LET’S DANCE SKY VIEW® Continuous Blooming Hydrangea

Light: For gardens at the cooler end of the hardiness range, Let’s Dance Sky View hydrangea will thrive in areas with anywhere from four to six hours of sun and does benefit from shade. For gardens at the warmer end of the range, it benefits from placement in afternoon shade. It can experience some browning on the tops of the leaves called sunburn if it’s exposed to too much sun, this is a good hint that it needs transplanting to a shadier spot.Soil: Prefers moist soil that drains easily. Soil pH and the presence of aluminum do affect flower color. In basic soils, also called alkaline, (pH of 7.5 or higher) the coloring will be pink. In acidic soils (pH of 6.5 or less), where the chemical element aluminum is present, the coloring will be blue or purple, depending on how acidic the soil is, as well as how much aluminum the soil contains.Water: Average to high. Big leaf hydrangeas like Let’s Dance Sky View are not drought tolerant, but they do need well-drained soil. Watering  can be reduced with the use of a 2-3″ layer of shredded bark mulch (or other organic mulch, like pine straw – avoid inorganic mulches like rocks) and/or by siting in a spot with afternoon shade.Fertilizing: Nothing special required. If desired, you may apply a granular fertilizer formulated for flowering woody plants, like a rose fertilizer, in late winter/early spring when the soil is workable.Pruning: Pruning big leaf hydrangeas is not recommended nor required. Flower buds form on old wood, so any cuts will likely remove flowering potential. Dead or damaged wood can be removed at any time, just cut back to a set of leaves. Even though Let’s Dance Sky View is a continuous blooming hydrangea that flowers on old and new wood, we recommend you still avoid pruning it for the most flowers and longest bloom period. If desired, deadheading can be done after bloom; just follow the stem down to the first set of leaves and cut ¼ of an inch above them.Other: Makes a beautiful cut flower, and because Let’s Dance Sky View is a continuous blooming hydrangea, cutting flowers to enjoy in a vase has much less impact on future flowering than on conventional big leaf hydrangeas.