nbk826t
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jun 08, 2017 12:13 pm

Is my PeeGee dead?

Hello,

I bought a beat up hydrangea last summer. It had hardly any leaves left. The plant did well all season long, no blooms though. In spring, I live in zone 6a, I checked the wood on the hydrangea and these were still green! I was thrilled! My husband pruned it to the ground during our spring cleaning, probably in March. A few weeks later one new branch started to emerge from the ground. Sadly, the last day in April we had a severe snow storm and I didn't think about covering it. The branch was still green after the storm, but a few weeks later I found it wilted and broke! I don't know if the storm caused it to weaken and wilt or if an animal trampled over it??? It is now June and there is still no signs of life. I pulled softly on the base and it seemed lodged in so I left it alone. Should I dig it up and inspect the roots? Will it come back next year? Later? How can I tell if it is dead? Thank you everyone for helping me through this. Luppe

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

Where are you located? Paniculata hydrangeas have definitely been fully leafed out here in zone 7 for a couple of months now. I would assume you've likely lost it... if you scratch the wood at the base, is it still green?

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

Those are some sturdy shrubs and nothing you mentioned indicated that the roots were goners so I would be surprised you killed the roots. But these plants are slooow leafing out after a late frost; I would keep the soil as evenly moist as you can make it and be prepared to wait. I lost foliage on one when the sprinkler broke at the end of the summer but, it leafed out again. The only problem was that it leafed out again in the Spring!!!



Return to “Hydrangea Forum”