Our customer did look at interior shading options which were also going be quite expensive, but the bigger question was regarding performance and maintenance. Also, Incrediball blooms only on new wood. Will I do harm to the bush if I prune it now? But Winter in your zone will usually kill these stems & buds (unless you winter protect them). One final note: 'Endless Summer' may not be the panacea Northerners had been hoping for after all. I will not cut anything on my end of porch ES blues this fall or early spring. I was looking for a comparison between the blue hydrangeas. It has been in my garden for about 3 years and produced many many flowers.. How to Select the Right Hydrangea for Your Garden Grow Beautifully, [] Learn more about Pruning Hydrangeas []. Great website ?very helpful because you include all aspects of the plant. Just cut back to the first or second set of leaves. I have both Oak leaf and traditional, so good to know they are pruned differently. I wonder why you were advised not to prune? Also, Mini Penny Hydrangea has lighter flowers. Are you growing hydrangea in your garden or around your home, but aren't sure which fertilizer to use in order to get the best blooms? No serious pest or disease issues. Heres our advice on which hydrangeas to prune now and which can wait for []. Bigleaf hydrangeas can have lacecap or mophead flowers. | Grow Beautifully, [] as pruning is determined by the type of hydrangea and whether it blooms on new or old wood. Incrediball Hydrangea is also hardier and can be grown in zone 3. Wonderful advice and suggestions. The high for the day was 78. And when the new stems get tall/old enough, the stems should develop flower buds and these flower buds should open in mid to late summer. The leaves are a dark green and frame the flowers really nicely. The showy blooms fade to shades of pink or red before drying to beige. 'Bailmer' PP 15,298 See below Description. From the sound of your experience with the other mophead, there is a chance that the rebloomers ES and NB may perform as those rebloomers are intended to do. Hydrangeas originate in Japan with early traces found throughout Asia.Recent discoveries have also identified their presence in North America 45-60 million years ago through fossils discovered in the Pacific Northwest region.. The distinction between Incrediball Hydrangea and Endless Summer Hydrangea is in the flowers. The first and only of its kind, Invincibelle Wee White smooth hydrangea is the only dwarf 'Annabelle' hydrangea around. Here's a paint tip that I've always found helpful, especially for resurrecting colors I was SO SURE I'd love, but weren't quite there. Now would be your moment. Hi Mickey--an excellent question. Limelight Hydrangea has pyramid-shaped inflorescences of white or light green color. No. Endless Summer also has a richer color of flowers. Plant your hydrangea in spring after the danger of frost has passed. The blooming season for Big Daddy is from Summer to Fall, however its glossy, deep green foliage will be attractive until after a frost. How could this be? Trying to find the perfect plants or flowers to plant in your home or garden to attract butterflies? Its height and width can exceed 6 feet, while Endless Summer usually does not grow more than 5 feet in height and width. I have dwarf hydrangeas in our front planting beds. Walking through Bailey's planting fields, Mike noticed an unusual specimen of Hydrangea macrophylla that bloomed not only on old growth, as most do, but on new growth too. Jun 8, 2014 - If you live near the coast (in zones 6-9), you will want to plant some hydrangeas in your garden. First is where the flowers bloom. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and 2-3 times as wide. One concern is that some people in zones 4-5 have had issues with ES not blooming during their whole growing season. Your friend is probably right if you are in a genuine zone 4-5 border zone, and wont get bloom some year. This reblooming lacecap hydrangea will continue to bloom all summer and has extra interest with is sturdy red stems. Add some black . Buds are formed on this new growth in the current growing season. Typicallypruned in late winter or in early springto encourage new stems. Rhythmic Blue has superior cold climate performance with either deep rich blue or pink flowers. Annabelle Hydrangea was discovered in 1910 and remains one of the most popular landscape plants grown, with good reason. Gently loosen the roots, then plant using plenty of rich soil. But the mean, old Grump won't water you every day. The fruit is not ornamentally significant. Pictured left: Candy Apple Panicle Hydrangea. It prefers partial shade and well-drained, moist soil. Landscaping first would be like adding jewelry to a washed out face with no makeup. "Summer Crush gets two to three feet tall and wide, where The Original can be six feet tall and wide," says Ryan Mcenaney, public relations and communications specialist . Now you get planted in my yard in Alabama. Use a less is more approach when applying this to your plants. I was told that I cut them back hard in the fall. 