Hi there - I just moved into a new house (rental) and there are three rather large, but rather dead looking hydrangea plants on the north side of the house. You can tell someone has pruned them over the years since pretty much all the ends are chopped off and they look like a bunch of gray, weathered sticks. There are a few rather sad looking leaves up at the top and a few dead blooms. The landlord said they used to bloom and were beautiful. I know nothing about gardening but I've always loved hydrangeas so I'd like to bring these back to life if possible.
- Live in San Diego blocks from the ocean
- North side of house so not too sunny at this time of the year
- Soil seems to be moist
Again, I know literally nothing about gardening but I'm willing to learn so easy to understand help would be appreciated!
My neighbor's hydrangea (very large) and my MIL's (small-ish) look pretty dead, too, but it's January. A plant needs to rest sometime.
I just did a search of our forum (green letters at the top of the page, Search the Forum) on the phrase
pruning hydrangeas
There are some very informative posts from a couple of experienced hydrangea minds (one of whom hasn't posted for a while, so read the previous posts to gain his wisdom and insight).
You have described very well the way some hydrangeas look like during winter. But do not worry. Being deciduous plants, you have a good chance of seeing them come back in Spring. Below are some pointers on taking care of them. I have given you some general guidelines since you are not sure what kind of hydrangea you have (probably a hydrangea macrophylla, sometimes called a mophead hydrangea too).
* as best as you can, try to provide constant soil moisture. To determine when to water, test the soil daily for about two weeks by inserting a finger to a depth of 4". When the soil feels almost dry or feels dry, water. Each time you water, make a note in a wall calendar. After two weeks, observe how often you watered. If you watered every 3/4/5 days for example, set your sprinkler to water on that same frequency. If the temperatures change by 10-15 degrees and stay there, use the finger method again for 2 weeks to determine how often to water.
While the shrubs are dormant in winter, feel free to reduce the amount water further. One watering every two weeks should be enough. A small, newly purchased shrub can do with 1 gallon of water per watering. Larger shrubs will need more. If you soil is sandy, add 50% more water than normally called for.
* hydrangeas prefer soil that is acidic but will tolerate some alkalinity. Nearby plant nurseries can tell you if your soil is acidic or alkaline. If not, I suggest you get a soil pH Kit sold at most local nurseries. It should give you a general idea of your soil's acidity or alkalinity. If your soil tends to be alkaline, apply iron chelated liquid products, aluminum phosphate, garden sulphur... or green sand if you prefer organics. This will prevent the leaves from turning light green or yellow (with the leaves' veins remaining dark green). This is a temporary condition called iron chlorosis, common on hydrangeas that are planted in alkaline soils.
* hydrangeas should not need any pruning unless they are planted in areas where their size at maturity becomes an annual pruning chore. In cases like this, consider transplanting elsewhere. Times when pruning would be recommended: when the blooms become small and sparse or when there is a safety hazard.
* hydrangeas need little fertilizer. In the southern half of the country, you can fertilize them twice a year using manure, cottonseed meal or some general purpose flow-release chemical fertilizer in May and July only. If you forget to fertilize for a whole year, do not panic. I could not notice the difference myself when it happened to me.
* about 3-4" of any type of mulch will help conserve the soil cooler and maintain the soil humid longer. The mulch can be acidic or not; buy based on price. Apply mulch up to the drip line. If the area where the plants are is windy or gets hot during the summer, apply mulch about 1 foot past the drip line.
* flower colors: colored blooms will turn blue in acidic soil; colored blooms will turn a shade of pink in alkaline soil; white blooms will stay white. As the blooms grow old, the blooms will change colors (green, off white, different shades of pink/blue; brown, etc) based on the variety of hydrangea. Purple blooms occur when the soil is barely acidic; you can also see blues and pinks on the same shrub sometimes. Aluminum Phosphate helps turn colored blooms blue but be aware that a/s is toxic to azaleas, rhododendrons and other plants. Phosphaste helps turn colored blooms a shade of pink.
The sad looking leaves will disintegrate in a while. I ignore them. Other times, when they feel dry, they will almost fall apart if you exert light pressure on them.
Flower buds: with some exceptions, most buds in hydrangeas grow at the end of the stems so it is important to keep this in mind when pruning. Buds begin to develop at different times depending on the type of hydrangea that you have. Some hydrangea Macrophyllas develop buds starting July only. Other Macs develop more in mid-to-late Spring and thru the Summer. Since you are not sure what type of hydrangea you have, it may be best to not prune starting in July-ish. Safest time when you do not know the type of hydrangea: after blooming but before July. Buds are usually not visible until Spring arrives.
* do not expose the leaves to too much sun during summer. Sunscorch can make the leaves turn yellow (including the leaf veins). I provide shade to my hydrangeas starting around 11am during the Summer.
* Leaves will probably turn a litle unsightly when Fall arrives but some hydrangea leaves can turn nice Fall colors too.
* you should not need to winter protect in your zone. But while young, it may be a good idea to water on nights before days with wind advisories. Windy days can cause the leaves to wilt although older plants will get used to these problems and will not wilt as much as they grow older.
Hope this helps you SunDiego!
Luis
Last edited by luis_pr on Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Luis, thank you for such a thorough reply. I just went out and checked my own hydrangeas that I assumed were dormant (the dried-up leaves have fallen off).
But when I felt the branches, they felt soooo dry and brittle... it made me think of this thread and wonder if they are indeed dead. I had just planted them this spring and they made it through our hot summer beautifully, still very much alive until December or so.
You're saying that dormant hydrangeas can look dead? I'm still making sure they get plenty of water and I guess I'll see come springtime if they do indeed put out leaves and blooms!
Thanks again for your input. SunDiego, hopefully yours will come back with a vengeance too!
Mine looked rather sad this last winter too I was actually afraid they had died but never gave up and voila! There they are popping out leaves and ever tiny flower heads. They don't like too much soil and as stated before they LOVE water. I take old soda pop bottles (the bigger the better) cut the bottom off and poke holes in the lid (or just toss the lid) then bury the "top" now "bottom" in a few inches of soil and fill with water. I also like to sprinkle coffee grounds around the base ever so often. Gives them good acidity and they are acid junkey plants!
I am starting to notice the signs of possible leaf out over here too, mrsgreenthumbs. Atlanta and Dallas patterns are very in-sync so, GeorgiaGirl, look for signs of leaf out in Georgia soon too. Southern Californians and Floridians should be ahead of us in the "leaf out department".
Newly planted hydrangeas can delay leaf out more than established ones so always wait until, say, mid May to mid June (northern gardens) to determine if a plant (or stems) did not make it.
If late winter freezes zap the leaves, wait for new leaves to arrive some weeks afterwards. The plant will be ok if this happens.
You can tell someone has pruned them over the years since pretty much all the ends are chopped off and they look like a bunch of gray, weathered sticks. There are a few rather sad looking leaves up at the top and a few dead blooms. The landlord said they used to bloom and were beautiful. I know nothing about gardening but I've always loved hydrangeas so I'd like to bring these back to life if possible.
