Can anyone give me some help with this? On my ES Original the blooms are turning green before they even mature. Is there something wrong with the soil? It's in a pot and has been doing very well. The only thing I have added to the plant was some Iron because the leaves were turning a little yellow. That has corrected but now the blooms are green. Any advice on how to correct this is appreciated.
[img]https://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/mlsalcido/Hydrangeas/GreenBlooms.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/mlsalcido/Hydrangeas/GreenBlooms2.jpg[/img]
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luis_pr
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The blooms change color as they age and do that as a function of many things... weather, plant variety, sunlight, etc. Mine started to turn green about a month ago. Enjoy the show! But feel free to deadhead them if you do not like the change. Dispose of the spent blooms in the compost pile or use them as mulch.
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luis_pr
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Yes, they are called immature blooms. Immature blooms, like the ones in H. paniculata Limelight, start green. They slowly change to their normal color (white in the case of Limelight). Add more light and the Limelight blooms turn white faster. Add more shade and they stay green longer.
Last edited by luis_pr on Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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luis_pr
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You/re welcome Mike. By the way, if you move the hydrangea to a sunnier spot, try to prevent sunlight past 11am-12pm during the summertime. In our area, you can end up trading one problem with another, and I mean a totally different one: sunscorch in the leaves.
After a summer hail storm several years ago, a Crape Myrtle that provided shade to a hydrangea lost several of its branches. The hydrangea had been getting shade starting sometime between 11am and 12pm. The additional sun exposure (until after 1pm) made the leaves in direct contact with the sun turns totally yellow, including the leaf veins. So, I now try to limit the leaves' sun exposure until 11am to 12pm over here. I have had similar problems with a lilac bush too.
I will never forget that problem. To combat the excessive sunlight on the leaves, I erected a silly looking contraption made of cardboard (hey, it only cost me a little sweat and no $$$ at least!) to provide temporary shade during the rest of that summer season with excellent results. But I had to rebuild it several times as wind and the pooches caused... "structural failure problems". Hee hee hee! The following year, new growth on the Crape Myrtle helped enough where this was no longer an issue.
After a summer hail storm several years ago, a Crape Myrtle that provided shade to a hydrangea lost several of its branches. The hydrangea had been getting shade starting sometime between 11am and 12pm. The additional sun exposure (until after 1pm) made the leaves in direct contact with the sun turns totally yellow, including the leaf veins. So, I now try to limit the leaves' sun exposure until 11am to 12pm over here. I have had similar problems with a lilac bush too.
I will never forget that problem. To combat the excessive sunlight on the leaves, I erected a silly looking contraption made of cardboard (hey, it only cost me a little sweat and no $$$ at least!) to provide temporary shade during the rest of that summer season with excellent results. But I had to rebuild it several times as wind and the pooches caused... "structural failure problems". Hee hee hee! The following year, new growth on the Crape Myrtle helped enough where this was no longer an issue.
The good thing is it's in a pot under a tree, so all I have to do is keep an eye on the amount of sun. However it does only get morning sun so I think it will be good.
Glad to hear you had Crape Myrtles shading your hydrangeas. I'm in the middle of landscaping my side yard and I'm putting three crape myrtles in and then going to put hydrangeas around them. I wasn't sure how much sun protection they would provide. Sounds like they will work out.
Glad to hear you had Crape Myrtles shading your hydrangeas. I'm in the middle of landscaping my side yard and I'm putting three crape myrtles in and then going to put hydrangeas around them. I wasn't sure how much sun protection they would provide. Sounds like they will work out.
The three crape myrtles will be spaced about 10-12 feet apart from each other. I was thinking of putting three 4'x4' hydrangeas in between each one. Here is a sketch of what I have in mind.
[img]https://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/mlsalcido/Hydrangeas/b67a8bbf.jpg[/img]
Do you think that will work?
[img]https://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/mlsalcido/Hydrangeas/b67a8bbf.jpg[/img]
Do you think that will work?
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luis_pr
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I would plant only 3 hydrangeas in order to allow more separation between hydrangeas to improve air flow, prevent fungal issues and account for wide CM crowns/bases... unless you desire a hedge look, in which case you may plant four shrubs, 3.5 to 3' apart. If the CMs are 12' apart and the hydrangeas do get 4' wide, the hydrangeas will cover the whole area between CMs in your drawing in several years, not just a section as your drawing suggests.
Our longer growing season usually means that hydrangeas can get large. When you see 'size at maturity' estimates in ranges like 3-5' wide for example, assume hydrangeas will get closer to the 5' wide estimate over here.
I have not had problems planting shrubs near CMs; that does not seem to be an issue with them. But I do keep other stuff a few feet away from the trunks anyways. Remember that most CMs sucker and are multi-trunk trees so their base at the bottom can get quite wide.
Our longer growing season usually means that hydrangeas can get large. When you see 'size at maturity' estimates in ranges like 3-5' wide for example, assume hydrangeas will get closer to the 5' wide estimate over here.
I have not had problems planting shrubs near CMs; that does not seem to be an issue with them. But I do keep other stuff a few feet away from the trunks anyways. Remember that most CMs sucker and are multi-trunk trees so their base at the bottom can get quite wide.
Thanks Luis. Yes I'm only doing 3 hydrangeas in between each CM. I've ordered a few that at maturity are 4'. So I'm doing 3 - 4'x4' between each CM. I think they will do good. I'm excited for them to arrive.I would plant only 3 hydrangeas in order to allow more separation between hydrangeas to improve air flow, prevent fungal issues and account for wide CM crowns/bases... unless you desire a hedge look, in which case you may plant four shrubs, 3.5 to 3' apart.
Thanks again!