The First Red Hydrangea that Blooms on New Growth!

2006 has had an incredible number of outstanding plant introductions and its only February. This week we are featuring yet another new plant sure to be a standout for years to come - Hydrangea Forever & Ever Red. A sport of the original Forever & Ever, this large mophead is the first red hydrangea that blooms on new growth! The brilliant red flowers top the burgundy stems and mature to wonderful shades of purple. The plant habit is compact, maturing to only 4 feet tall and wide.

Repeat Blooms on a Compact Plant

If you are a lover of the Endless Summer, this is a must have for your spring garden. Like it's parent, the original Forever & Ever, Forever & Ever Red appears to have all of the qualities of the Endless Summer Hydrangea that gardeners have fallen in love with. It blooms repeatedly on both old and new wood, ensuring that your hydrangea will be covered in beautiful blooms throughout the season - proven reliably winter hardy to Zone 4 (minus 30 degrees) tested in Michigan. Also, Hydrangea Forever & Ever Red is reportedly unaffected by soil PH. The color should be red changing to purple in all soils. Being overly cautious, in really acid soils I suggest adding a couple of handfuls of lime when planting. From what we have seen and heard, Forever & Ever has many qualities that quite possibly

may make it superior to Endless Summer (if that is possible!), including:

Larger blossom clusters

Larger individual florets with frilled petal edges

More compact growth habit by, about a foot

Waxy, leathery leaves

Planting and Care

For best results plant early Spring to late Summer

Perform best in moist, but not wet, soil. Add Soil Moist if you think the soil is too dry

Prefers an area with morning sun and afternoon shade

Plant so the top of the root ball is a half-inch below the surface of the soil

Mulch with two-three inches of organic mulch

Use a handful of Bulb-Tone fertilizer at planting and again in late November and early March

Can be cut back in Spring or Summer or die to the ground in Winter and still have many blooms the next season

Remove the spent blooms as they fade and watch the plant continue to bloom all summer long

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