Is any one else looking at their hydrangeas and wondering if they survived this winter. Mine had started to put out new growth early and now that new growth looks dead.
The hard and unusual winter of 2014 on Hydrandeas.
I'll be sure to check them all ASAP but from what I've seen our rotten winter has been rough for them.
I have a lot of leaf burn too on shrubs . Someone was telling me about a product that you spray on them in the fall, and it protects the leafs from the winter freeze burn.
I am hoping that this warm weather will help the hydrangeas,. but they are looking grim. Maybe only base growth this year.
It appears I lost a rose I just bought two years ago. Time will tell but I hate the waiting game.
Oh me too. I am so ready to see green leaves all over. Even if I dont get blooms...lol
I got my EE from Bill that I ordered, but not the Calidiums yet. Still too early to plant the EE even.
My Cannas that I put in a pot in the house are really coming up...lol I hope I can get them out of the pot when it is warm enough.
Thanks for the tip. I just received two cannas that I'll be potting up today so I'll make sure the pot is flimsy enough that I can cut through it to plant it.
There's no sign of growth on the caladiums I saved from last year and brought out into warmth and sunshine. They have been watered so it's my job to be patient.
How are your Hydrangeas looking out there?
I am seeing a little new growth, but not like last year. I just might have to do a lot of cutting back. Is it because we have not had a lot of spring rain. I dont remember ever seeing this little of growth by this time.
Maybe we'll see a big difference (up here in the northeast) after the next two days of rain. So far they look sad. I have clipped back about 15 of them for shaping and to keep them away from our fence or the neighbor will zap them.
Even in Atlanta, the mopheads/lacecaps had winter kill on the old growth (at least the younger plants because the older ones look fine).
Oakleaf varieties (Snowflake, Little Honey, Ruby Slippers, Munchkin, Snow Queen, Alice, and Ellen Huff but I see no buds on Harmony) are putting out bloom buds now so it won't be much longer before we see them blooming.
A few macrophyllas are showing bloom buds as well but slower coming on.
Hang in there...
Everyone I talk to here has seen the same damage. That late cold snap must have really hurt their new tender buds.
Same here but adding that the very hungry deer got the terminal buds on mine before that last cold snap you refer to Marie. They all do look alive though! Lime Light will only have bottom growth and Pinky Winky seems unphased but they are in most sheltered spot.
I grow all of mine in large containers, rounded up for the winter and covered in piles of oak leaves.
None of the containers got excessively dry but this rain will help the ground for sure
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Almost all of my azaleas had to push out new leaves this year as well as Abelias which have always been 'evergreen' for me in previous winters.
Thanks for the encouraging report Hcmcdole!
My mopheads suffered the worst. Most of the growth is from the base. A lacecap in a more protected location has some winter damage and many good stems (both). The oakleafs look great; like are saying 'what are you talking about???'. One arborescens has not leafed out yet; probably a goner but I am letting it be just in case. Azaleas came out great. Camellias too but they stopped blooming, took a 2-month break and restarted 3 weeks ago or so.
In my area, wild temperature swings (over 25 times) and pretty close to one another caused the damage. The temps never got below 20.
My mopheads suffered from the winter. I only have growth coming from bottom also. Waiting to see i anything comes from branches. After two weeks, if nothing shows, will cut back to new growth.
I was cutting back to new growth when I cut off a branch that had budding farther up on the stem. I quietly put away my pruners and decided to wait it out.
Two that got moved last summer (no choice in the matter) have such good new growth but other than that they look so dreadful.
I am with all of you, I cut a branch that looked to still be green, So I too am waiting till after all this rain and see what happens . Just sad to see such damage.
They just appear to be sad and dead. Patience is never easy and more difficult for a gardener.
I am having the same problem with my hydrangeas, a few leaves appearing on last year's branches - but few and far between. I will try to upload an image. By the way if you see the two beginning plants in the foregrounded, they just rooted last year from low growing branches. I don't know. If they could be transplanted yet. Any ideas?
Luis will be along to answer you, I'm sure.