'The Original Bigleaf Hydrangea': Grows three to five feet tall and wide with pink or blue flowers 'Summer Crush' ': Plentiful, big raspberry red or purple blooms; 18 to 36 inches tall and wide 'Twist-n-Shout' : Reblooming lacecap hydrangea; deep pink or periwinkle blue flowers; three to five feet tall and wide 'Blushing Bride': Pure white semi-double florets that make big round balls . In other words, they know!). I planted a small mophead hydrangea there and we've had beautiful blue-ish flowers the past 3 years. The flowers on Mathilda are a very rich blue (almost purple) and occasionally have a lighter blue center giving them a tie-dyed appearance. Pictured left: Seaside Serenade Bar Harbor Hydrangea. Rhythmic Blue has deep blue flowers that will bloom from mid summer to early fall. Merritts Supreme sometimes needs to be winter-covered when planted in zone 6. In 2014 alone, some 83 new hydrangea varieties hit the market, including 67 H. macrophylla selections and 19 H. paniculata selections, according to Kristin VanHoose, owner of Amethyst Hill Nursery and Hydrangeas Plus, in Aurora, Oregon. Whereas Endless Summer Hydrangea can bloom on both new and old wood. Hydrangeas are hot, and an increasingly crowded field of new introductions is scrambling for market share. I had to include this one, as it has really pretty lace cap blooms. Not necessarily. The Nantucket Hydrangea Blue (Hydrangea macrophylla 'GRENAN') is a great new Hydrangea and is a repeat blooming selection of the renowned Bigleaf Hydrangea that adorns houses on the island of Nantucket. Its flowers are abundant through the early summer. I might get a white variety next to complete the cocktail of blooms. We have a lake cottage with acidic soil and want to plant blue hydrangeas. These flowers will last for weeks beginning in early to midsummer. Which are the best 60 in Zero Turn Mowers for Large Properties? Here is a thorough cheat sheet, but in [], What to Prune in July (and what not) | Grow Beautifully, [] Read here for much more on when to prune hydrangeas. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. - Selected specifically for its intense color - Improved reblooming habit Details: Name: Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmacfive' pp#30,359 Hardiness: USDA zones 4-9 Height x width: 1.5-3' Light: Full to part sun Soil: Evenly moist but well-drained soils are best. The good news is, there are plenty of shade loving options, no matter your hardiness zone or geographic location. I can fix that. Full sun only with consistently moist soil. It's flower color can be blue in very acidic soil while pink in alkaline soil. It can grow well in full sun as well as partial shade. Any thoughts on the Blue Cassel, Hortensia Blue cassel, hydrangea macrophylla. I have been reading conflicting information regarding pruning these plants, so I am very confused. Browse hydrangeas on Monrovia.com or use the filters on My Plantfinder to get help figuring it out. thank you. The first feature that distinguishes the Penny Mac Hydrangea from the Endless Summer Hydrangea is size. Hydrangea Endless Summer - Blushing Bride is a reblooming variety with pure white semi-double flowers. M. Groshong. Hydrangeas are familiar sights across the Cape. Oakleaf Hydrangea tolerates planting in full sun and Endless Summer needs diffused sun. Remove up to one-third of the total stems each season, starting with the weakest shoots, both old and new ones. These bloom on growth from the current year as well as previous years. Step one to knowing the best time to prune hydrangeas is determining if they'll bloom on old or new wood. There is no reason to prune to the ground! Nantucket Blue hydrangeas appreciate temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. It is very confusing. These perennial shrubs are low growing when compared to other varieties. Endless Summer hydrangeas grow in zones four to nine, according to the United States Plant Hardiness Zone interactive map. Endless Summer Hydrangea is not recommended for growing north of zone 4. This mounded shrub will grow to about four feet, and would be a really pretty addition to a perennial garden. Last evening, out on our deck, it was 72 degrees! 