ButterflyLady29
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Location: central Ohio

I think I'ts a flower bud

I've got a bud on last years grocery store hydrangea that looks like it might be a flower bud. That would be great! It's in a pot because I'm not sure if it will survive our winters. This plant was in a dark, cool corner of the basement most of the winter. I had left it outside until the weather got really cold, brought it inside when the hard freeze was predicted. And we've been doing the inside/outside dance for the past couple weeks.

So this evening as I was bringing it inside I noticed a little broccoli like bud down between 2 leaves. I am hopeful that it will bloom.

luis_pr
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Location: Hurst, TX USA Zone 7b/8a

Congratulations and keep monitoring the weather in Ohio. We have gotten past my avge last date of frost by a few weeks and the coldest in the next 10-days is forecasted to be 41, so I am hoping things will stay as they are, more or less. In mid February, I moved out all the inside potted plants to the outside and reversing that now would be a pain. Cover it if a frost is announced and you have still have it outside (but better to bring it in).

An early-blooming but unknown lacecap that was supposed to be a Nikko Blue Hydrangea started the broccoli phase about 3 weeks ago!!! Weird, man. The weather this year is just way off. I usually do not see hydrangeas start opening flower buds until very early April but this year, in the middle of January, I had roses blooming so go figure! My paniculatas and oakleaf hydrangeas are leafing out but as of last weekend, I had not seen any broccoli in them; the paniculatas will wait until May to open the flower buds but the oakleafs may do that soon the way things are going thanks to El Nino.

I have a grocery store hydrangea too and it has not bloomed well. Winter weather messed it up. I planted it in a protected location but the weather was so bad (temps going down then up and all over) that it did not bloom the last two Springs. I guess the flower buds got zapped when it broke dormancy and the temps went down below freezing. This winter, it never lost its leaves since it did not go dormant so maybe it will bloom.

Wish you good bloomage with yours!

ButterflyLady29
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I moved it into my little shed that has windows and skylights. We keep a heater in there that is set to 40*F so things don't freeze. It's a daily ritual, get up and check my outdoor temps then scan the weather forecast. Then decide if they should go outside or stay inside. A lot of hard work but it's a labor of love.

Our last typical frost date is May 15. It's a long way away.

luis_pr
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Sounds good. I like to go to weather.com, enter my zip code, see the forecast and click on the 10-day forecast button. The result is a forecast for the next 10 days. I look at the lows for those 10 days and decide what to do based on the results that are displayed. As soon as temp stay above freezing regularly, I am tempted to take them out and I do. And on some years, yes, I have to rush to bring them back inside when temps go down unexpectedly. Hee hee hee.

ButterflyLady29
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Mine will be in the shed for the next couple weeks it seems. Cold and snow are predicted for the next 10 days.
The bud is definitely a flower bud and is ever so slowly growing larger. I'm anxious to see it bloom but it gets more light in the shed. I'll just have to keep checking it every day.

ButterflyLady29
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Well, it is a bud. The "flowers" are starting to open. But I am so very disappointed. It was a lovely pink when hubby bought it a couple years ago. And the color of the "flowers" now is green! :(

I can't believe that it's taken over 2 months to bloom. Too bad it's green. I would have loved to see that lovely pink for 2+ months.

luis_pr
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Immature blooms (recently opened blooms) can start white-ish, green-ish and yellow-ish so wait ... maybe 1/2 week to one week to see what color the bloom really gets.

ButterflyLady29
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Thanks so much. Patience Grasshopper.

It has started changing color finally.
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luis_pr
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Wow! Nice! Congratulations!



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