Glyn Church, a hydrangea book writer recommends that, when propagating that way, you wait at least one year before separating the child from the mother plant. That's one year from the time you notice that it rooted. The catch: separation works best if done in winter, hardly works if done in the summer and no comments were given for spring and autumn separations. From that, I assume that separating in winter increases the odds of a succesful operation more than at other times & spring/summer separations are next.
I knew you'd show up to share your knowledge, Luis!
I generally let them wait a full year and try to do the moving in late fall. It just seems easier on them.
This photo was taken 11/21/11 and they all did well through the winter. Note the green leaves. Rooted cuttings seem to take longer to lose their leaves.
Thank you, Luis and Arlene ,
I will remember the advice from each of you and I will wait until early winter to separate them. I did first notice them last year but sensed I shouldn't try to separate them so quickly. Arlene, did you leave the cuttings in that pot over winter? In a protected spot?
I will also try to wait a little longer before cutting the hydrangeas down, tho the plant might be better with a good pruning, but I would hate to give up the flowers, but these are reblooming hydrangeas, so I guess I would get flowers later in the summer on the new wood.
Thanks again!
Barbara
You're very welcome.
I planted them where I wanted them to grow and added more from another area so now I have a spot with about 15 or 20 rooted cuttings and I expect them to flower this year. I plant them where I want them and don't select a site based on the fact that they were just rooted cuttings.
I'm guessing you would get flowers later in the summer. I hope so!
I was thinking that I have the same problem with my hydrangea because last year I entered the flower show on June 27 and I had a beautiful bloom . At this time I am only seeing bottom growth and lots of dry wood and I was wondering if the harsh winter did damage the plant. Yes,we are all experiencing the same problem.
It's so depressing!
At least the oak leaves and Annabelle(s) are looking great. Even Lady in Red has bloom buds on it. The Twist and Shout I bought last year had to be pruned back quite a big but it has blooms about to color up. Cheer up!
Yes, I am surprised at the amount of problems that people have been talking about. It seems to be widespread. Another thing that hmcdole made me think of now is that I am surprised that the oakleafs did not suffer from the same issue. Macs and oakleafs produce flower buds at the same time and yet, all my oakleafs are normally blooming. Even the ones that are not protected on the north side of the house! I wonder if there is something in oakleafs that helped the stems/leaf buds/flower buds, more than the Macs.
The mountain hydrangeas did much better than the Macs. No problem at all with the paniculatas.
I have been waiting patiently for my Crept Myrtles to show sign of life. The new one I planted last year has new growth, My older one of about 6 years is just about a goner. Only 1 branch is showing new growth. I guess it is chop chop sweet Charlotte this summer.
Here the Crape Myrtles come to life in mid May. Two of mine did fine but the little one (young but not new) is probably a goner. I'm glad it's potted so I won't have a vacancy to fill.
I was walking around the beds and working up some weeds, when I saw another hydrangea that I forgot to cut back. I guess I might have too many,,lol?
Same here. One on the side is neglected and may get a practice haircut. A few others need emotional help.
Never have too many hydrangeas, right?
The crepe myrtles will probably come back up from the roots. We've had 70 to 80 degree swings a couple of winters where it killed mature crepe myrtles to the ground and they just suckered up in the late spring - a few years go by and you'd never know they died to the ground. Almost impossible to kill a CM (see I said almost).
My hydrangea is a Macrophylias or mop head , I did prune a lot more dried dead branches of this morning since I now know it not just me with that problem. Thanks to every one for their input
Some of my oakleaf hydrangeas yesterday:
Snowflake close up, Munchkin, Ruby Slippers, and Ellen Huff. Snow Queen was much too tall to get a picture of the top blooms (about 8 feet now).
Snow Queen. I had to bend the smaller branch down to get this close up and back up several feet to get the tallest trunk in the photo.
I have not tried an Oak Leaf one yet. I guess it is because I know they get real big. But I do love the way they look.
Same here, Marie.
Munchkin, Ruby Slippers and Pee Wee are supposed to be dwarfs around 3-4' or so. You could research and try those.
It would have to be able to with stand being in a bog sometimes. That is the only place I have left...lol
Oak leaf varieties will not like a bog. Here is a church with oak leaf hydrangeas last late May.
What a show that is every year.
