How to Plant, Grow, and Care For BloomStruck® Hydrangeas

If you want a flowering shrub that puts on a season-long show, BloomStruck® Hydrangeas are the plant for you. In their native habitat, hydrangeas can cover the mountainsides of Asia. These flowering shrubs have come so far that today they can be seen in most manicured gardens and in wooded areas where they help with erosion control. 

Throughout this journey, the hydrangea has been hybridized quite a bit. The goal was always to make the plant better, stronger, and more beautiful. One of the most amazing hybridizations falls into the endless summer hydrangea group. These hydrangeas have developed to give us two full blooms each year. This allows our gardens to be full of fresh hydrangeas for an extended time.

There are many varieties within the endless summer collection of hydrangeas, but none quite so boldly colored or stunning as BloomStruck®. Let’s learn how to care for the BloomStruck® hydrangea! 

What are BloomStruck® Hydrangeas?

	common name BloomStruck® Hydrangea
	botanical name Hydrangea Macrophylla ‘PIIHM-II’ PP25,566
	genus Hydrangea
	plant type Deciduous Shrub
	bloom colors Blue-Purple, Green, Rose-Pink,
	sun requirements Partial Shade
	water needs Average
	height 3-4 feet
	hardiness zones USDA 4-9
	soil needs Acidic, Sandy Loam
	where to plant Border gardens, Container gardens, Perennial gardens

The BloomStruck® hydrangea is a member of the Endless Summer® collection. Endless summer hydrangeas are the first hydrangeas to bloom on both old and new wood, providing your gardens with an entire season of fresh gorgeous blossoms.

BloomStruck® will bloom either in shades of blue or pink, depending on the pH of your soil. These colorful mophead flowers will bloom on top of solid and sturdy stems with a reddish-purple tint. The stems and veins of the leaves also have this pretty red hue. The leaves will turn red in fall, continuing the color show that ‘BloomStruck’ promises.

Why You’ll Love Them

If you are looking for a bigleaf hydrangea that will keep your garden looking beautiful all season long, BloomStruck® is a great choice for you!

This hydrangea will give you two sets of blooms throughout the growing season, keeping it fresh and full of color for much longer than many other hydrangea varieties.

It is also incredibly easy to care for. Your maintenance schedule will consist of watering and deadheading.

Propagation

It is prohibited to propagate BloomStruck® hydrangeas for sale because it is a trademarked variety. However, hydrangeas are a great place to start if you want to play around with some propagation in your garden. 

The first step is to gather all the necessary tools. You most likely will have all of the supplies you need right at home:

• Clean garden snips
• Empty and clean pots
• Potting soil or sterile growing medium
• Water
• Rooting powder
• Garden stones or bricks
• Plastic bag

There are two primary ways to propagate these flowers: cuttings and layering.

Planting Steps

The best time of year to plant BloomStruck® hydrangeas is in spring or fall. The cooler temperatures will help the hydrangea establish itself without too much risk of transplant shock. 

Find your perfect partially shaded area in your garden and get digging! The hole should be about twice as wide and twice as deep as the root ball of your hydrangea. Place the hydrangea in the hole and ensure the plant is straight and any holes in the shrub are facing the back. Backfill with your garden soil and compost.

Watering your hydrangeas will be crucial to their success in your garden. Not only will you need to water them heavily for the first two weeks or so, but you must also keep an eye on them for their entire first growing season. This is why I prefer to do my planting in the springtime. 

If you have planted your hydrangeas in a large container, you must check the soil moisture daily. This is because the smaller amount of soil means less available water. If your hydrangea leaves point to the ground, this is a sign that it could use a drink.

How to Grow

BloomStruck® is delightfully easy to care for. Follow the steps and tips below to ensure you are getting the most out of your hydrangeas. 

Light

These flowering shrubs grow best in partial sun. Partial sun is about 4-5 hours of direct sunlight per day. It is even better if this sunlight is in the morning. Sunlight is vital for hydrangeas because it aids in the production of the flowers, which is pretty much why we are all growing hydrangeas, isn’t it?

However, too much sunlight for a bigleaf hydrangea can burn the leaves and cause them to continually dry out too quickly, which results in plant death over time. 

