Rhythmic Blue® Reblooming Hydrangea

A real workhorse, the Let's Dance® Rhythmic Blue® hydrangea flowers in early summer, then reblooms in later summer. The reliable blooms are held up on sturdy stems. Good wilt resistance adds to its appeal. The real show, however, is its easy shift from pink to rich amethyst-blue flowers by adjusting the soil pH. It has the richest, most vibrant blue seen on a hydrangea! And sturdy stems keep the flower heads upright. They make an excellent cut flower for bouquets that last for days. Let's Dance® Rhythmic Blue® hydrangea prefers moist, well-drained soils. Soil pH will affect flower color. Add aluminum sulfate to the soil to encourage blue flower color. As a young plant, it is best to prune or pinch your Let's Dance® Rhythmic Blue® hydrangea to build a full-bodied, well-branched plant. When dried, the arrangements can last almost forever. If the plant is leggy when you purchase it, shear it back hard by 1/3 to 1/2 its original size. Cease pruning and pinching to allow the flower buds to set. Once it puts on an inch or two of growth, pinch the branch tips to remove just the growing tip. This tip controls branching. Once it is removed, the buds below it will turn into stems. Once these new branches grow an inch or two, pinch the tip out again. You can repeat this throughout the first growing season to obtain a well-branched, full-bodied plant with more flowers in subsequent years. The second season in the ground, repeat the pinching practice (or lightly shear) until mid-August. Fun Fact: The Let's Dance® series of reblooming hydrangeas, including Let's Dance® Rhythmic Blue® hydrangea, were developed in Michigan. They went through a gauntlet of brutal treatment to ensure that they would still create new wood flower buds during the growing season when it counts. They were bred to withstand cold weather especially. So, if you have cold winters where you are, consider these shrubs a must for your garden!