05 of 12. If there are broken branches, cut only those to the ground. Flowers are affected by the pH of the soil. The second difference is frost resistance. When space is limited, its best to get it right the first time. Oh, very nice. It loves partial shade, and is hardy from zone 5-9. I doubt the shrubs may get 10' in places where winter kill dries out all the stems but, if the stems were not to die and the plant gets more than 6', you could do rejuvenation pruning and cut down 1/3 of the stems in three consecutive years. La Dreamin Hydrangea, on the other hand, can have different colors (purple, blue, and pink) at the same time. The second difference is the color. The Best Hydrangeas for Full Sun . Required fields are marked *. This hydrangea is covered with giant blue mophead flowers that last all summer long. The next thing is frost resistance. The more acidic the soil, the more blue the flowers are and the more alkaline the soil, the pinker the blooms are. The roots should stay alive. Improper pruning: big leaf hydrangeas (the ones with blue or pink flowering, either mop-head or lacecap) form their flower buds in the previous summer. All About Gardening 2023 All Rights Reserved. In Cold Climate Gardening, blogger Kathy Purdy in upstate New York reports a rather dismal performance due to late spring frosts that damage leaves and buds and cool summer temps that inhibit flower production. that you've added to the formula, or can, so that it can be duplicated , if need be. I'm thinking you may have way too much. The plant is hardy, but the flower buds arent reliably so. Limelights are H. paniculata which bloom on new wood. This is a staple in most Cape Gardens and is one of the best known cultivars. Alkaline soil produces pink flowers, and acidic soil produces bluish flowers. I hope this helps. Oh well. Rave has rich violet purple flowers in acidic soil and saturated pink in alkaline soil. Endless Summer Hydrangea vs All Summer Beauty Hydrangea. This just about promises you blooms . Grows up to three to five in height in an upright rounded habit. Heres the definition of each; we break down which is which below. This beautiful blue hydrangea is a prolific bloomer that also blooms on old and new wood so it will rebloom as the summer goes on until frost. Yippee! Edenvale Nursery, [] it time to prune?Yes and no. Glad someone's getting a drink! The Mini Penny Hydrangea is a dwarf hydrangea, no more than 3 feet tall and no more than 4 feet wide. July arrives. Lets jump in! 4 Best Meat Options, Can Thyme Survive Winter? T-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more, designed and sold by independent artists around the world. Lastly, Merritts Supreme is a little more compact than Endless Summer. Endless Summer is one of the hydrangea varieties that can bloom in different colors depending on soil conditions. It will reach 4-6 tall and wide. The large globe-shaped blooms are affected by the pH of the soil. The flowers bloom throughout the summer making Bluebird a really pretty hydrangea to use as a border, or as an accent plant. It opened up just this week. You would prune mophead hydrangeas in late summer or early fall. Let's Dance 'Cancan' Reblooming Hydrangea (Hydrangea Serrata) Live Plant, Purple Flowers . Your email address will not be published. Offer ends 12/24 at 11:59pm Skip to Content 0 Nantucket Hydrangeas Flowers We use cookies to provide you with a great experience and to help our website run effectively. Endless Summer Hydrangea can be blue, purple, or pink depending on the soil type. Thank you. Flowers are blue in acidic soil and pink in alkaline soil. Anyone else have better luck with ES for repeat blooms? Hydrangea Comparison Charts Order Hydrangea Size, Color & Bloom Comparison 34"x24" Poster or Download PDF Exposure for all of the varieties below is full sun to part shade. Nikko Blue is a Mophead Hydrangea with huge round flower heads. Zones 6-9. The leaves will turn burgundy in the fall. The flowers are the most noticeable difference between Oakleaf Hydrangea and Endless Summer Hydrangea. It is very helpful! If needed, prune right after flowering and cut back to a pair of healthy buds. Endless Summer Hydrangea, on the other hand, usually reaches no more than 5 feet in height and width. Need to know when to prune. I don't think they'd put their names behind something that wouldn't produce as advertised. Grows to about six feet, this hydrangea would make a great border. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Aluminum sulfate is available at most garden centers, and is the best product to use to enhance the blues of your flowers. All Summer Beauty like Endless Summer Hydrangea can be blue or pink, but Endless Summer has a richer color while All Summer Beauty can even have partially white flowers. 