Endless Summer® Summer Crush® Bigleaf Hydrangea
Shrub
DISCONTINUED
- We no longer offer this product. Check out Let's Dance Sky View® Bigleaf Hydrangea for an improved version!
- Repeat blooms from early summer to frost.
- Color Breakthrough in a reblooming Hydrangea!
- Large 8" Raspberry Blooms.
- More compact growing 18-36" tall and wide.
- Thrives in extreme cold to intense heat.
- Zones 4-9, sun/part sun, 3' tall x 3' wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
Details
Patent #: USPP 30,359
Common name: Hydrangea, bigleaf hydrangea
Zone: 4 - 9
Sun exposure: Full Sun (6+ hours sun) to Part-sun (4-6 hours sun)
Height x width: 1.5-3 ft"x 1.5 - 3 ft
Flower color: Raspberry red or blue
Foliage color: Green
Season of Interest: Summer-fall
Bloom time: Spring, summer
Features: Space savers, heat tolerant, container plants, cold tolerant
Uses: Background, foundation planting, hedge, massing, ornamental, specimen
How to Grow
Light: Most varieties tolerate full sun in the north, but benefit from afternoon shade. Tolerates full sun only if grown with consistent moisture. In the south, plants require afternoon shade. Intolerant of drought, with foliage tending to decline considerably in dry conditions.
Water: Water to keep soil moist, but not wet.
Spacing: 3-4 ft.
Fertilizing: Fertilize once in spring with a fertilizer designed to encourage blooms (such as 15-30-15).
Winterizing: Remove and destroy any fallen foliage that was infected by powdery mildew.
Maintenance & pruning: This variety blooms on both old and new wood. In spring, only prune out dead wood once the new growth has emerged.
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.
2020 ordered 4 each. They arrived in great shape and loved the packaging - never seen it quite so well done. All 4 blossomed first year planted.
July 2021 all four are still alive - 2 are in full blossom, 2 are working on it (see pictures). I know nothing about gardening and growing anything is not my gifting. I am typically good at killing plants so that fact that these are still alive is frankly surprising. These are planted quite close together because as I said, I didn't expect them all to survive - not because of the quality of the plant - but the quality of my ability to keep plants alive. I have made a point to make sure they are watered and I am working on installing an irrigation system. These are planted in middle of Michigan, in miracle grow ground dirt mixed in with a little of our heavy clay down to 2-3 feet deep and covered with 3" of mulch. They are in full sun in the mornings till about 3-4pm then shaded by the house. These are small right now but full and dense - they were full and dense when they arrived last year.
IN THE BLUE POTS ARE NOT GREATGARDEN - I also purchased 2 ea Summer Crush Hydrangea's from NatureHill.com at the same time for 3x the price each. They are currently also in bloom but are tall and lanky - they were tall and lanky when arrived. I overwintered these from Naturehill in their pots in a pole barn because I didn't know where to plant them being so drastically different and the lanky-ness is not what I'm hoping for.
If you're looking for full and dense with beautiful pink blossoms - that start out small... These are for you.
If you're looking for tall and lanky for 3x the price each, go with Naturehill. They still have pretty pink blossoms and maybe someday they will fill in or maybe it's me and I just don't know how to do whatever you need to do to make them full and dense.
I'm in the process of ordering 4 more.
Love it. Received two months ago already producing blooms
As always, I appreciate the care that goes into packaging the plants for delivery and they always arrive on time looking very healthy! It’s nice that the packaging is mostly cardboard and they limit the use of plastics. The hydrangeas are in the ground and doing well, looking forward to seeing them bloom next year!
I was so excited to receive my plants and from the pictures that were advertised . I expected plants that would blossom this year or at least have blossoms on them when they arrived. That was not the case at all. The plants were dry and dead and not able to regrow as I would expected. When paying over $100. I would like to receive plants that would survive the hot summer months. These were dry and died within the first week after planted.
Al plants delivered as promised in very secure packing. All are growing well, but one died, do not know why.
What soil ammendments do I use so the summer crush turns red like it did when I bought it last year. they are pink this summer.
I live in Michigan how often should I add ammendments that change their color.
If you're looking for a deeper raspberry color your summer crush hydrangeas, you probably need to raise the soil pH. The best way to do this is with ground lime. Test your soil prior to treating to ensure the pH won't be too high. Reapply it every 2 to 3 months and continue to test!
I have a Big Leaf Hydrangea (Endless Summer) that I can’t get to bloom. It is on the northeast side of the house. I have had it for probably 10 years and it grows to 3 ft.
Are you pruning it at all? Are there deer in your area? It sounds like the flower buds are getting cut off or damaged! Unfortunately, hydrangeas are not deer resistant and the flowers and flower buds are the most susceptible to damage. Also, keep in mind that they bloom on old wood, which means pruning them heavily will remove the majority of buds. To learn more about hydrangea care, check out our blog here: https://blog.greatgardenplants.com/questions-answered-series-hydrangeas/