Thanks, you guys. I was just out looking at it and trimmed a couple more branches that I could get to and that I knew were dead. I live in OK and it's already hot here. I'm hesitant to cut it back now just because our climate is so challenging by this point. I may wait till Sept/early Oct, realizing that I may have no blooms at all next year. I did have it generally trimmed back this spring because it was so unwieldy and have yet to see a bloom, so this year may be a bust as well (but I knew that might be the case--old wood and all). I'm just glad that it's possible to cut it back hard if I need to. Proper pruning remains a mystery to me (despite my best efforts to learn about it) and, I suspect, a mystery to all but a very few, including landscaping people. I had my azaleas pruned this year after they bloomed, by people who swore they knew how to prune azaleas, and all they did was give them a crewcut--ridiculous.

Ah the hopefulness of a gardener with a dead shrub. I'm doing the same thing with a leafless Cotinus Golden Spirit while one on the other side of the yard is fully clothed in leaves now. Tonight I bent the main branches and they were still flexible so I declared there was still hope. Yes, all Oakleaf hydrangeas here, even a 5 inch cutting in a pot, are fully leafed out now. And I'm well north of you. So sorry :(

Hi Tina, I checked your trade list and it looks like a plant inventory. In fact there are so many plants on it, I was kind of surprised that you didn't have oak leaf hydrangea already. It's a fairly common variety and not very expensive, and they're also very easy to start from a cutting. Considering the extensive variety of plants you already have it seems a little strange that you are looking for a large oakleaf hydrangea in trade. SOmething just doesn't seem right. I do recall several years ago making a swap with someone I can't remember her name, who asked for mature plants in trade and I sent large healthy plants as requested and got some large plastic plants in return. Now I'm sure that wasn't you, but I kinda think maybe I wasn't the only one who got stung in that deal. That may explain why you aren't getting any response to your request. Cheryl

The reddish tint in parts of the leaf in picture 3 suggests that the plant leafed out early and a late frost hit the plant. Some leaves got hit more than others but I would leave them unless the plant browns them out. I could not tell if the two stems on the right of picture 1 have leaves. If they do not, try doing a scratch test very carefully near the base to see if there is "green" or not. If not, prune them down. The location in full sun is not good in areas like mine, where the sun is harsh but it may work where the sun is weaker. I do not see the leaves reacting to too much sun (the leaves in direct contact with the sun turn all yellow, including the leaf veins) but as temperatures get to 85F or higher, there may be some wilting of leaves and-or blooms. Typical of hydrangeas. If the soil is maintained as evenly moist as you can, the wilting will disappear overnight when the soil is moist enough. If you still see it wilted in the morning then the soil was not moist enough and thus, water it as soon as possible. Once established in 1-3 years, they are the most drought tolerant of the hydrangeas. A check of your temps shows numbers above 85F so increase the amount of water to summer time levels from now until they recede in the Fall. The first picture shows that the soil is not moist. To know when to water, insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 4" and water if the soil feels dry or almost dry. Try wateiing about 1 gallon per plant in Spring and increase it now that temps are warm/hot. If you watered enough, the soil should be moist down toa depth of about 8" so water the soil, wait a while and then insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 8" to see if the soil feels dry or not. Do this in several spots around the plant. Water from the root ball outwards and never water the leaves. The plant will develop leaves when it so chooses to do that and will do it wherever it wants to do it so know comes the game of waiting to see what it does. You may have to wait until either temps cool down or Spring 2021 as I doubt the plant will stay in grow mode long enough if the temps are in the 90s over there. I would not worry though. Feel free to provide additional shade to new plants if you want. I have had to use outdoor chairs on new plants in years1-2 before.