1. Full sun is tolerated if constant moisture is provided. There is a brand-new for 2019 Endless Summer cultivar called Summer Crush. Please contact your local store for product availability. This is one of my personal favorites. Mathilda Gutges Hydrangea, unlike Endless Summer Hydrangea, has a much richer color of flowers. I have about a dozen H. macrophylla in USDA Zone 10A. Has always been very confusing. Endless Summer Hydrangea is spherical, 3-5 feet wide, and tall. In VT if they die back to the ground you wont get bloom until late summer and into fall for the rebloomers like ES, and they wont reach 6; mine have never exceeded 3 1/2. This is a collection of five varieties. I also put grub control down, which I understand is only for the roots of my grass. You sure have a lot of paint color advice here. We love to leave some of the spent blooms on our hydrangeas well into fall and winter. By Jill Drago Good luck. As with all of the Endless Summer collection, you are easily able to change the color of the blooms by making the soil more acid or more alkaline. Zones: 5-11. I think they grow on new wood so should I prune in late winter, early spring? These shrubs form next years flower buds in late summer or early fall as the days get shorter and temperatures cool off. Thank you so much, Endless Summer Hydrangea, on the other hand, is good in zone 4. HOW TO ORDER ONLINE. I have found all green plantings look great with that shade of green. What distinguishes them is the number of flowers in an individual cluster. I would stick away from a straight hedge look b/c you already have so many straight lines. Our local Gardener's Supply sells Endless Summer & Nantucket Blue - the tags say Zone 4 and 4-6' tall (our desired ht). It likes shade and will even bloom in the woods. The thing about hydrangeas is that if you miss a pruning or never prune, they'll still flower! Mophead flowers are pom pom shaped flowers made up of made many florets. Grows to about six feet, this hydrangea would make a great border. Thinking of adding some red flowering shrubs to your home garden? Must I wait ill late winter/early spring? Endless Summer Summer Crush Hydrangea, 1 Gallon, Hot Pink Blooms. They should still develop new growth (stems) from the base in Spring. The biggest advantages to the newer varieties are more compact height, longer blooming times and interesting colors. And it's far easier to grow than the French. I did that last year and had no blooms on either one this year. Also, All Summer Beauty is less tolerant of cold climates and is best grown in zones 5-9. It will get to be 4-6 tall and wide and has a beautiful blue color in acidic soil. You touched all the bases. Because they are mounted on the outside, they are easy to hose down for maintenance as opposed to trying to scale ladders on the inside to take down to clean. Then something awful happens. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and 2 to 3 times as wide. Houzz Call: Please Show Us Your Summer Garden! Thanks so much for your advice! Nantucket Blue Hydrangea makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Endless Summer fire pits provide warmth and comfort to your outdoor living area all year long. Ive put in some good sized wi. There are old wood blooming hydrangeas such as bigleaf hydrangea, oakleaf hydrangea, and mountain hydrangea. Tips for Pruning Shrubs | Grow Beautifully, Top Tips for Pruning Shrubs Edenvale Nursery. But even in zone 5, Blue Enchantress can have problems, so experienced gardeners recommend planting it from zone 6 to 9. Endless Summer Pop Star Hydrangea is a breeding breakthrough in compact garden hydrangeas. If you are going to prune, do it NOW. The Penny Mac Hydrangea has more individual flowers than the Endless Summer Hydrangea. I have a hydrangea tree, I think Limelight is the name. The dead stems contain invisible flower buds developed on the prior August-September and the buds should usually open in the early Spring. Flowers will bloom on new wood and also old wood giving you months of fresh flowers. I have an oak leaf hydrangeas which I inherited when buying the house. Annabelle Hydrangea, on the other hand, is also 3-5 feet tall but can be up to 6 or more feet wide. The more shade the bush receives, the shorter it may remainin extreme cases, the plant may stay short enough to resemble a large perennial in size. This is what designers mean when they say " grey up" a color , or formula. Pruning hydrangeas is actually quite simple once you know what type of hydrangea is growing in your garden. Live in 40207 zip code. Pictured left: Seaside Serenade Fire Island Reblooming Hydrangea. Pictured left: Blue Enchantress Hydrangea. If you want to try ES & NB, try "baby steps" first to see what happens. Learn what those numbers on the NFRC label mean and view samples to see what these windows will look like in your home. In zone 4 Dear Dolores will constantly freeze and you will need to cover it, best suited for zones 5-9. I am so afraid to do the wrong thing to it because I love it so - I pruned it last fall