Maybe. It happens often here because our Winter temps fluctuate a lot. Warm temperatures trick leaf buds to open early but there is little one can do about that. A cold front could easily zap them and force the plant to go back into dormancy. Generally speaking, it should not kill the plant, especially the roots which are protected by the soil and mulch. Hydrangea Anomola subsp. Petiolaris is quite tough and will develop replacements later in Spring. Keep the shrub mulched with 3-4" of any type of mulch and, when exposed to warm temperatures for a while, water the soil on the night prior to cold frigid temperatures.

I have one that is about 25 years old, and which covers two sides of my house. The trunk is about 8" in diameter, and the vine is beautiful. Although I could do without the flowers, because they make a whole lot of pollen and fuzz, and are really not terribly beautiful. The vine's beauty to me is in the exfoliating bark, the wonderful lime green buds in the spring, and the butter-yellow fall leaves. I keep the lower part of the trunk clean of branches, although sometimes I let some grow in order to layer them for cuttings. Like most hydrangeas, they layer easily and those layered cuttings do very well. It is a splendid plant, although it does get very large and opinionated -- I suspect it to be capable of bringing down the side of my house if I don't treat it right.

Hi, They will cling again. Mine were not that high and was able to use some bamboo poles to make them touch the wall again. Then they started to stick again. If yours are high then what ever you can figure to make it touch the wall again. But if you have difficulties, don't feel bad, just trim them and let them grow again. Remy

Hi Dingo! Wow you must be my neighbor, thanks for the local insight!! We are in Hinsdale. Yes, I am aware of the alkalinity.. actually I am getting a neutral reading on my soil here, using one of those metal shaft ph things that look like a meat thermometer. 7.0. so, my plan was that since the roses also prefer a slightly acidic soil, that I would add Aluminum Sulfate to the soil to try to get it between 6.0-6.5, for the roses to be happy and also for the hydrangeas to grow more blue. I already bought about 5 endless summer hydrangeas (3 of the original, 2 Bloomstruck). with the idea that the original ones would be in the middle as they can grow about a foot higher than the 2 others. The bloom struck may look a little more purple and could go on either side of the originals. I think the slight height difference and adding some of that purple to either end of the row of blue may look nice.. but we will see. I hadn't heard of the Nantucket blue but that sounds like exactly what I'm looking for since I got on this hydrangea kick after visiting Nantucket this past summer! All of the homes with their blue hydrangeas was just stunning!! Thanks for the tip, I will go to Meinke's!! Maybe I'll get lucky and come home with roses for the front this season after all! Yes, I thought about clematis. that is an option, but I so have my heart set on this cottage look with the old English looking garden roses and hydrangeas. It's going to be a challenge but worth it if I figure this out.