Seton90
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 4:38 pm

What happened to my 7 year old hydrangeas?

image.jpg
My hydrangeas have never looked like this when starting to grow again after winter. They always kind of have buds on branches. Last year I didn't cut anything back after summer. I have only done that one year. I have three in a row and they all appear like this. Do I cut all the dead stuff all the way to ground? If I don't I don't see how the growth at bottom will have any room. I am assuming they are not growing to grow even bigger this year like they normally do.

Another quick question. All 3 were the same size when planted but the middle one is much smaller than the other two. I want them all to be HUGE!

Please help me help my poor babies! I have fond memories of hydrangeas as I child in my back yard so these guys are dear to my heart

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Yep. Many of us are finding that our big leaf type hydrangeas did not like the cold winter this year. They are borderline in Zone 6 (average lowest winter temp in the negative single digits) and will die to the ground. Only time my hydrangeas ever bloomed well was in the last couple of years when we had unusually warm winters and the canes didn't suffer die back.

You will need to cut the canes just above a healthy new growth. Sometimes the highest growth on the cane is poor quality and the 2nd or 3rd from the top look better, so choose that one to grow. Also pick the shoot that is growing outward rather than toward the center of the clump.

When they do this and if yours is not endless summer type that blooms on this years new growth, you won't see any flowers for this year, and hopefully, these new shoots will not be winter killed.

I've decided to replace mine with something else, actually. :P

luis_pr
Greener Thumb
Posts: 824
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:31 am
Location: Hurst, TX USA Zone 7b/8a

Variable weather can do this. My macrophyllas look like yours do too and the weather was the culprit.

Our last winter (2013-2014) had a lot of temperature fluctuations from one day to the next. Almost broke the record. But what this makes the plants think is that it is time to start growing... just as the temperatures are about to crash again. Some temperature variability is harmless but zipping from the 20s to the 70-80s and back down often results in this problem. Winter protection may help but since our winter are normally mild, no one bothers so now we have to pay the price. The previous time this occurred was one year when winter arrived late. We were in the 70-80s thru mid December when the temps crashed to the 10-20s for a week. Got only two blooms that year and two late ones in September. This year, I have had only blooms from one Mac Lacecap that was protected by the house.

The best solution to this issue is to winter protect, make sure you do not fertilize after June and-or add some reblooming macs. Then if this happens again, the rebloomers will still bloom this year, albeit later than they would have if the old wood had produced flowers.

Interestingly, my oakleaf hydrangeas' blooms were not impacted this year however. The stems leafed out normally, even though some are not in protected locations.

One Annabelle did not make it but I am not sure if it had a problem with winter or during the summer. It is hidden by other shrubbery and I forgot all about until early Spring, when I noticed it was not leafing out. Since it never leafed out, I pulled it out last week and checked the watering system; all seemed fine so that one is a mystery. It did not seem to be well established as it needed extra doses of water last summer so maybe it dried out and I did not notice it was struggling.

The only paniculata that I have, Little Lime, looks gorgeous with lots of leaves. It blooms on new wood so I assume it will not disappoint when the blooms open late this month or in July. Paniculatas bloom on new wood so this type of weather problem should not be an issue. The "problem" with them is that they will bloom much later than Macs do.

Most Macs top out around 6' officially. If you want huge, consider getting paniculatas or oakleaf hydrangeas. While there are now some compact/dwarf ones, there are others that will get 10' or more. Unfortunately, panics and loakleafs do not have blue-purple-pink blooms to begin with.

User avatar
pinksand
Greener Thumb
Posts: 869
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:13 am
Location: Columbia, MD

I don't have much to add, just wanted to express my agreement! This was definitely a harsh winter and all the hydrangeas in my neighborhood (zone 7a) are in a similar state. I had purchased my endless summer at the end of the season on clearance and it had a poor shape. It actually worked out well for me to cut the whole thing back to the growth at the base this spring because the new growth has a beautiful balanced shape :) Mine is also an "endless summer" so I'm hoping to still get buds on the new growth, but we'll see. I also had the same experience with my oakleaf that seamed un-phased by the cold.

luis_pr
Greener Thumb
Posts: 824
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:31 am
Location: Hurst, TX USA Zone 7b/8a

It is quite surprising how many people have posted about problems with Mac mopheads. Then again, those who did NOT have a problem probably would not post.

Along the same line, I had partial damage to one lacecap but managed to get some bloomage on its "north side". It is in a protected location though. I wonder how other lacecap owners fared?

A surprise from yesterday... Mme. Emile Moulliere is blooming. It is a white macrophylla mophead and has a pure white bloom, a white bloom with a tint of pink (reminds me of Blushing Bride) and a third bloom that is mostly in the broccoli stage. This is a real nice surprise since MEM is NOT a rebloomer and I thought all growth was coming from the crown this year. The blooming stems are 1.5' high only and it is likely that they leafed out late. I was planning to finish cutting its dead wood because I started and stopped half way. But now that it has blooms and appears leafed out, I will leave it alone. It is a very reliable mophead bloomer for me, even after rough winters.

I have not heard from people with serratas to see how theirs fared this year. I have been curious as to how the Tuff Stuff and Tiny Tuff Stuff serratas performed. They are Proven Winners' rebloomer serratas that I tried to find locally last year or so (but no luck). Probably not very well known. I like their serrated leaves, compact size, their flipping blooms; plus the color progression of the leaves in the Fall reminds me of oakleaf hydrangea leaves. BUT GRRR I DO NOT HAVE ANY SERRATAS IN THIS HOME!!! Sounds like something that MUST BE CORRECTED! Hee hee hee! One of these days, I will mail order but for now, I keep looking from afar and searching the local nurseries.

Luis

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

So I dug up and moved two out of the three. They are along the SW fence under the neighbor's pine trees so the area soil should remain lower pH. The location should be more protected. It's dry hard clay there though, so I dug a shallow hole for each, filled with water, added some compost to help invite some worms to start working the soil, settled the rootballs in them -- maybe barely 1/3 in the hole, then raked up the surrounding pine straw mulch along with the underlying composted pine straw to cover the rootballs. I'll keep up with watering until they are settled in.

So far they don't look like they have noticed the move. (Keeping fingers crossed)
image.jpg
image.jpg

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Luis_pr had posted such excellent info in this thread, so I wanted to search it out and read it again. 8)

Then I saw that I posted about moving my hydrangeas in this thread, so I'll just add an update :wink:

I have been simply AMAZED to see these intense dark green leaves on the hydrangeas that I moved. They NEVER looked like this where they had been planted before, and always bloomed magenta-pink no matter how much acid-fertilizer I gave them.
image.jpg
Now, I can't wait until next year to see if they are getting enough light here to bloom, and what color. 8)

luis_pr
Greener Thumb
Posts: 824
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:31 am
Location: Hurst, TX USA Zone 7b/8a

Amazing indeed. Makes you think that they will surprise you and "throw" a bloom out at any moment!

Shirley Pinchev
Full Member
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:22 pm
Location: Shoreline wa

WOW! They look fantastic! Great job and shows how forgiving hydrangeas are. Just one of the reasons I love them.

luis_pr
Greener Thumb
Posts: 824
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:31 am
Location: Hurst, TX USA Zone 7b/8a

Indeed. Even though they want/need more moisture than some other shrubs, they are less of pain that some of my fruit trees.



Return to “Hydrangea Forum”