a Summer Crush. (They told me that likely that the grower did not swap the pot in their production field.)

Here are my summer crush today not a bad show for those of us that don’t live in mac country

Very nice @pennlake. (I am glad I bought one)

Summer crush planted 4 wks ago...seems to be happy (how could they not with all the rain) and blooming good. I’m loving this color! These blooms not nearly as big as the one when purchased...I’m guessing it was from being fertilized...

Pennlake sounds like my conditions/location mimick yours. Do you do any winter protection for yours?

No

Thank you...That’s what I was hoping to hear. : )

On the non blue ES pot. It appears in your photo that this is a larger plant. I have bought several larger ES varieties from independent nurseries that have been grown up into a larger black pot rather than the smaller blue pots.

Here is what Dirr wrote about it in his new Hydrange book(which is fabulous btw)

"...flowered on old wood after a difficult winter."..... I wonder what their "difficult" weather was.

Also how's the reblooming capability of SC for those who have it?

This new 1 plant I have hasn't shown any new flower bud yet.

I just went to local nursery which still have good 30+ pots of SC. Most of them have no existing flowers by now, and I don't see any new flower buds forming either.

The second flush of blooms is supposed to occur from new stems that started growing in spring 2021 provided that those stems get tall and old enough before winter and reduced sunlight impact the shrub. So there is a chance of late blooms by early fall but it depends on geographical location, weathe r, etc. Also, bloom production is difficult to predict on a recently purchased plant that was made to start blooming earlier than normal by wholesalers.

Agree that bloom can be unpredictable on new plants. But just somewhat concerning with all that many plants (in pots) there isn't a single re-boom, especially, as you said, these would have been forced to start growing earlier by wholesalers. All the plants do have very nice foliage and all.

Tempting to buy a couple more SC but kinda held back. Or perhaps just get a couple of TuffStuff mountain hydrangea to go with the one SC.

My endless summer rebooted for the 1st time time ever last September. It was 4 years in the ground. This is in Texas where ES isn't know for its repeat.

Any ES in Z 4,5 and 6 is a waste of MONEY

I agree that ES wouldn't be my first or second or third choice but I have seen it do quite well in these zones when potted (and overwintered in a garage or the like).

That is surprising. I have always read and been told that ES performs better in the northern climates due to the cooler weather and has much better rebloom than it does in zn 12-6 in Texas.

Also ES was developed in Minnesota where by all reports they bloom spectacularly on new wood.

The catch is that the new ES stems (the ones that started growing in spring 2021) need to be able to grow fast and get tall enough to develop/open flower buds before the end of the growing season brings markedly shorter days (less sunlight) after the June Solstice and cooler fall temperatures.

Lack of enough sun/nutrients and-or a variety that grows tall stems may be a problem in some of those areas. Compact series like the Let's Dance Hydrangeas may do better as those plants are usually 2-3 feet tall only. But they would need adequate sun and enough nutrients too.

Satisfied with the performnce of Bloomstruck and Summer Crush in my yard here in MN.

UPDATE (May 2022):

I put the above pictured SUMMER CRUSH (in the wooden container) into an unheated garage in November/December 2021. I brought it outdoors about a month ago. It looks like any flowers that may happen will only be from new growth :(.

Hard to say so far. The new leaf growth on last year's stems does not occur at the same time as the new stem growth but rather starts several weeks later here.

I would have hoped that would be the case but I am convinced that last year's stems are dead.

Winter-protected the various ES we have. Wrapped up and stuffed with dead leaves. Still awhile to see if get bloom, but at least they looking good so far. Budding out from as far up as a ft up on old stems. Esp considering the past winter was particular cold with multiple days under -20C, seems the winter protection did help.

We are basically north north TO and as I said we had our SC inside our garage and still it didnt seem to help keep the old wood alive. I was surprised.

Is it a heated garage? Did you water it while dormant?

In answer to the original question. Here are my summer crushes I planted last year.

Omg guess winter protection did help alot.

Last year summer crush:

ES original and Bloomstruck, 2 each planted 3-4 years that hardly had any to no bloom previously, all having flower buds:

Is it a heated garage? Did you water it while dormant?

Sorry @luis_pr for the delay in replying. The garage is not heated (the coldest I observed inside the garage was -12 C/10 F while it was -22 C/-8 F outside) and the only water it got was from 'clumps' of snow that I would put on it every once and awhile through the winter.

So here it was on May 17:

And today, about 6 weeks later:

I can tell you that it looks lots larger than it actually is, but clearly it is producing flowers (on strictly new wood).

They are supposed to trigger flower bud production on new stems once those stems get tall and old enough. About how tall are the stems... the two that have larger older blooms? And how tall are the ones that have blooms now just opening?

Tallest flower is 12" off the ground.

The next is 9" and the 3 smallest flower buds you can see are about 7" tall.

Wow, the minimum estimated size is about 18 inches on the ES website so those stems bloomed quite early height-wise... In your location, does winter show its ugly head during the month of June with late frosts and such? I hope not or that might make them bloomless in some years.

@luis_pr I aint new to this ES Hydrangea "rodeo" :).

This is why I planted this particular hydrangea in a container last summer. That way it gets winter protection being in a sheltered garage and I wont bring it out until after the threat of frost is over in the spring. (But having said that this SC is only getting flowers on new growth).

UPDATE (June 2023):

This same SC (permanently in a container) came out of the garage in probably.. .early April 2023 looked way healthier this time as compared to the the same time last year (old growth was alive). And here it is today...tons of blooms to come:

I just bought two small ones. I am really looking forward to it now!

UPDATE: (July 2024):

We have had this one SC for now 3 seasons. It is a very reliable bloomer (albeit it is permanently in a container).

Purchased 6 of the SC hydrangeas as they have bloomed for me reliably here in Zone 5b, Illinois. They are 50% ($15) at our local Home Depot. Also purchased for $15 each - Moonstruck, Berry White and Diamond Rouge. Now on to planting!

Great deals 'bella'.

I am on my second year with Summer Crush. I have three in the ground. Two of three are blooming and are stunning. Much to my surprise, they have vivid pink and deeper purplish pink blooms.

ETA: Here is a photo of my two Summer Crush hydrangeas. Behind them are either Nantucket Blue or Penny Mac (I am not sure which).

Rouge, I agree! I think I'm going to wait until the Fall to plant them out as we've had so many mosquitoes. For now, I've placed the pots outside and they are enjoying the VERY heavy rain that we have day. Summer Crush is a wonderful compact and very hardy hydrangea for anyone gardening in Zone 5.