Imagine your garden graced with the vibrant blues, pinks, and purples of Endless Summer Hydrangeas, which bloom—well, endlessly!
Unlike their seasonal siblings, these sun-loving blossoms adore well-drained, moisture-rich soils and have a special penchant for acidity.
Would you like to supercharge your hydrangeas and keep their colorful show going strong?
The magic key lies in selecting the ideal fertilizer, that secret nutrient cocktail to fuel your flowers' unceasing bloom.
Let's look into the top four fertilizers that will make your hydrangeas the talk of the town.
Best Fertilizers For Endless Summer Hydrangeas You Should Try
We listed the best fertilizers you can use for Endless Summer Hydrangeas with instructions on recommended applications.
1. Miracle-Gro 1000701 Pound Plant Food For Acid Loving Plants
If you are looking for a fertilizer that helps acid-loving plants to have beautiful blooms and lush foliage, this product is the right one.
This product works best for gardenia, camellia, hydrangea, orchids, azaleas, and many more.
Instructions:
Ideal to use together with a garden feeder or watering can. Apply every 1 to 2 weeks for fast results.
Using Watering Can
- For indoor plants, mix one teaspoon of plant food with one gallon of water. For outdoor plants, mix one tablespoon of fertilizer for each gallon of water.
- Get the watering can and fill it with mixed plant food.
- Water your plant. For best results, wet the base of the plant. Check the product label for instructions on the details of the coverage area.
Using Garden Feeder
- Fill the feeder with fertilizer.
- Attach the feeder to your garden hose. Turn the water on.
- Turn the yellow spray head of the feeder to choose the desired spray pattern.
- Feed and water the plants. For the best results, soak the base of the plants. Check the product label for further instructions.
2. EZ-gro Hydrangea Fertilizer
The E Z-gro 21-7-7 Hydrangea Fertilizer is a premier choice for all acid-loving plants.
This product is expertly designed to nourish and promote growth in a variety of flowering plants, including hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, gardenias, and orchids.
Tailored to the unique needs of these vibrant bloomers, E Z-gro's formula ensures a lush, vibrant display in your garden that will be the envy of all.
What sets this product apart is its concentrated liquid format, making it easy to mix and apply to your beloved plants.
More than just an ordinary fertilizer, E Z-gro 21-7-7 is enhanced with a proprietary micro-nutrient package formulated to deliver optimal nutrition for large, stunning blossoms.
Each application of this professional-grade fertilizer guarantees your hydrangeas and other acid-loving plants will produce beautiful, eye-catching flowers.
Instructions:
- Mix Hydrangea Fertilizer in water before application.
- The package includes a measuring cup. Follow the directions on the packaging as instructed.
3. Jobe's Organic Soil Acidifier
Soil Acidifier gives all-natural sulfur and decreases soil alkalinity for acid-loving plants.
Proudly OMRI-listed and USDA-certified for organic gardening, this product ensures your plants receive optimal nourishment without the use of any synthetic chemicals.
It's the ideal formula for hydrangeas and blueberries, and it has the unique power to change your hydrangeas from pink to blue. For best results, be sure to test your soil's pH level before application.
The Organic Granular Soil Acidifier goes beyond pH regulation. It promotes deeper, darker green growth, enhancing the overall aesthetic of your garden without harming your plants.
No harmful chemicals are included in the formula, thus eliminating the risk of burning your precious greenery.
To apply, simply pour from the convenient 6-pound bag at planting time, then reapply 2-3 times a year to maintain your desired soil pH.
Instructions:
- Test soil pH first before applying. You can use a soil pH tester.
- Pour 6 pounds and apply at planting.
- Apply the Soil Acidifier every eight weeks or as needed to maintain the desired soil pH level.
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the packaging.
4. Espoma Organic Holly-tone Plant Food
Holly-tone is an all-natural and organic plant food specifically crafted for acid-loving plants. It is also suitable for hydrangeas, azaleas, blueberries, rhododendrons, evergreens, and many more.
Holly-tone harnesses the power of natural organics, which break down slowly to provide a sustained supply of essential nutrients to your plants.
Its rich blend of the finest natural and organic ingredients, enhanced with an exclusive Bio-tone formula, offers a 4-3-4 fertilizer analysis with an additional 5% sulfur.
Holly-tone is user-friendly and environmentally safe, containing no sludges or toxic ingredients.
It is best applied in the spring and fall to flowering and evergreen shrubs and in the early and late spring for berries.
For the best results, apply the product to the soil around the plant's drip line and then water thoroughly.
With no mixing required, Holly-tone is ready to use right out of the package. It is approved for organic gardening and is registered as an Organic Input Material, fulfilling all the requirements for organic production.
Instructions:
- Use Holly-tine Plant Food during spring and fall for flowers and shrubs. For blueberries, apply during early and late spring.
- Directly apply adequate water around the plant's drip line.
- This plant food does not need mixing and is ready to use.
- Follow the instructions on the packaging.
What Soil Is Best For Endless Summer Hydrangea Macrophylla?
