Young Hydrangea Blooms Falling Over + How to Deadhead?
We have a young hydrangea which is now about 2.5 ft tall. It is working on four blooms, two of which are fully bloomed. The first bloom was looking lovely, but yesterday I noticed it slowly started flopping over. Today it is really flopped over. Is this because the bloom is too heavy for the young plant? Too much water? If so, should I deadhead this bloom? It is on it's way to being spent. I wasn't sure all the rules behind deadheading hydrangeas as I get different advice. If I do deadhead the bloom, do I cut it just under the bloom or do I cut that particular branch all the way down? It's an Incrediball by the way, blooming on new wood. Also the shasta daisies will be moving, I'm just waiting for temps to come down a bit. We're in Portland.
Comments (15)
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
5 years ago
Roxana *** ZN 5 Indianapolis IN ***
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Does Annabelle Hydrangea need deadheading?
Comments (15)What zone are you in ditas? I am in zone 6a and none of my plants get a burlap winter coat. I try to get low maintenance as often as I can. I have a couple of evergreens, that I try to tie with string in the fall so they don't split with the weight of snow, but that's it. I have tried to only buy Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood. And even then, and in my zone 6a, I still have years when I get very few blooms on my hydrangeas. I bought a "Little Lime" last year and that is supposed to stay compact, have large blooms and is one of the paniculatas that are hardier and take more sun. I have a lot of part shade in my yard and I end up being dry a lot of the season, because of a lot of tree roots around my property. The 'Little Lime' is very young and I'm not sure if it will bloom this year or not. I don't think I am ideal for Hydrangeas as much as I love them. This year, I've finally understood that there is no such thing as 'low maintenance' though. [g]. As much as I take low maintenance into consideration when I choose plants, trying to keep a garden looking good, is a LOT of work. And I only have a small property. Sounds like you have a huge collection of Hydrangeas! That bloom for you! I'm sure you are enjoying them!...See MoreShould I deadhead spent blooms?
Comments (8)The Endless Summer Website used to recommend deadheading of old wood blooms in the Summer to encourage blooms from new growth in the Summer but that disappeared from their Pruning Section when the website got changed. Feel free to continue doing it or not. However, if you have already had blooms from new growth then there will probably be no more "new" blooms this season (once in a blue moon when the planets align correctly with Aquarius, Fall weather sometimes triggers a handful for selected mopheads varieties... really very few times). Once you have had the last set of blooms from new wood, you can leave those for winter interest or deadhead them. And you can then deadhead them at any time. When they are mostly green, mostly sandy colored, mostly brown. If the plant has had any fungal problems this growing season, I would recommend that the spent blooms be deadheaded and disposed of in the trash, along with any dried out leaves. Cut the petiole string that connects the stem to the bloom or to the leaves....See MoreLimelight Hydrangeas Falling Down
Comments (26)I generally plant them where they can grow to their estimated mature size in the plant label or assume 10-12'. That way, I normally do not need to prune much... except for pruning any dead wood zapped during winter or except for deadheading of spent blooms that may still be hanging around... even then, I prefer Mother Nature to do the deadheading. Since LL produces large blooms, it tends to flop after several thunderstorms so that is a reason to minimize pruning. Old wood in the stems makes the stems flop less. Other than that, you could prune stems that cross, you could prune to bring more sunlight into shady areas (this applies more to the tree form or standard Limelights) or you could prune for safety reasons (stems that may cause someone to trip, etc.) For aesthetic reasons, you could also prune stems that for some reason may get very long, compared to all the others around it....See MoreIf I deadhead climbing rose, should I get another set of blooms?
Comments (3)Thanks. So is it because of the particular genus of climbing rose? Because I know I saw a video on youtube where a horticulturist talked about deadheading a climbing rose to promote new flowers during the same flowering season......See More
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
5 years agocefandl
5 years agoluis_pr
5 years agoPhled Z6a-MA
5 years agoophoenix
5 years agoIf the blossom got either rain or water from watering, then it get heavy and droops. As soon as they dry, they pop back up or you can tie it to a stick at the base. It is best to water a new hydrangea from the bottom if possible so the blossoms do not get wet and heavy. Growing hydrangeas in Portland should be pretty easy - just be patient and let them grow up. You can also shake the blossoms very gently and knock off some of the excess water and they might pop up. But depending on the variety, some hydrangeas just splay! That is what it is called when the blossoms droop. Splaying can be a feature rather than a bug (tech talk) if you move the plant so it can 'droop' over a wall or container. Sort of like this group of plants, the white ones drooping the most over the wall are Lady in Red. There are also Nikko Blue and about 5 others along the driveway. Lady in Red is about 3 years old from a cutting and is also trying to find some sun from under the vine maple above.
cefandl
5 years agocefandl
5 years agocefandl
5 years agoophoenix
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
5 years ago
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years agocefandl
5 years ago
October_Gardens