questions about hydrangeas
waynez5_ia
2 years ago
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Comments (18)
pennlake
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Several questions about new hydrangea bush.
Comments (19)Gardengal, didn't realize we were discussing transitioning a plant from greenhouse to garden. Delia didn't mention how the shrub was treated for the 2 weeks in her care prior to planting, nor whether steps were taken to acclimate it to open garden conditions. Completely agree on the importance of hardening off for the health & success of the plant! (See Jujujojo's thread "Two pots of hydrangea ready for spring" for one method.) Figured that horse was already out of the barn, since cold damage prompted the post. Even if the hydrangea had been adequately conditioned, the response to frost would have likely been the same, as it was unprotected. This often happens with even well-established plants in natural growth nipped by Spring frost & freeze if left to fend for themselves. An experienced gardener would have dodged this bullet. Counting the boards in the fence behind the hydrangea, I'm guessing the plant is already 2-3 years old by its size. Also guessing it was grown potted outdoors for the first year or two & brought into a greenhouse midwinter to force growth & bloom for sales ahead of this season. My guesstimate presumes there was no root damage from the cold, nor damage to the older wooded canes, and the plant has the resources to fully recover & put out new growth, given good soil preparation, good siting & good care. Cold, like water, flows downhill. Given the slight slope where it's planted & the barrier of the solid fence behind & to the side, the cold probably pooled & settled there, doing more damage than if it had flowed by unrestricted. For future reference, you may want to reserve that location for perennials that leaf out after last frost is past, those known to shrug off temperature swings, or evergreens hardy a zone or two colder than yours in that frost pocket. Because of the downward slope, it's also natural for moisture to drain and accumulate there, so it will likely stay damper than higher ground as well. Having gardened in two different zones within both VA & NJ, find them very similar in climate. Both states mainly range from 6a-7b, a 20 degree typical low variance in 5 degree increments, with a relatively small area in eastern Virginia along the NC border 8a. So each warms up later, cools off earlier, and stays colder longer. Like most gardens, there are microclimates within this one that vary as much as 10 degrees high & low on any given day. That's where cold & heat hardiness come into play, along with wind & sun exposure. Though the cold never fell below 0 this Winter, the unusual extended freezes were tough on the garden. Even though I hedge my bets by using only plants rated 2 zones colder than mine, a few of the broadleafed evergreens freeze-burned. Heard the same from many on these forums even in the deep South, so many of us are reevaluatng our concepts of cold hardiness in practical terms. Agree hydrangeas should be protected, especially in their early years. Since Delia's variety is currently unknown, good idea to plan to do so. Interesting that many of the newer hydrangea introductions seem to have originated as florist's cut flowers & pot plants. Suspect we're all providing practical info by growing them in our gardens. The link is to one example of this. Only note one cited for blooming from both old and new wood, a characteristic which seems to have fired up a hydrangea revival of sorts. Although most hydrangeas sold as gift plants are not tagged by name, guessing that many growers who buy them at the plug stage & grow them on for market know what they're ordering. Delia, how exciting to have a new home & garden! Sure you've been busy as any new homeowner with so much to do & learn. Like all of us, you add to your knowledge by picking the brains of those further on down the track, sifting through their reports, and adapting the info to yourself & your garden. We all learn by doing, often by investigating what went wrong & trying another tack. If you decide to transplant your hydrangea to another location, or have any other questions, come back & ask for advice, and keep us updated on your & your plant's progress. I'm sure you'll reward your mother's thoughtfulness of this beautiful housewarming gift with TLC so it may become a sentimental first in your garden. Spring is calling - grow on! Here is a link that might be useful: Gift-to-Garden...See MoreQuestions about Hydrangeas
Comments (7)L, Wow, that is a lot to cover, but here goes: I saw your photo on another thread but was reluctant to ID it because soooo many look alike. You will probably never know exactly which cultivar it is but my best guess would be "Taube" or one of the other Teller type lacecaps. I feel your pain because I too have some unlabeled hydrangeas and it drives me crazy. I have learned to just enjoy them for what they are. (kind of). Since the care of macrophyllas doesn't vary that much from cultivar to cultivar, aside from making us Type A's nuts, in the end, it really doesn't matter that much. Repeat after me: "Morning sun, afternoon shade, lots of water, good drainage." Yes there are variables such as climate, location, coloring, etc. but basically, those are the rules. Conflicting info? No kidding. Lots of it out there and much of it comes from the so called experts themselves. Look up the same cultivar on two different nursery sites (or expert books) and you will likely think that they are describing two different types. I am convinced that many nurseries extend the hardiness zones to increase sales. Many macrophyllas are labeled "hardy zone 5 - 9" and "Full sun to Part shade" Nonsense!! Anyone who lives in zone 5 will tell you that reliable blooming is hard to come by without extraordinary measures and anyone in zone 9 will laugh at the very idea of planting them in full sun. If you read the posts on this forum you will find that the overwhelming majority of folks who grow them (regardless of zone) grow them in part shade. Many of those who don't, post complaints about crispy brown leaves and blooms. Then there are the few exceptions who claim to grow them successfully in full sun. Make it easy on yourself, stick with the majority. Zone 6 is kind of borderline so you might want to winter protect to ensure next season's blooms or live dangerously, it's up to you. Bottom line: Morning sun, afternoon shade, lots of water, good drainage. Pretty much everything else, you will learn by trial and error in your own yard which will not have the exact same conditions as anyone else's yard. Good luck because once you catch the fever you will soon become just another hydrangea nut!!!.....yg...See Morea question about Hydrangea Plus...
Comments (4)They are a very good mail order company. Too good of a website though. You can subscribe and they will send a nice monthly email about "stuff". It also let's you build a "Wish List", a list of hydrangeas that you like. You maintain it so you can buy more as the budget allows. They do not use this information to harass you by email. I have also contacted them by email with questions and received good turnaround during the week; not sure if they are open on weekends....See MoreHydrangea question...
Comments (18)Tina, all the ones you mentioned except Nikko Blue bloom on new wood, that's why you can prune them in Spring. The ones that bloom on old wood should be pruned right after they're done blooming. As far as I know of, Nikko Blue blooms mostly on old wood. In the colder zones it should be protected like mentioned before. If it dies down to the ground during the winter, or you prune it sharply in the Spring, it will most likely not have any blooms. Pee Gee in the northern states can take full sun. I moved mine from a shady area to a sunny area that gets sun from around 7am to 3pm. It's doing much better there. My Endless Summer gets sun from 8am until around 1:30pm. The 1st summer the leaves looked a little sunburn, but it it looking just great now. With new shrubs I do deadhead, but don't prune for the 1st three years unless it's to get rid of dead or damaged branches in the spring. Kat...See Moreluis_pr
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