Question about Hydrangeas

My Annabelle in the front is half the size it was last year (it was HUGE) but it is flowering accordingly. However, the 3 in the back of the house (not Annabelles, something else), which I only planted last year are growing gangbusters and flowering. ??????

My endless summer which were planted last year are flowering and look great. The ones that were well established for at least a decade have recovered leafwise but no flower buds.......both fertilized in Spring. Not sure why difference.

Endless Summer as well as smooth hydrangeas such as Annabelle bloom on new wood while most other hydrangeas bloom on old wood. The last winter killed most of the buds on the old wood, so most regular hydrangeas are not blooming. However, my lacecap hydrangeas (serrata and involucrata) are in full bloom right now.

I always wanted to get a lacecap hydrangea. One of these years...

Mine are Endless Summer and all new wood. Still nothing. I do think the leaved have a specked appearance that wasn't there before.

Received a potted Endless Summer as a gift this spring from a special person at a difficult time. So I really want to keep this plant going! I replanted it in a large container and it is doing great! Several new flowers and leaves. Anyone keep a hydranga over the winter in a container successfully? I didn't put it in the ground since deer have a particular fancy for hydranga. I can provide protection on my patio, however. Thanks.

IM80, some links for you.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hydra/msg0514322819380.html?18

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=gardenweb+hydrangea+pot&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

So my hydrangeas are all leaves (and huge) but no blooms this year as well. Lacecaps are doing fine but the others are not. Anything I should be doing or should I just consider this an off year?

Mine are the same...no blooms

Thanks for the links, dg64. The comments re weight and size of the container and the suggestion that it
should be moved and overwintered in an unheated garage are problems for me. I was thinking about a very sunny, sheltered spot on the patio. I would cut it back and use mulch to protect it god willing, maybe next winter won't be as dreadful. Bad idea?

Hydrangeas do not like sunny spots.

And you want to give winter protection to the roots. Not sure that sitting on a patio is a pot is a good idea. Can you put the pot on castors so maybe you can roll it into garage.

I have heard from some folks that they pile up mulch to cover the plant and wrap with a blanket to overwinter hydrangeas that are not hardy in some zones.

Sunday I went to a hydrengia lecture at the Rutgers Garden, and they said that the flowers grow from the tips of the plant. The winter killed many of the tips, so no flowers. He said we would get them next year.

Mine blooms on second year wood. I did not expect any blooms this year and didn't get any. On the plus side, the plant looks rejuvenated and is doing quite well. Other varieties (I don't know which mine is since it came with the house) may be different.

My hydrangea container is doing great after an initial struggle from nursery plant to the real world. It receives afternoon sun, filtered by several tall pots of lavender. It is on castors (keeps a plant cooler) but a trip to the garage would involve small steps and a stretch of lawn.

Since it is an Endless Summer variety, I thought if I cut it back and mulch it well, wintering it over on the patio, surrounded by some other perennial containers, it might make it.

If I put it in the ground, the deer dinner bell will ring loud and clear next spring!

Hydrangeas are finicky for sure. I have seen many in full bloom in full sun, particularly at shore areas. Gardening sources seem to often hedge their bets on the issue, too.

Gardening is not for sissies.

My hydrangea container is doing great after an initial struggle from nursery plant to the real world. It receives afternoon sun, filtered by several tall pots of lavender. It is on castors (keeps a plant cooler) but a trip to the garage would involve small steps and a stretch of lawn.

Since it is an Endless Summer variety, I thought if I cut it back and mulch it well, wintering it over on the patio, surrounded by some other perennial containers, it might make it.

If I put it in the ground, the deer dinner bell will ring loud and clear next spring!

Hydrangeas are finicky for sure. I have seen many in full bloom in full sun, particularly at shore areas. Gardening sources seem to often hedge their bets on the issue, too.

Gardening is not for sissies.

I had a hydrangea live in a container for several years. When my neighbors moved in next door, they didn't want it (it was a large, established plant), so they cut it back to a stump and were going to throw it out. I took it, and since I had no idea if it would survive, put it in a container and it stayed there for years, in my driveway, next to the garbage cans. Eventually it came back to life and grew enough to need a permanent home, so I planted it in full sun (the container was only partial sun) and while it doesn't have flowers this year, it is HUGE and looks happy and healthy.

Anyway - I think hydrangeas can survive in a container just fine, even when left out all winter. The only container plants I bring inside for the winter are my 10+ yr old ficus tree, and a dwarf meyer lemon tree. They go out in May and come inside in October.

kraines said:

I had a hydrangea live in a container for several years. When my neighbors moved in next door, they didn't want it (it was a large, established plant), so they cut it back to a stump and were going to throw it out. I took it, and since I had no idea if it would survive, put it in a container and it stayed there for years, in my driveway, next to the garbage cans. Eventually it came back to life and grew enough to need a permanent home, so I planted it in full sun (the container was only partial sun) and while it doesn't have flowers this year, it is HUGE and looks happy and healthy.

Anyway - I think hydrangeas can survive in a container just fine, even when left out all winter. The only container plants I bring inside for the winter are my 10+ yr old ficus tree, and a dwarf meyer lemon tree. They go out in May and come inside in October.

I'm loving this response!

There are several types of hydrangeas and some do well in full sun such as paniculata (PG) and Arborescens (Annabelle). You can locate the other types of hydrangeas in the sun but they will need a lot of moisture in the hottest months to survive. A potted hydrangea may survive in a sheltered location such in a house's shadow or in a location that is protected from winter winds.

http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/

I think the key to healthy hydrangeas is keeping the base of the plant free from dead stems, spraying bud whorls early in the season, and cool weather. Good drainage is helpful also.

My annabelle in the front of the house has bloomed, but is half the size it was last year. Still, I consider myself lucky. The ones in the back (I don't know what kind they are, but I planted them only last year) have grown and bloomed. So they've done a whole lot better than my veggie garden.

So, is it the right time to cut back my hydrangeas? I'd like to protect them from another harsh winter. Can I wrap the cut back plant in burlap or something? When? Actually one of them seems to be making a lame attempt to bloom now...after a bloom less summer!

If it's a mop head hydrangea, definitely do not cut it now or you won't have any blooms for next summer. They bloom on the old wood.

Only certain varieties can take a pruning. Many older varieties bloom on old wood. Endless Summer blooms on both new and old wood.

My hydrentias are in full bloom now!

Mine are Endless Summer and I've cut them back in previous years. Last year I didn't and they were encased in ice and suffered mightily.

I thought Oakleaf hydrangeas bloomed on old wood, so I've been resisting cutting them back. But they're wildly overgrown and leggy. Is it better to cut them back now, or in the spring.

And a question on the PGs -- How close to the ground do you trim them?

Ask your questions here: http://mgessex.org/programs-for-residents/helpline/

Copihue said:

My hydrentias are in full bloom now!

Ditto,

I have one startlingly pink blossom on my Endless Summer in my front garden. But I have another problem. There must be a new doe leading the local deer herd. And she has a taste for hydrangeas. They have always left my hydrangeas alone. :-(