Hydrangea macrophylla 'All Summer Beauty' (bigleaf hydrangea)
The shrub stature of All Summer Beauty bigleaf hydrangea is in the smaller category at 3-4' tall, but the mophead flowers are big, like big as the head of big kid. These big mopheads also age/antique nicely for cut flowers.
All Summer Beauty is a good name and tells us about its free flowering nature - all summer long it's been throwing out huge mopheads on its strong stems.
We read that it flowers on new growth and that makes sense because it keeps producing flowers throughout the growing season. However, it's not like Endless Summer that produces a wave in spring then a second wave in autumn. No, this doesn't flower with a second distinct wave like that. Rather, after the initial wave of flowering in spring, it continues to send out several stems at a time that flower throughout the summer.
This is an advantage because you can expect flowers out of step with the remontant waves of Endless Summer and its ilk and can have flowers for a bouquet in midsummer, when there aren't many other hortensias flowering.
- this mophead has the potential for giant flowers - the biggest in our garden
- single specimen and accent use
- large container use
- grouping and massing - large swaths
- flower and shrub borders
- tolerant of salt spray so great for maritime climates
- heat tolerant
- Spring: medium green
- Summer: medium green
Yes, I've come to the conclusion that Hydrangeas don't like to have their flower color profiled and clinically categorized like we humans try to do to everyone and everything. Please keep in mind that flower color varies widly and wildly depending on soil pH and the amount of aluminum actually in your soil, the amount of time aluminum has been availalbe to the plant (did you add Al only last month?), the unique propensity of how each cultivar reacts to Al, and if the flower heads get a touch of sunshine as they age.
The flower color is not as you described, it seems darker to me.
Same issues as when it's paler; say after me, "a-lum-i-num-a-vail-a-bil-i-ty plus time plus cultivar plus a touch of sunshine."
This is science for sure, but also a whole lot of art. Enjoy the outcome Mother Nature deals!