Blue Danube Hydrangea. Worth it?
8 years ago
Purchased from the 50% off rack at Lowes yesterday. Not sure what is going on with it other than lack of watering. Is it able to be brought back to life in your opinions? Was this a wise purchase or should I return it?
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8 years agoRelated Discussions
nikko blue hydrangea - sun or shade?
Comments (3)We have ours on the western side of our garage wall, but there's a HUGE (over 40') jack pine and a Japanese maple in there, so the plants wind up in morning sun and afternoon shade. We have three in there now, and are looking to add more since the originals have done quite well. As for increasing soil acidity, you can always go the nuclear route and just put down elemental sulfur, but if you're looking for a gentler option, coffee grounds do help. (Mind you, you do need lots of grounds in order to get any real effect - as in a 5 lb bag from Starbucks, not 4 tablespoons from your morning pot o' Joe. If you're using your own grounds, save up a few pots' worth in a jar in the fridge and put it down all at once). Other good pH-lowering amendments include peat moss and pine needles. Some nurseries also sell "soil conditioners" that add organic matter and lower pH - these are not a bad option, if somewhat expensive. Hope this helps!...See MoreWhat Is The Truest and Hardiest Blue Hydrangea
Comments (11)Reviving a very old thread..... Apologies if i'm breaking a rule. I actually picked up a Nantucket Blue this past May. Knew nothing about the plant other than it looked the healthiest out of all the big leafs at my local nursery. Come to find out after I bought it, its a highly sought after variety in my location due to my cold winters and it's supposed zone 4 hardiness. My Info: 1) Planted in zone 6a (Massachusetts) 2) Planted in a location that only gets mid day sun (roughly 3-4 hours worth of direct sun). Location was my only option for direct sunlight as close as I could get it to morning hours. Rest of garden is shade based or late afternoon direct sun based. Impressions so far: 1) Bloomed like crazy from the day I bought it in May all the way up to end of August. Very impressed with it's blooming characteristics in its first season. Blooms were HUGE. 2) Most of the growth was horizontal in the first season. I didn't get a lot of vertical growth this year. I did have a couple stems go vertical but the weight of the blooms bent them down to a horizontal position. My understanding is this is expected with a new plant. As the root system becomes more established, it will have more vertical sturdier growth in the years to come. 3) It's a thirsty plant like any other newly planted macro. In July I had to water it twice a day to keep it happy. Huge drink in the morning and then again when I came home. 4) Color is a light blue. I wouldn't consider it a dark blue. My soil pH hovers around 6. I could probably make it a darker blue but would require regular soil acidifer applications. Unknown: 1) Since this is my first season with it, I'm not sure how well it's going to survive a 6a Massachusetts winter. It does say it's cold hardy to zone 4 so it should be fine. Debating on if I should winter protect it.........See Moreblue danube hydrangea and full sun
Comments (14)Androidmom, your beds under the pines look ideal for them - great choice! Expect they'll thrive there, adding height & grace & color for many years to come. You can plant them out any time in such a location, without waiting for the weather to cool down. Keep them watered well & use your supply of fallen pine needles as mulch & they should settle in well. Juryrig a little temporary shade if they wilt during sun hours at first to help them take the change from pot to ground in stride. Whatever the true identity of your hydrangeas (regardless of the labels), they'll bloom next year with the same flower form. The flowers' color may change to blue tones as the roots expand into garden soil, but consider the blue equally as beautiful as the rose. If they are mislabelled, their mature height & spread may differ from expectatons over time, but as long as you aren't planting them in a line like a hedge, that shouldn't much matter in that location. Lowe's is infamous for mislabelled plants. Don't frequent HD but certainly believe others' reports the same is true there. Since both have generous return policies, often go ahead & buy to research at home if the plants are in short supply rather than checking before purchase when many are available, since appealing well-priced plants can be cleared out quickly. The hydrangeas tend to be among the most typically mistagged, but that can work in your favor if you're up on different varieties & can spot the oddballs. Sometimes rarer plants are marked as more common ones & priced considerably less than they would be if properly identified. Those of us who check the stock frequently often score in the thrill of the hunt. And many highly reputable nurseries send out mismarked plants, too. Please keep us updated on the growth of your lovely hydrangeas!...See MoreIs it too Late for Blue Hydrangeas????