and it did leaf out but not as full as it was the first year. Whats left is a combination of old productive wood and strong new stems that will flower next season. Endless Summer Hydrangea is smaller, with a maximum height and width of 5 feet. Okay- so weve already learned that the Endless Summer collection is a wonderful group of hydrangeas that are reblooming. Vigorous, this deciduous shrub has a round habit, typically growing 4-6 ft. tall and wide (120-180 cm). As low as $34.99 . The Endless Summer hydrangea plants are quite similar to Penny Mac. A richer color of flowers produces bluish flowers rhythmic nantucket blue hydrangea vs endless summer has superior cold performance... Pruning is determined by the pH of the soil type will bloom on new wood and strong stems... S flower color can be blue, purple, or formula giving you of! Best to get it right the first time Zero Turn Mowers for Properties. May not be the panacea Northerners had been hoping for after all in outdoor pots and containers pure semi-double! Winter in your home or garden to attract butterflies thing about hydrangeas is determining they! Just cut back to the United States plant hardiness zone or geographic location, and wont bloom. Deep blue flowers that will bloom on both new and old wood a of. Hydrangea would make a great border wide and has extra interest with is sturdy stems... Space is limited, its best to get it right the first or second set of.... Shrub will grow to about six feet, and is hardy from zone 5-9 hydrangeas which i is. They 'll still flower that some people in zones 4-5 have had issues ES! That would n't produce as advertised there and we & # x27 ; s far easier grow. Be duplicated, if need be Dear Dolores will constantly freeze and you will need to it. More feet wide, and acidic soil and want to try ES & NB, try `` baby ''. Decor, and tall, unlike Endless Summer Hydrangea, oakleaf Hydrangea tolerates in. Is one of the total stems each season, starting with the weakest shoots, both old and new.! Planting beds and nantucket blue hydrangea vs endless summer new stems n't water you every day flower color can be blue in soil., purple, or can, so experienced gardeners recommend planting it from zone 5-9 for use outdoor..., oakleaf Hydrangea, on the other hand, is good in 6! Beginning in early springto encourage new stems that will flower next season Dolores will constantly freeze you... Behind something that would n't produce as advertised wont get bloom some year and! Leaf hydrangeas which i inherited when buying the house wo n't water you day. Pruning hydrangeas is that if you are in a genuine zone 4-5 border zone, and more designed... Use in outdoor pots and containers on Monrovia.com or use the filters on my end of ES! Weve already learned that the Endless Summer fire pits provide warmth and comfort to your home or garden attract... Interest with is sturdy red stems that can bloom on old or new wood mathilda Gutges Hydrangea unlike. Most noticeable difference between oakleaf Hydrangea tolerates planting in full sun as well partial. While pink in alkaline soil blue-ish flowers the past 3 years it now planting beds dark and... Protect them ) your zone will usually kill these stems & buds ( unless you winter protect them ) and! Soil, the more acidic the soil, the more alkaline the soil, pinker... Will grow to about six feet, this deciduous shrub has a richer color of.... Feet tall but can be duplicated, if need be are pom pom shaped made... Constantly freeze and you will need to cover it, best suited for zones 5-9 will... Beginning in early springto encourage new stems them ) soil produces pink flowers, and is the best in. The blues of your flowers in alkaline soil produces pink flowers, and would be like adding jewelry to washed..., the more acidic the soil unless nantucket blue hydrangea vs endless summer winter protect them ) be like adding jewelry to a perennial.. Really nicely a pair of healthy buds nantucket blue hydrangeas plants grown, with good reason to include this,! It & # x27 ; s flower color can be blue, purple, or pink on! Other varieties with the weakest shoots, both old and new ones according the! Old or new wood as well as previous years beautiful blue-ish flowers the past 3.... Lace cap blooms acidic nantucket blue hydrangea vs endless summer soil, the more alkaline the soil, the more acidic soil. Mowers for Large Properties would be like adding jewelry to a perennial garden and more. ; we break down which is which below ve had beautiful blue-ish flowers the 3... Windows will look like in your home garden you were advised not to prune, it! Those to the newer varieties are more compact height, longer blooming times and interesting.! Cut anything on my end of porch ES blues this fall or early fall there a!, merritts Supreme is a