Hi, few days ago I purchased this hydrangea from an old and known nursery in Seattle. After bringing it home I tried to find any information about this cultivar and found literally none. No info on Hydrangea serrata 'Lemonade' anywhere. I guess it was mislabeled in the nursery. I added a picture for you to help me figure out what kind of hydrangea it actually is. Leaves are chartreuse and somewhat course in texture. Thanks for any help!
Hi, I found "Lemon Daddy" - so who knows? I would check out the description on Lemon Daddy - it looks similar to yours. There are so many hydrangeas that look exactly alike.
Good luck!
Sharon
Sun Goddess, Lemon Daddy and some of the other similarly leafed colored hydrangeas do their best with some afternoon sun protection. Too much sun and their leaves change to green at some point. I did not think much of the mophead blooms in Sun Goddess and Lemon Daddy but that is ok as I really decided to get them due to their leaves' color.
Thanks for replies!
Hugobee, after I couldn't find anything on 'Lemonade', I just searched for Hydrangea Lemon and got three results: Lemon Zest, Lemon Daddy and Lemon Wave. Zest is a mophead and Wave has variegated leaves, so Lemon Daddy seemed to be the best candidate. And Lemon Daddy and Lemonade sound somewhat similar, so I guess someone in the nursery heard one thing, wrote down the other and that's how my H. Serrata 'Lemonade' was born :-)
Luis_pr, thanks for the hint. They do mention giving this particular cultivar afternoon shade, but because of the leaf scorch. I had no idea that chartreuse leaves can actually turn green with too much sun. I also got this cultivar because of the color of leaves, not necessarily the look of blooms.
Thanks again!
Why not call the nursery and ask them which hydrangeas they've been selling with "Lemon" in the name?
Anyone try Endless Summer? It's been endless leaves for me. First year flowers then two years nothing but foliage and last year I was going to dig it out in the spring, and it was loaded with flowers. This year, maybe 5 if I was lucky. It's huge and healthy, but son of a gun I don't think it's good for zone 5b. There are supposed to be better cultivars out there from this family. I think I'm going to stick to the paniculata family. They always bloom!
Sharon
I know with the original Endless Summer I've seen other people post that it took several years to really get going with a lot of the new-wood blooms (which are all you'll get most of the time if you're in 5b and aren't protecting it over the winter). If you want more flowers, you can protect it over the winter which will give you old-wood blooms as well as the new ones so you'll get a bit more of a show. Otherwise if you're patient with it you may become happier with it over time, or else try one of the newer Endless Summer or Forever & Ever cultivars.
Anyone try Endless Summer? It's been endless leaves for me. First year flowers then two years nothing but foliage and last year I was going to dig it out in the spring, and it was loaded with flowers. This year, maybe 5 if I was lucky. It's huge and healthy, but son of a gun I don't think it's good for zone 5b.
I have protected it and then when I didn't bother it performed great. I think it depends on snow coverage and freezing and all that. Like I said I never prune them until spring when it's obvious. I'm looking forward to the newer and hardier ones. Hydrangeas can be a challenge, but so worth it.
Thanks, sharon
Hugobee (great handle) what you say is interesting.
My oakleaf hydrangeas didn't bloom until I protected them for a couple of years until they were more mature, and then they bloomed every year with no problem and no protection. My Endless Summer actually blooms in zone 5a without protection but I was given a somewhat larger plant by a landscaper who went over time and budget - and it blooms on old wood. But it is against a stone wall on the south side of the house.
I speculate that ES needs protection (I used burlap) in zone 5a and probably zone 5b at least while young.
Hey All,
This discussion has me wondering if I should protect some yearling hydrangeas, they have been in the ground for a month or two already and are definitely less than a year old. Our winters can vary wildly, last year it was extremely wild and this year rumor has it is going to be a WOPPER! YUM. Do I need to cover them with burlap? If so, when do I do so? is there a particular way to lay the burlap on top (I'm assuming use it like a blanket and place it right on top?) They vary from Seratta to Oakleaf.
Thanks in advance for your help
Paul
I wrap it around the outside, and then cross a layer over the top. The I tie twine or the stretchy green garden tape around the whole bundle. It can stay on all winter like that.
For me, serrata must go into the garage, since it is not hardy here. I was also given a couple of relatively rare japanese hydrangeas and they are definitely garage bound - in fact they are already there. The serratas, for me, must be grown in pots so that they can be moved.
Lucky you!
Serrata's here are often the ones from the florist that you see everywhere in spring. I know a couple of people who planted them in the ground and claimed they did get the odd flower. Mie have either died outright or just had leaves, never any flowers. Oak leaf in your zone should be okay, but it can't hurt to protect them. I stick with the paniculata group for the most part except like I said, the endless summer variety. In my zone, it's just too hard to know what will survive and frankly I'm at the stage where I don't want too much maintenance.
Sharon
I received a serrata from Raulston Arboretum that I just loved - Hydrangea serrata Shishiva. I managed the winter storage thing for several years - but if you get it wrong one year, as I did, it's gone. I have been tempted to buy another, but as you say, only so much maintenance please, and they keep sending me tender hydrangeas.
For me, serrata must go into the garage, since it is not hardy here.
How about covering it with some layers of burlap and putting a heavy objects like bricks or rock on the edges of the burlap? I picked up two small Endless Summers about the size of your plants and did just that. My oakleafs and big macrophylla (which never bloomed before last year's mild winter, according to the previous owners) will get burlap wrapped around them as I described above.
Just googled yout Tuff Stuff. Nice! But it's new. And sometimes companies are excessively enthusiastic about new introductions (do bear in mind that I am very anal and have been described as "caressing every leaf").
I don't think you have to worry about heavy snow. It isn't the snow that will make the flowers go bye bye - it's the cold. They probably would have been buried in the snow anyway. If you could rely on an insulating layer of snow you probably wouldn't have to worry about covering it at all. Plants sail through winters in Minnesota, where it is zone 4, because the incredible snow they get there is a great insulator. I had a friend who moved to Lake County, Illinois from Minneapolis and had to cover plants in zone 5a because the lack of a good heavy layer of snow exposed them to more cold.
Does this help?
Thanks for the detailed reply Donna. My concern re the snow is that too much will break off the now small old wood branches thereby reducing the number of blooms that might come in year two. I was thinking of putting something more rigid on top...say...something like an upside down large plastic pot (with enough holes in it to allow for the movement of air). Or now that I think of it maybe a wicker basket....but that would be destroyed by rain and snow.
I understand, but I think you may be underestimating the resiliency of your little plant.
