Summer Crush® Hydrangea

Let's Grow

About Endless Summer® Summer Crush® Bigleaf Hydrangea

You’re probably familiar with pink or blue hydrangea flowers, but if you’re craving something new, Summer Crush® is the hydrangea variety you need to try!  This spectacular, compact hydrangea was specially developed for its vibrant blooms which are a totally unique color.  Instead of powder blue and baby pink flowers, Summer Crush® flowers are a bright, raspberry red color in alkaline soil and a deep, rich purple in acidic beds!  These plants will give you new colors to experiment with in your garden and they are so pigmented they will definitely make a bold impact in any landscape design.

Summer Crush® Hydrangea
Botanical Name	Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmacfive'
Plant Hardiness	Zone 4-9
Mature Height	1 ½ to 3'
Mature Width	1 ½ to 3'
Sun Needs	Full Sun, Part Afternoon Shade
Does Not Ship To	AK, AZ, CA, HI, PR

 

But you won’t just love Summer Crush® for its vivid flowers.  This hardy, mophead hydrangea is adaptable and it can even bloom twice a year in warm locations -- in early and late summer.  In colder climates, Summer Crush® can resist the chill and it consistently sprouts in spring before producing a flush of flowers in mid-summer.  These plants are also salt tolerant, making them an excellent choice for coastal gardens!

While the flowers are large, Summer Crush® is a compact plant that grows up to 3’ tall -- a perfect size for containers!  Summer Crush® also looks fantastic when planted on its own as a backdrop plant; however, it is particularly impressive in mass planting arrangements. 

Special features:

• New flower color
• Reblooms in warm climates
• Cold hardy
• Salt tolerant
• Small size is perfect for container gardening

How to care for hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are classic plants to grow and, with their soft lines and big blooms, they are a top choice for cottage gardens.  But while hydrangeas look lovely in outdoor settings, they also make stunning cut flowers too. 

If you’re new to keeping hydrangeas, you may want to explore the following tips to learn how to take care of hydrangeas.

When to plant hydrangeas

Ideally, hydrangeas should be planted in spring or fall when the weather is cool.  You can also plant hydrangeas in summer, but they will need extra water and care to help them adapt to your garden.

Where to plant hydrangeas

In cold climates, Summer Crush® hydrangeas should be given as much sun as possible – ideally at least 6 hours of bright light daily.  In hot areas, hydrangeas may benefit from a bit of afternoon shade, which can ward against wilting leaves and heat stress.

Beyond lighting considerations, well-draining gardens with rich earth will provide the ideal hydrangea growing conditions to keep your plants happy and thriving.

Hydrangea care in pots

Due to their compact size, Summer Crush® hydrangeas can be grown in pots or in inground gardens.  For container growing, choose a pot that is at least 16 to 24” in diameter and fill it up with a quality, well-draining potting mix. Then, sow your plant at the same depth it was growing in its nursery pot. 

Since soil pH can affect flower color, you may want to adjust the pH of your potting mix.  Adding sulfur will acidify your soil and produce neon purple flowers, while lime will neutralize the soil, resulting in bright, raspberry red blooms.

After planting, water your hydrangeas regularly as container grown plants will dry out quicker.

How to plant hydrangeas in the ground

Summer Crush® hydrangeas can also be grown in inground beds.  Simply dig a hole that’s as deep as your nursery pot and about 2 to 3 times as wide.  Amend the soil with a bit of compost if you want to and then plant your hydrangea.  After that, water your hydrangeas regularly so that the soil stays moist, but never soggy.

While Summer Crush® hydrangeas rarely need pruning, if you would like to reshape your plant, remove wayward stems and spent blooms in spring after your plant has finished flowering.

How big do hydrangeas get

When mature, Summer Crush® hydrangeas will grow about 1 ½ to 3' tall and the same size across.  That makes them an ideal size for garden beds, but they are also small enough to keep in pots on balconies and patios.

History of Summer Crush Bigleaf Hydrangea

Hydrangeas naturally grow throughout the Americas and Asia; however, mophead hydrangeas hail from China and Japan where they were cultivated for centuries.  In the 19^th century, mophead hydrangeas made their way to Europe and the Americas and their popularity has only grown since.

Botanists carefully bred hydrangea stock to favor certain characteristics, but it wasn’t until the 2000s that renowned plant scientist Dr. Michael Dirr released the first Endless Summer® hydrangeas.  These reblooming plants took the gardening world by storm thanks to their hardiness and profuse blooms.  Today, there are many different Endless Summer® varieties, including Summer Crush®, which was patented in 2019.

Buying Summer Crush Bigleaf Hydrangea at Cold Creek Nurseries

If you’re tired of pink or blue hydrangea flowers, be sure to order your Summer Crush® hydrangeas now, because our stock is limited!  All of our plants are specially grown from cuttings to ensure that the unique characteristics of this cultivar are preserved.  This summer, impress your neighbors and garden visitors with Summer Crush® hydrangeas and reap the rewards with tons of boldly colored blooms!