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So pretty, it's hard to believe it's so tough!
But indeed, Tuff Stuff™ mountain hydrangea lives up to its name. It shares the showy blooms and beautiful pink or purple color of big-leaf hydrangeas, but because it grows wild on the chilly mountain tops instead of the mild seaside, it naturally developed substantially better cold tolerance. The sturdy lacecap blooms will be bright pink or deep purple-blue, depending on your soil pH, and the handsome dark green foliage resists wilting. If you've had trouble getting big-leaf hydrangeas to bloom reliably in your landscape, try Tuff Stuff - it's the reblooming hydrangea that really does.
Top reasons to grow Tuff Stuff hydrangea:
- less affected by cold winters than big-leaf hydrangeas, but equally colorful and showy
- lacecap flowers attract pollinators
- reblooms: blooms early in summer on old wood, then again on new wood
- tidy habit means no pruning
Landscapes
Prefers moist, well-drained soil. Supplemental water may be needed in very hot weather. In hotter climates, afternoon shade is beneficial. Like all hydrangeas, it benefits from a 2-3"/5-7 cm layer of shredded bark mulch.
Tuff Stuff hydrangea should not be pruned except to remove any dead wood in spring, after the new growth begins to emerge on the stems. Older plants can have their oldest stems thinned periodically.
Flower color will vary depending on soil. In acidic soils with abundant aluminum (a naturally occuring soil mineral), color will tend more to purple-blue. In alkaline soil or those lacking in aluminum, flowers will be a deep pink.
Great Bush, it’s on it’s 3rd summer. This lest winter was extremely frigid in my area and this beauty came through like a champ. Make sure to mulch it good late spring/early summer and keep watered on hot weather.
Have had this plant for a season and a half. It is a vigorous producer of new stems compared to most hydrangea. Mine was killed to the ground in the Polar Vortex in zone 6B, but has rebounded with 40+ new stems. As with most new wood bloomers and rebloomers, most growth this year following the vortex came in the form of thick stems and large leaves with few blooms. There were around 5 total blooms around the base/perimeter of the plant, but that was it. I'd expect a lot more after a milder winter. The bloom performance was on par with staples like Endless Summer and the Let's Dance series, as nothing across the board bloomed very well this summer.
I believe the advertised size should be bumped up a bit, since mine has grown from the ground to a height of 30" and a width of 50+" in one season alone. I'd imagine milder climates could see one of these reaching 5x5'!
Professional Growing Information 
