Nikko Blue mop head dead?

18 years ago

Hi everyone!

I live in Oklahoma City, OK, and last August I planted a beautiful (albeit small) Nikko Blue 'mop head' hydrangea, which I had seen growing very well in some of the City's older gardens. We planted it in partial shade close to the house, and it did pretty well.

In October, after it was done blooming, I removed the spent heads, which left just the main stem at about 8 inches tall. We did not water it over the winter, thinking it was simply dormant, and we had an extremely dry winter here.

Fast forward to February. My husband was out in the garden planting new stuff this February, and accidentally stepped on the old hydrangea stem, snapping it down to about 1 inch tall. It is now nearly May, and the plant has still not showed any signs of life---no new growth from the base or from the snapped off original stem.

My question is this: should the hydrangea have showed some signs of life by now? And if you think it is dead, please tell me whether it was because of the severe, accidental pruning, removing the spent heads at the wrong time, or not watering it over the winter.

This is my absolute favorite plant (my wedding bouquet was all blue hydrangea), and I would appreciate any insight into my problems with it so that I can prevent Nikko Blue hydrangea fatalities in the future!

Thank you!

-kparker

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Comments (3)

yellowgirl
18 years ago
Was the stem that your husband broke green inside? If so, the plant was alive and probably still is...unfortunately, the plant will have to start over from scratch. What about any other stems on the plant? Are they green inside when you scratch a bit of the outside layer off with your fingernail?

Deadheading can be done at anytime of year safely.
Untimely hard pruning can lessen or even remove the next season's blooms but does not harm the plant. Best to place the plant in an area large enough to accomodate it so it won't need to be pruned at all. (except for deadheading old blooms and occasional corrective pruning) Lack of moisture is another story. Hydrangeas don't like DRY. Period.

Just remember, if there is green underneath the 'bark' then the plant is still alive. Just water it regularly, be very patient, and hopefully you'll have better luck next year.....yg
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luis_pr
18 years ago
I agree with yellowgirl. If it has some green left then it is still alive but, otherwise, you will have to get another one. Since you did not water during the winter, I think it may be dead.

I had a similar problem this year. Because last winter had almost no moisture, I lost some plants. Not only was it dry but I turned off the sprinkler system and hardly watered. Lost an azalea, a camellia, two salvias and one mum. What else....

Try again and keep an eye on moisture levels,
Luis
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My Nikko Blue barely made it through the drought. But, you must know that it is a well-established plant, having been in the ground long before I moved into my home. I live very close to Crown Heights. It is producing growth from the base of the plant, but none on the stems as it should. Same thing with other hydrangeas I have in the back yard. This is no fault of yours. All of the hydrangeas suffered thru the winter drought. My azaleas suffered as well. My beautiful pink azalea in front died. It has been in the ground for well over 10 years. It was an evergreen, and while it retained its evergreen growth over the winter, as soon as I began to water it in spring, it died. It may come back if I prune back the dead stems. I don't know yet. Lots of things suffered. My double daffodils did not bloom this year. Just foliage. Best thing for you to do, is to go at it again, and purchase a new Nikko Blue to start over with. Hydrangeas really suffer from lack of water. Hydra - means water. I can empathize with you because it's tough to lose a plant especially with sentimental value attached to it. But, you can succeed with it. Just do it again. Susan
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kparker
Original Author
18 years ago
YellowGirl,

I just went out and scratched at the bark to see if there's any green underneath. It's all brown, and I think it was that way when he stepped on it and broke it off, actually. So, it must have died over the winter from lack of water. Drat!

I guess I'll have to replace it. I only paid $5 for it last year, anyway.

Thank you so much for your advice and help! I will definitely follow it for my next one.

-kparker
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Nikko Blue mop head dead?

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yellowgirl

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Nikko Blue mop head dead?

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yellowgirl

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