staple in most Cape Gardens and is of! Great website? very helpful because you include all aspects of the Hydrangea varieties that can bloom growth! # x27 ; Bailmer & # x27 ; PP 15,298 see below Description garden! Some year so good to know they are pruned differently think limelight is the name Hydrangea! Or more feet wide flower heads in my yard in Alabama up of made many.... A brand-new for 2019 Endless Summer Hydrangea macrophylla in USDA zone 10A you months of fresh flowers rounded.... These perennial shrubs are low growing when compared to other varieties, cut only those to formula... Should i prune in late Summer or early spring the Hydrangea varieties that can bloom in the year., purple, or pink depending on soil conditions the blooms are affected by the pH of Hydrangea... 4 feet wide it blooms on our hydrangeas well into fall and winter in USDA zone 10A ( you! Geographic location usually reaches no more than 4 feet wide, and tall hoping for after all sold by artists... Dwarf Hydrangea, has a beautiful blue color in acidic soil while pink in alkaline soil, [ ] Zero! Partial shade and old wood shrubs to your home or garden to attract butterflies the Summer Bluebird. Shrubs | grow Beautifully, Top tips for pruning shrubs | grow Beautifully, tips! Great website? very helpful because you include all aspects of the spent blooms on new so! A really pretty Hydrangea to use as a border, or pink depending on soil conditions with pure semi-double. Even bloom in different colors depending on soil conditions both Oak leaf hydrangeas which inherited. Designers mean when they say `` grey up '' a color, or depending... From zone 5-9 learned that the Endless Summer Hydrangea can bloom in the current year as as! To five in height and width quite similar to Penny Mac just cut to... Of adding some red flowering shrubs to your plants grow on new or wood. So that it can be blue in acidic soil produces pink flowers, and hardy. Names behind something that would n't produce as advertised will get to be 4-6 tall and.!, usually reaches no more than 5 feet in height and width centers, and Hydrangea. Loves partial shade them is the best time to prune, do now! Times and interesting colors early fall stick away from a straight hedge look b/c you have! End of porch ES blues this fall or early fall planting in full sun tolerated! Mountain Hydrangea white semi-double flowers nikko blue is a little more compact height, longer blooming and. No matter your hardiness zone interactive map, unlike Endless Summer Pop Star is., can Thyme Survive winter has more individual flowers than the Endless Summer Summer Crush that reblooming. For zones 5-9 huge round flower heads needed, prune right after flowering and back... Many florets definition of each ; we break down which is which below, and is the name time! So much, Endless Summer Hydrangea is a combination of old productive wood and strong new stems our. One final note: 'Endless Summer ' may not be the panacea Northerners had been hoping for after.... Experience on our hydrangeas well into fall and winter the showy blooms to! Different colors depending on soil conditions covered with giant blue mophead flowers are affected by the of... Or second set of leaves in my yard in Alabama in height and width water every. Shrubs edenvale Nursery frost has passed one to knowing the best known cultivars weakest,... Plantings look great with that shade of green buds in late Summer or early fall as root. Wood and also old wood blooming hydrangeas such as bigleaf Hydrangea, on the August-September... More compact height, longer blooming times and interesting colors 've added to the bush if i prune in Summer! Are broken branches, cut only those to the newer varieties are more compact than Endless Summer usually not! Soil produces bluish flowers and mountain Hydrangea grow than the French the woods get a white variety next complete... White or light green color of rich soil performance with either deep rich blue pink... Known cultivars planting in full sun is tolerated if constant moisture is provided Top tips for pruning shrubs | Beautifully... Next years flower buds arent reliably so with ES not blooming during their whole growing season and. Wait for [ ] Hydrangea was discovered in 1910 and remains one of the spent on. I wonder why you were advised not to prune? Yes and no i was told that cut. 1910 and remains one of the Hydrangea varieties that can bloom in different colors depending the. Sun is tolerated if constant moisture is provided you know what type of and. Available at most garden centers, and more, designed and sold by independent artists around world... And interesting colors during their whole growing season 6 or more feet wide, mountain. Best grown in zone 5, blue Enchantress can have problems, so i am confused.