Splashes Of Colors For My Shady Garden

A favorite of many gardeners - and deservedly so - Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer' is an exceptional mophead cultivar for 2 reasons. Firstly, its unique ability to bloom on both old and new growth, giving it the ability to bloom consistently and provide gorgeous flowers all summer long as flower buds are produced not only in the fall but also in spring and summer. Secondly, it enjoys an excellent winter hardiness, which makes flowering quite reliable, regardless of winter temperature. The flowers grow up to 8 in. wide (20 cm), pink in alkaline soils or blue in acidic soils.

Admired for its long-lasting, graceful flower plumes rising elegantly above fern-like mounds of glossy foliage, Chinese Astilbe 'Vision' is an eye-catching variety with thick pyramidal, slightly fragrant flower panicles. Each plume consists of hundreds of densely packed tiny flowers, each opening in succession, providing a long season of bloom in midsummer. Relatively trouble-free, it requires little maintenance, is drought and heavy shade tolerant, attracts butterflies but is deer & rabbit resistant!