The Blues

It's the little things that make joy in this world.  Today I have a rock with various paper things taped to it making it into a bird from my granddaughter, Grace.  Saturday, another granddaughter (1 year) was trying to whistle - and very proud of herself I might say.  Another little thing is one very beautiful blue hydrangea flower on my Endless Summer.

This is the first time it's bloomed.  Although it is classified hardy in Zone 5, it will not bloom if the tips of the branches have frozen because that's where next year's flowers form.  Seems rather a stretch to say it's hardy but won't bloom.

Gardeners can protect those ends with wrapping and insulating like a hybrid tea rose.  There's a reason I don't have hybrid tea roses.  I've been content (in a non-content way) to have this lovely bush in my flower bed without blooms.  The leaves are pretty, the shape is nice and it isn't bothered by pests.

This pretty little flower head is everything gardeners want in Endless Summer.  To have the blue color (instead of pink) the soil must be acidic and apparently mine is perfect.

I just might have to think of insulating this bush and see if next year it will be covered in these beauties. What do you do to make sure your  Endless Summer blooms?  I could use an idea or two.

UPDATE:

The above was written midsummer and not published.  In September/October the bush was covered with blooms.  Some didn't get very big before the first frost and none got as large as the first.  Encouraging at any rate.