Water

This hydrangea variety requires an average amount of water, about one inch of water per week. The best practice is to water at the base of the plant. This will ensure that the roots absorb all the water they can while also aiding in the prevention of fungal diseases. 

Soil

This variety of hydrangea will grow well in most soil types. The key to keeping BloomStruck® happy is ensuring that your soil can retain some moisture without pooling. Too much water around the roots can lead to root rot and other fungal issues. 

Climate and Temperature

BloomStruck® is hardy in zones 4-9. This is a broad range; this plant is known for being exceptionally cold-hardy. However, this may not be the best shrub to plant in cooler zones unless you can protect it from winter winds.

If you plant it in warmer zones, take extra care to locate the plant in an area with morning sunlight and afternoon shade. This will ensure that the shrubs do not dry out too quickly. 

Fertilizer

To keep your BloomStruck® hydrangeas looking their best, you may want to add a bit of basic fertilizer in the spring. You may use your general landscape fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10, or you may wish to bump up your blooms with a higher phosphorous fertilizer, such as flower tone.

Do not fertilize your hydrangeas after August. Feeding this late in the season will push growth that won’t be able to withstand the winter temperatures. 

Compost is another great way to add nutrients to your soil while also improving the soil structure. Add an inch or so at any point in the season. I like to do this in the spring and when I add new plants to my gardens. 

Maintenance

To maintain the beauty of your hydrangeas, deadheading spent blossoms is recommended. You do not need to deadhead your hydrangeas if you do not want to. However, because of the re-blooming quality of the endless summer hydrangeas, removing the spent blossoms allows the newer blossoms to shine.

Pruning

This variety does not need to be pruned frequently. However, if you need to clean up and do some pruning, the best time to prune is in the spring.

This is the exception to the rule for pruning bigleaf hydrangeas. Endless summer hydrangeas bloom on old and new wood, making the pruning a bit more complicated.

In the spring, when you begin to see new leaves appearing at the base of the plant, you can prune some of the older and woodier stems. Be careful and take your time. DO NOT prune the green, soft buds! Instead, prune away brown and crunchy buds as well as woody stems. 

Changing Their Color

With BloomStruck®, you will either have a combination of blue and purple hydrangea flowers or rose and pink flowers. The pH of your soil is what will determine the color of your blossoms.

• Lower your pH (more acidic) = more blue and purple
• Higher soil pH (more alkaline) = pinker flowers

Luckily for all of us, there is a way to alter the color of your bigleaf hydrangea flowers. Start by getting a soil test to determine the pH of your soil. Alternatively, you can wait and observe the flower color when summer rolls around. 

Once you have this information, you can alter your soil’s pH accordingly. Head to your garden center and purchase the appropriate soil amendment. There are many products on the market that are specifically for use in altering your hydrangea flower colors.

If you cannot find these products, apply aluminum sulfate to your soil to make your flowers bluer or lime for pink blossoms. Be sure to read the application rates on the label!

Pests

This plant does not have too many issues with pests. But, as with any garden plant, you may encounter a few familiar foes throughout the summer. 

Aphids, Japanese beetles, and spider mites are common insects that will munch on your hydrangeas if they can. 

Aphids and spider mites can be removed with the spray from your hose. You can grab some neem oil from your local garden center if this doesn’t work.

Japanese beetles can be knocked into a bucket of soapy water. If Japanese beetles are a big issue, look at your nearby lawn. If you are noticing a lot of grub activity, be sure to treat your lawn. This will help to knock down the beetle population.

Diseases

Many hydrangeas are known to struggle with fungal diseases. But BloomStruck® has excellent disease resistance, especially when it comes to powdery mildew! This quality makes it a great choice if you live in a humid area where fungal diseases run rampant.

Another way to combat disease is by planting your hydrangeas at the appropriate spacing for their size. They should be planted about 4-5 feet apart from center to center. 

Plant Uses

This hydrangea is pretty when used as a foundation planting or as a hedge. You can also plant BloomStruck® in containers or your cutting garden, as these flowers make excellent additions to your bouquets. 

Frequently Asked Questions