Re: Hydrangea

In a message dated 1/14/03 9:05:15 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
flowers@simplegiftsfarm.com writes:


Ceres - seems to be different. Hydrangea macrophylla  'All Summer Beauty' 
is listed as zone 5 by Monrovia Nursery while the 'Bailmer' is listed as 
zone 4 although there may be other sources out there that disagree with 
ASB's zone rating as 5.  'Bailmer' is taller and wider.  As far as I can 
figure out from the net - 'ASB' mostly blooms on new wood and there is a 
recommendation on at least one site to cut it to the ground every 
fall.  'Bailmer' blooms on both new and old wood.  Again, this is from a 
brief survey and not talking to any experienced woody guy.

Both are essentially pink but will go blue in acidic soils where they can 
take up all the aluminum the plant requires to go blue.  Both are supposed 
to have large blooms.

Having said all that - I haven't grown either yet so will have to wait and 
see what the garden produces.

Doug and Ceres,

I thought this a good question from Ceres, I love Hydrangeas.

Those classified loosely as big leaf Hydrangeas are under a study somewhere 
in North Carolina.  Maybe the Raulston garden, he would have like this kind 
of study.  I have it in a journal somewhere.

Went and looked for the journal, it is NMPRO, a nursery magazine.  Study is 
sponsored by Bailey Nurseries.  The issue is November, 2002.  They are 
looking at big leaf Hydrangeas that will send up new wood with flower buds.

'All Summer Beauty' will not have enough time to make new wood that flowers 
in zone 4 so Doug's trial plant should be of great interest.  I would think 
they would trial new introductions somewhere where it is cold before 
marketing with rebloom claims.  In the article are many named cultivars and 
it seems the bloom achieved in the North is from a second flush of stems 
after those of the preceding fall are frozen stiff here.

For you guys who can grow big leaf Hydrangeas (any species) those of us in 
the North are confined to H. paniculata and selections of this species.  
There are quite a few now, mostly of Dutch origin.  Some are quite beautiful 
and one is supposed to be pink though it really is not pink.  They are all 
white but the forms are quite good (flowers) and the selected shrubs are all 
superior to H. paniculata, species form.

Anybody who succeeds in short season area with a big leaf Hydrangea, please 
tell us.

Claire Peplowski
NYS z4

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