LET’S DANCE SKY VIEW®
hydrangea macrophylla x serrata
Enjoy Dreamy Blue Hydrangeas All Summer
- Abundant, mophead flowers are easier to shift from pink to blue
- Blooms in summer; rebloomer
- Cold hardy buds and stems
- Smaller size makes it versatile in containers and landscapes
- Thrives in part sun to full sun
- Measures 2-3’ tall x 2-4’ spread
- Perennial in USDA zones 4-9
- Pronounced “High-DRANGE-uh”
Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could bring the color of the sky down to eye level? You can with Let’s Dance Sky View® reblooming hydrangea! Though hydrangeas like this typically bloom pink in alkaline soil, modern breeding has made it easier to shift their color to blue when you adjust your soil’s chemistry. That makes it possible for many more people to enjoy blue hydrangeas in their gardens.
This newer variety has been trialed extensively for garden performance from Michigan to Florida and has been a standout across its entire hardiness range. Durable flower buds and an ability to rebloom from summer through fall make it an exceptional bigleaf hydrangea for gardens across North America.
how to grow let’s dance sky view® hydrangea
Planting
Let’s Dance Sky View® reblooming hydrangea grows in USDA zones 4-9. In cooler climates, it grows and blooms prolifically in full sun but will also flower in as little as four hours of direct sun. If you live in a warm climate, it’s a good idea to provide some shade during the hottest part of the day. No matter where you garden, your hydrangea will benefit from a 2-3″ layer of mulch to keep the roots cool and moist.
Ideally, this type of hydrangea prefers rich, acidic soil that remains consistently moist. Acidic soils (pH less than 7.0) free up the aluminum present in the soil so the flowers bloom sky blue. When the soil is alkaline, the plant is not able to absorb aluminum as easily, so the flowers bloom purple or pink. You can shift the pH of your soil somewhat to make your hydrangea bloom more blue or pink using a product like Espoma’s Soil Acidifier. One thing that makes Let’s Dance Sky View hydrangea so unique is that the soil won’t need to be very acidic for the flowers to turn blue. That makes doing so more achievable across wider swathes of North America.
Good drainage is important for hydrangeas even though they like the soil to stay consistently moist. If you garden in heavy clay, plant them in a raised bed or plant “high”. Planting high means instead of positioning the shrub even with the ground level like you would other plants, dig a slightly shallower hole and position it so that the base of the plant is a bit higher than the ground. This encourages water to drain away from the plant rather than settling around it. Mulch well after planting.
If you wish, you may fertilize your hydrangeas in early spring once the ground has thawed. We typically recommend one formulated for roses since hydrangeas enjoy similar nutrients. Doing so will encourage them to start the season off strong. No additional feeding is necessary.
Pruning
Reblooming hydrangeas like Let’s Dance Sky View produce flowers on both old and new wood. That makes it tough to find a good time to prune them without sacrificing some flowers. We suggest that you avoid pruning reblooming hydrangeas at all except to remove any completely dead branches in the spring once the plant starts to leaf out.
One common misconception about hydrangeas is that you can prune them throughout the season to keep them shorter. Hydrangeas are not like other shrubs, such as boxwood or holly, which can be pruned to maintain a smaller size. If you prune your hydrangea down, it will quickly grow right back to its original size.
Fortunately, Let’s Dance Sky View hydrangea is a shorter variety that grows just two to three feet tall – short enough to fit under a window ledge. Choose a place where it can flourish without needing to be pruned to size.
If, for some reason, you do need to cut your Let’s Dance Sky View hydrangea back, understand that you will be sacrificing some of the flowers when you do so. Do not cut the stems back by greater than one third as that can produce soft, floppy growth.
Companions
Which companions you choose for Let’s Dance Sky View hydrangea depends on where you live. In the North where it grows best in full sun to light shade, choose sun-loving companions. In the South where it needs some afternoon shade, pair it with more shade-loving plants.
NORTH: Keeping in mind that Let’s Dance Sky View hydrangea grows 2-3’ tall and blooms from summer into fall, look for sun-loving companions that are shorter and taller to create a grouping.
Pearl Glam® beautyberry (Callicarpa) grows 4-5’ tall and has dark foliage flushed with purple tones that complement blue and pink hydrangea flowers. In the fall, bright purple-violet berries carry the visual interest into early winter. It would make a perfect backdrop for your garden bed. In front, try growing a few shorter plants around its feet like Magic Show® ‘White Wands’ speedwell and Supertunia Mini Vista® Pink Star petunias.
Pearl Glam Callicarpa
SOUTH: Let’s Dance Sky View hydrangea requires more shade and more frequent watering in warmer climates, so you will want to choose companions that enjoy those same conditions.
Brandywine™ southern witherod viburnum (V. nudum) grows 5-6’ tall and has glossy, green leaves that turn deep maroon red in the fall. Its berries transition through shades of green, ivory, pink and blue – all colors that would complement Let’s Dance Sky View hydrangea’s blooms. A skirt of Summer Wave® Large Blue wishbone flowers growing around the base would provide continuous color from planting time until frost.
Brandywine™ Viburnum
top 3 reasons to grow Let’s Dance Sky View® hydrangea
GORGEOUS SKY BLUE BLOSSOMS
Easy to shift from pink to blue, you’ll soon enjoy the color of the sky down at eye level.
OUTSTANDING IN GARDENS FROM MICHIGAN TO FLORIDA
Trust this extensively trialed hydrangea to grow beautifully in your own garden.
DURABLE BUDS MEAN MORE BLOOMS
Cold hardy flower buds and an ability to continue to produce new flowers means you’ll have loads of flowers to enjoy and share.
Let’s Dance Sky View® Hydrangea macrophylla × serrata ‘SMNHSME’ USPP 34,327, Can PBRAF