Comments (2)I hear your frustration, Pam. Changing the color is always difficult. This is a task that must be worked at for years. But the quickest and surest way to get/maintain blues is to grow the hydrangea in a pot or tub that uses acidic potting soil. Planted in the ground, it is much harder to control these things and see quick results. You are already using the right amendments so perhaps you need to use a little more or apply them more often. Just do not apply large quantities or apply them too often looking for quick results. Always check the instructions in your amendments bag to make sure you do not use too much or too little. For example, applying a year's worth of a/s -all at once- risks burning the roots or scorching the leaves. Four to five ounces per squared yard is a good starting point. Another example to put things into perspective, a spoonful per shrub by itself helps control iron chlorosis but it would not affect the bloomage THAT much. The proper way to do this is to have a real soil test done so you get the exact soil pH level in your garden right now. Then use a table of amendments application rates to directly lower the pH from your current pH value to your pH goal. Not knowing this, you should then apply what the amendment packages suggest. If they are insufficient then slowly increase the amounts. Then, you reapply regularly on a monthly schedule during the growing season or just reapply on three months per year. Consider not applying during the worst of the summer season if you do not have a sprinkler system. In mid-summer, plants are in "drought mode"; if the ground is dry then the plants will absorb too high concentrations of these amendments which could damage the plant roots. Better to apply when there is more rainfall. Alkaline garden soil that is amended with Sulphur or a/s will only stay at a lower pH for "so long" before it reverts back to its normal pH. So you have to maintain this "program" throughout the years. Check your fertilizers while you are it. When fertilizing, use fertilizers high in nitrogen and potash but low in phosphates. If you can, try to water using rain water as most water systems have alkaline pH Levels. To check your progress, keep a log and get a pH kit with a probe that measures the pH in numbers. These kits will not be as accurate as a real soil test but it will be close enough for government work. Use it to monitor your soil pH now and then. You want to slowly lower your pH into the range of acidic soils; aim for a pH around 5.5. Your current application of amendments probably lowered the pH but not enough. Keep a record on your wall calendar, on a log or on a journal. Jot down exactly how much Sulphur or a/s you apply and when. Then regularly check the soil pH and record it. See the effect the amendments have and how quickly they modify the soil (changes will happen slowly, not overnight). Do not panic by "small" changes in pH. The pH scale is a logarithmic scale so a change from 7 to 6 means that your soil is 10 times more acidic than it used to be! And a change from 7 to 5 means that your soil is 100 times more acidic than it used to be! Big changes indeed. It is obviously quite difficult to change the pH in our gardens. Remember that, once you reach your goal, it will be easier to maintain the acidic level even though the work must continue forever so the soil does not revert back to alkaline. Good luck, Pam. Luis...See More
8 years ago
8 years agoAbsolutely worth it! Mine is a beauty! I wanted so bad to take a cutting from it to propagate it, but I can't because there is literally not a stem that doesn't have a flower on it! When I bought it it was just green with only a few buds. Your plant just needs some TLC and fertilizer and it will be gorgeous! Here is a pic of mine from Lowes! Same Cultivar. Even came in the exact same pot. It is a reblooming macrophylla and the blooms last forever! These have been on the plant for weeks now! I had to put some bricks around it to keep the chickens from scratching out the mulch from around it though. lol =]
- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
MG and Brestenburg are indeed very similar. My two in pots look identical from a distance but the Brestenburg stems are a bit lankier in nature. Both very deeply colored with blues, dark pinks and purples. And yes, zone 8 is ideal outdoors for them. MG is left and Brestenburg is right:
If you do find a Freudenstein, they're supposed to be a good breed too. I either found that or Lemmonhoff, but I'm not sure which it is. Extremely deep pink with rigid flowers.
I did find a Pink Sensation last season last year. The stems aren't very strong and the blooms are limp and scorch easily. The leaves are also prone to diseases. But a few more years in a pot might yield better results. The color is straight bubblegum pink.
I got a red KW hydrangea last year. ID'd as Hot Red. It's one of those ones floating around Europe right now. It has bright green leaves (almost chartreuse) and dark red blooms that age to burgundy! Mine overwintered in the ground okay but only has one bloom this year. Expecting big things in years to come! Here it is in the upper left corner (next to Everlasting Amethyst)
If anyone spots any WHITE KW hydrangeas, do post pics! I'm looking to replace my F&E White Outs in pots because the blooms won't take any sun (not even an hour). HBA grows and has developed several whites that I wouldn't mind trying.Here's the Hydrangea Breeders Assn link, to help you spot cultivars at Lowe's:
http://www.hydrangeabreeders.nl/produkten_en.htm
YouTube video of some Kurt Weiss selections:
- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
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