Please help badly damaged very old Hydrangea

16 years ago

I hope someone can help me save or attempt to save some 10' in dia. (or at least they were) hydrangea plants.

Were I live, a construction company is removing a home and in the back, there were some of the best looking, largest Hydrangeas I have ever seen. I badly wanted them for my wife as they are her favorite.

I talked with the foreman and he told me to come back after normal working hours and I could dig them up before they hauled them away in a dumpster. I got there right at quiting time as told and they had bulldozed them off at the ground level. All the trunks, stems and flower groups were on there way to the dump already. To say I was bummed is an understatement!!!

The root systems were somewhat intact but a good root ball was not possible. I took what I could and put the roots in water as soon as I got back from the site this evening about 20 minutes later.

Is there ANY hope of saving these plants from the bare roots? If so what should I do to give them the best chance. I know they may just be lost but I'm hopeful.

Please help if you can. For reference, these plants were in my home town in Oregon near Mt Hood before they were so rudely uprooted. The tops of the roots are 2-4" in dia. and the main branches of the root system are still there. I have 5 of them. HELLLLLLLLLLP!!!

Trez

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Comments (7)

ego45
16 years ago
Plant them immediately in a good soil mix with plenty of organic matter and water, water, water, but make sure not drowning it. Don't fertilize!!! Don't worry about top growth it will regrow- root system is what is the most important.
Make a picture. In a short two years you'll be amazed to compare it with what you got by then.
Good luck.
gardengirlz2
16 years ago
I rescued one from my grandmother's house. it was old and not looking so good so she wanted it out! M grandfather planted it for her when he built the house 30 years ago! Anyway, I took it home and dug a large hole for it ad planted it.It looked aweful, close to death. I dug the poor thing up again and dug a larger, deeper hole and filled it with 4 bags of humus. I made sure all the dead canes were pulled and watered day and night. I se osmocote to fertilize. It's been 3 years...itbloomed this year on the anniversary of my grandfather's death..he's with me:0)))

Here is a link that might be useful: hydrangea pic
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Krysten, the best sugestion would be to touch base with the previous owner and duplicate whatever she tells you to do as best as you can. Lack of blooms can be caused by weather that kills the flower buds, pruning after the flower buds have formed (they develop starting in August-September) and lack of moisture. There is little one can do about the weather so make sure that, if you have to prune, do so before August; and try to maintain the soil moist, not wet, not dry, as best as you can. Maintain 3-4" of acidic mulch up to the drip line of the shrub to help with moisture and cold/hot weather. Trying to get a specific color or color hue out of your hydrangea is a totally different problem. The acidity or alkalinity in your soil will determine the color that you get. If your soil is naturally alkaline, the blooms will be a shade of pink. If you add aluminum sulphate, the soil pH will change and the blooms will develop a purplish color at first. If you continue increasing the acidity of the soil then the blooms will turn blue. Since they are already blue then it follows that you need to add lime so the soil will be less acidic and more alkaline. That eventually triggers a change from blue to purple and then then to pink. But be aware that this is very difficult with hydrangeas planted in the ground; potted hydrangeas are easier to deal with. About the color purple..... the type of purple that you get as the plant changes from pink-to-purple-to-blue or from blue-purple-pink also depends on how many red pigments the plant actually has. The more it has, the more of a deep purple you get. What that means is that the type/variety of mophead hydrangea that you have will make a difference when you try to get a deep purple. Your plant may produce a light purple when shifting colors. Varieties that make nice deep purples are Glowing Embers, Royal Purple (also called Mathilda Gutges I think), Merrit Supreme and others. The previous owner can tell you what types of purple she got and how easy/hard it was to achieve them. Luis
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mxk3 z5b_MI
16 years ago
Agree - plant them in a well-prepared holed and keep watered but not over-watered. Don't fertilize this year, just leave them be, they're in shock. I think you'll be amazed - with a little TLC, I bet they'll be fine. Maybe not stupendous for a year or two, but once they get a good foothold in the new home, they'll probably take off.

Now think about it - haven't we all cut down/removed unwanted shrubbery only to find a year or two later a few shoots poking up from the ground LOL! Even little pieces of root can sprout when they have the will - plants WANT to live!
lovemiatas
16 years ago
I'm interested in getting info for my neighbor who wants to transplant a hydrangea. How deep is the root system and how does he go about this? Thanks.
catankgirl
16 years ago
I'm curious for the comments about watering, but not overwatering? How do you know what is the right amount? Thanks!
yellowgirl
16 years ago
The right amount keeps the soil consistantly moist and drained whereas overwatering keeps the plant soggy and wet....yg
trez
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions! The roots have been potted in large pots as carefully as I know how. The long wait might be a bit of a drag but if they grow back even half as large as they were or small and as nice as they were, it will be worth it.

To all who have posted, again I say thanks.
Trez

Please help badly damaged very old Hydrangea

Comments (7)

ego45

gardengirlz2

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mxk3 z5b_MI

lovemiatas

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Please help badly damaged very old Hydrangea

Comments (7)

ego45

gardengirlz2

Related Discussions

mxk3 z5b_MI

lovemiatas

catankgirl

yellowgirl

trezOriginal Author

COMPANY

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GET HELP

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trez
Original Author