I never met a hydrangea I didn’t love but I’m especially partial to Summer Crush hydrangea. Their vibrant raspberry red color is so unique that complete strangers stop and gawk as they stroll past my house (or maybe they are judging the gnome on my porch steps). These are dwarf hydrangeas and will max out at just three feet tall and wide which means it’s easy to find a spot for one in any garden. I’m sharing all of my growing and care tips for this stunning hydrangea.
We all know and love the typical light blue and pink hydrangeas but if you are looking for something different, Summer Crush is your answer.
Is this a show stopper or what? Raspberry red blooms and deep green leaves make Summer Crush a stand out in the garden. This perennial blooms from June through September and depending on the acidity of the soil, flowers can even be a rich shade of neon purple.
This has been a banner year for hydrangeas and my Summer Crush is no exception!
If your hydrangeas are not blooming, make sure to read this post …
Why Aren’t My Hydrangeas Blooming
Summer Crush Hydrangea Planting and Care Tips
Find Your Zone
Summer Crush does well in zones 4 – 9 but for zones 4 and 5, plant in a sheltered location and make sure to mulch in the winter.
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Where to Plant
Hydrangeas prefer morning sun and partial afternoon shade but the farther south you live, the less sun these plants can handle. Late afternoon sun may fry the blooms.
Buy Summer Crush Hydrangeas Here.
How to Plant
Dig a hole as deep as the pot and about 1 1/2 the width of the pot.
Add fertilizer to the hole. Acid loving hydrangeas love this fertilizer.
Put hydrangea in hole making sure the place where the stem meets the top of the dirt of the plant is even with the ground.
Add quality planting mix and pack tightly.
Add mulch.
Water
Hydra means water and your hydrangeas need lots of it so water every day, especially during summer. Flowers might wilt in the afternoon sun but should perk back up when it cools down.
When to Prune
Although these hydrangeas bloom on both old and new wood, which means you can prune any time of the year, it’s best to prune in the fall to ensure you get the maximum amount of flowers. It’s ok to remove dead branches any time of the year.
If you’re looking for a unique hydrangea, I highly recommend Summer Crush. The two that flank my front walkway were planted over 10 years ago and they have rewarded me with gorgeous blooms every summer.
Can’t get enough hydrangeas?
Hydrangeas 101 – Everything You Need to Know
When to Prune Hydrangeas
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Endless Summer Hydrangeas
More Gardening Posts Here
Wow! These are beautiful! I’ve never seen or heard of these before so thank you for sharing and for the growing tips. I admire your green thumb!
Aren’t they unique Lisa!
Those are gorgeous. I have never tried Hydrangeas in my garden. Maybe I’ll give it a shot this year. That pink is so pretty!
You must Kathy! Plant in fall – summer is too hot!
What do you feed the crush hydrangeas to keep them really pink? I’m planting mine now and don’t want purple!
Me too! Surprised it wasn’t mentioned 🤔
I’ve read you can plant these in pots as they don’t get real big…thought….
Yes you definitely can Susan!
I have two of these that I planted last fall. The blooms are beautiful, but I was wondering how do you cut them for vases? Will the blooms reproduce after you cut one or two?
I don’t think they will rebloom from the place you cut Heather.
I just bought a summer crush hydrangea and I’m afraid to plant it bc I am really wanting the taller end of mature height at 36 inches. What I’m reading says they get from 18-36 inches tall and I’m wondering what can I do to ensure the higher end of that estimate? Does more sun make them grow taller? I have a great spot by my fence but I want this garden bed to look more full with some taller plants and would love having the blooms from this hydrangea but if it only ends up 18″ Id much rather it be somewhere else. Any tips or thoughts on this? I can’t seem to find anything related to how to ensure the higher end of mature height.
Hi Mindi! I love my summer crush hydrangea and it’s definitely about 36″ tall. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hydrangea that is only 18″ tall! I would suggest you try it out and if it doesn’t grow to the desired height, you can always move it.
Thank you so much!
Wow beautiful flowers!!! I just bought 4 summer crush hydrangea and can’t wait to plant them. The guy at the nursery told me Summer Crush was a new macrophylla species from the Endless Summer collection. I wonder if it’s true since you mentioned that yours were planted 10 years ago. I just hope I got the real deal 😩. Any thoughts?
I just read that Summer Crush came out in 2019!! This is making me second guess everything in my life LOL!
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