There is a saying for the growth rate for roses grown from a cutting and similar thing could be said of paniculatas, particularly small ones.

'The first year they sleep, the second year they creep , and the third year they leap.

(Gallon size Bobo)

Hey James, not sure what zone you’re in. I bought a quart size bobo and it’s been in the ground about a month and then a gallon size and it’s been in the ground about 2.5 weeks, maybe 3. (Proven winners from my local nursery) The quart size has buds everywhere, once they bloom I’m not sure how it’s going to support itself. The gallon has put on a lot of height already and is probably twice the size of when I bought it, just today I saw the beginning of broccoli buds. I actually cursed under my breath when I bought the gallon one and paid so much more because the plants were literally the same size. I have fed them once or twice with Alaska liquid fish fertilizer in water. (That’s what I use for all my veggies, hydrangeas and roses. It’s organic) I’m thinking that may have something to do with it. It also could have something to do with the nonstop rain we’ve had in the Midwest all of April and May. I attached pictures so you could see :)

Also, whether or not you have them in the ground yet is a big thing too. I planted my bobo’s Right away but left my firelight’s in a container. They have not grown much and show no signs of buds. But, i also don’t know when they typically bloom.

Don’t get discouraged, the paniculata’s grow rapidly. I put a sickly little plant in the ground last year late fall, I think it was a two gallon size and this year it’s already 4 feet wide and 3 feet tall.

Hope this helps a little.

(Quart size bobo)

Mrs. Gartin, you likely want to move that first Bobo so that it is 2 1/2’ from the wall. Bobo gets to about 4’ wide IME and plants that look squashed against the foundation or that grow asymmetrically because it is shadier near the building don’t look as nice as those that can grow in a more natural, pleasing shape. It is best to plant for the size the plant will grow to rather than the size it is at planting.

James, If a plant is likely to be available locally, I buy it locally since I am not paying for shipping and the plants tend to be bigger as Mrs. Gartin’s photos show. That said, IME panicled hydrangeas will put on size faster than many other shrubs. I wouldn’t expect a lot of visible growth this year since they will be busy growing roots and getting settled in, but you will see appreciable growth next year and by year 4 I would expect them to be approaching full sized.

Looks like you and I both need to read description of what we are buying. I bought bo-bo's last fall and was shocked how tiny they were. We had a hard cold winter but they all survived and are just now the size I thought I was buying. Heck I don't know if I saw them now if I would pay what I paid last fall, but hopefully they continue to thrive and become what I thought I was buying.

fall 2018

today

NHbabs, I have to reconfigure almost everything in this front bed so it’s been on the to do list for the fall.

Last year when i planted all my Hydrangeas (specifically the paniculatas) they kind of grew a couple of inches i'd say(half a foot. This year I already have about 1.5 feet of new growth on my paniculatas since April. They are growing like weeds!

Hardy shrubs and trees do 60% of their root growth in fall, after which there is more fuel present to support top growth. (Fall in this case is whenever the tops stop growing and set winter buds). So minimal top growth the first growing season after spring planting is typical, but the second spring things should pick up markedly.

Thanks everyone. It's been about 3 weeks now, I planted them around Memorial Day. No signs of above growth yet, but they seem healthy and happy. I'm blaming our cold spring here in Chicago. I live less than a quarter mile from Lake Michigan, so while most of the area has had numerous 80º days, we've struggled to get over 75º more than a handful of time.

“No signs of above ground growth yet . . . I’m blaming our cold spring“

As others have said, first year shrubs, even fast growing ones like panicled hydrangeas, will show little top growth the first year because they don’t yet have the root structure to support new leaves and stems. IME it will be close to full size by the end of season 3 or 4, but little will happen above ground in season 1 in your garden. Much of gardening is about patience.

If you want something substantial in the bed now, plant up some nice large pots of annuals for this season.

Good news. My hydrangeas have grown to about a foot tall and are even going to push out a couple of blooms this season. Looking forward to next!

I planted 7 bobo hydrangeas last fall from clearance plants (they were in rough shape). About half of them only have leaves and no blooms this year... is that normal?

No, but this is their first year, you said they had been roughed up and I have read from several folks in IN and OH of delayed blooming this year. If they do not bloom, I would give them a pass this year. But I would still keep the hope that they might, perhaps just a little later. Where are you? Where did you get them?

Maintain a good watering regime to keep the soil as evenly moist as you can. Keep them well mulched too but do not use rock mulch.

I’m in Ontario, Canada. I planted 7 to form a hedge... some have blooms and some don’t. The ones that don’t have blooms don’t even have broccoli buds..:

They were bought on clearance last fall and were basically sticks when I put them to the ground.

Here’s some photos for reference..

Well, they certainly appear healthy. Sice you are so far north, they will bloom later than they do for me and most everyone here so give them some time and keep looking for the broccoli heads, just later this month. Post again if you see any. With 7 shrubs, I would expect at least one to produce some bloomage for you and you got half! Again, I would not despair if nothing happens in year 1 since these guys were roughed up. Let them concentrate on growing a good set of roots instead!!! And celebrate with a nice cup of tea if the others bloom! A few yellow leaves at the bottom of some shrubs in the summer is common. Keep the soil as evenly moist as you practically can.

i left my bobo's in containers out on the patio all winter. it's may and there is still no growth showing. I didn't cut back the branches from last season so I just have sticks growing out of the pots :) How can I tell if they are still alive? I don't want to be that crazy lady who looks like she has dead shrubs growing out of containers on her patio all summer haha... Any tips on how i can tell if these plants are still alive would be helpful.. Rookie Michigan Gardner

In the future, if you have plants not yet ready to put in the ground, try burying the whole pot in a bare spot such as the veggie garden, or bury the pot in mulch, bagged leaves etc., or in a pinch, wrap the pot in bubble wrap and place in an unheated shed or garage. Last winter your plants’ roots were exposed to the extremes of air temperatures, rather than the more stable and less extreme cold of soil. However, your plants may still be fine. Here in central NH my panicled hydrangeas aren’t yet showing any bud growth, so I would suggest patience until at least the end of May if you are in Southern MI or mid June if you are in the more northern part of the state.

You could do a scratch test on the stems to see if there is still green on the stems but that would not answer the question of how are the roots so, wait until the end of May (more or less)to see if you get either leaf out or new stems. In the meantime, keep the soil as evenly moist as you can and do not fertilize it yet.

Here in Minneapolis all the paniculatas are leafing out, but maybe you're behind us. How big was the container? The smaller the pot the more likely it was killed or severely damaged.