Potting soil mixes are much better for Endless Summer Hydrangea than ordinary garden soil. Some soil mixes contain slow-release fertilizers, which help the plants grow in their first year.
Listed here are the best potting soil for hydrangeas:
Miracle-Gro Potting Mix
This potting mix is formulated for various plants in containers. It contains coconut coir that clutches and releases water to help the soil re-wet.
Coast Of Maine Organic Natural Garden Compost Potting Soil
It is specially blended with a low-pH formula for acid-loving plants like azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, ferns, hollies, and many more.
Composed of natural ingredients: bark, peat moss, and compost blended for a nutrient-rich growing medium.
FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil Mix
This potting soil mix has a pH of 6.3 to 6.8, which is ideal for optimum fertilizer intake. It also has an aerated and light texture—perfect for outdoor and indoor plants.
Minute Soil Compressed Coco Coir Fiber Grow Potting Soil
Coco Coir Fiber Grow is untreated pure raw coconut coir compressed into light blocks that will expand when you add water. This potting soil holds water for healthier roots and plant growth.
Best used for flowers, house plants, herbs, wheatgrass, vegetables, and many more.
Verdana Coconut Fiber Potting Mix
Coconut fiber potting mix, formulated with an optimum pH balance, is best for easy plant growth. This potting soil replaces peat moss.
It is ideal for orchids, succulents, annuals, perennials, flowering plants, vegetables, and more. This 100% natural potting mix has a low salt content and can be used for both indoor and outdoor plants.
When Should You Fertilize Your Endless Summer Hydrangea?
Endless Summer Hydrangea blooms in early summer or late spring, so applying fertilizer in early spring is best to prepare for the blooming seasons.
This is the time when the plant begins to exit dormancy and new growth appears.
The first application should be made once you see the first signs of green, while subsequent applications can be made every 4 to 6 weeks throughout the growing season until mid-summer.
Ceasing fertilization by mid-summer gives your hydrangeas a chance to prepare for dormancy in the fall.
Always remember to water thoroughly after fertilizing to help the plant absorb the nutrients and avoid potential fertilizer burn.
How Much Sunlight Do Endless Summer Hydrangeas Need?
Most hydrangeas need two hours under the sun during hot weather, but varieties like Endless Summer and Bloomstruck can tolerate heat from 7 or 8 hours of direct sunlight in Zone 4.
Here are more planting tips if you're living in Zone 4: How to Extend Your Growing Season in Zone 4
What Is The Difference Between Endless Summer Hydrangea And All Summer Beauty?
Like Endless Summer Hydrangea, All Summer Beauty can be in the color blue or pink, but Endless Summer has a vibrant, richer color than All Summer Beauty, which has partial white flowers.
All Summer Beauty is less cold-tolerant and can thrive in zones 5 to 9, while Endless Summer can thrive in zones 4 to 9.
Are Hydrangeas Cold-Hardy?
Endless Summer Hydrangeas can survive in Zone 4 if they have enough sunlight and do not need winter protection in the garden. The only exception is when the plants are grown in containers.
Stop applying fertilizers in July or August, and do not prune them during fall if planted in containers to prepare the plants for overwintering.
When Endless Summer Hydrangeas Bloom?
Start planting your Endless Summer Hydrangeas in early spring or fall. These flowers have a long growing season and bloom from June to September.
The flowers bloom in pink or blue, depending on the soil conditions.
Do You Deadhead Endless Summer Hydrangeas?
Endless Summer Hydrangeas should be deadheaded once the bloom season ends and the flowers dry out. Deadheading the flowers stimulates repeat blooming and improves the plant's health.
There are still concerns about deadheading because some people are confused between pruning and deadheading, which could lead to hydrangeas not blooming.
Deadheading is not pruning; it removes the spent blooms of the hydrangea, leaving 1/3 of the plant to revive. Below are instructions on how to deadhead your hydrangea:
- Prepare sharp scissors or pruning shears.
- Look for spent blooms along the old stem and the new sets of leaves. Spent flower blooms are faded or dried out.
- Cut the portion right above the fresh set of leaves. Do not cut at the bottom of a new set of leaves because you may risk cutting the new blooms.
- Take a look at dried stalks down to the base of the plant. When those parts have no leaves or green growth, you can cut them because they will no longer produce new leaves and blooms.
Apply Fertilizers with Good pH Levels
Summing up, applying proper fertilizers is essential for your Endless Summer Hydrangeas.
Fertilizers with good pH levels provide balance and replace lost nutrients, allowing plants to thrive and bloom even in harsh environments and weather conditions.
Again, here's a rundown of the top four fertilizers for Endless Summer Hydrangeas:
- Miracle-Gro 1000701 Pound Plant Food For Azalea, Camellia, Rhododendron
- EZ-gro Hydrangea Fertilizer
- Jobe's Organic Soil Acidifier
- Espoma Organic Holly-tone Plant Food
These fertilizers are organic and have good pH levels, which hydrangeas love.
Providing your plants with good fertilizers will help them get stronger and survive harsh weather conditions.
For more information on caring for hydrangeas, check out these other articles:
How Long For Hydrangea To Bloom?