My MIL bought a couple of Hydrangeas for her house in January of this year. They have, of course, finished blooming, and I'll plant them in her garden for her.
If I cut the old blooms off, and give them a wee bit of fertilizer, will they bloom again this year? .... or is that just wishful thinking on my part?
ANY help would be much appreciated.
Thank you in advance
Wintermoor
Will they bloom again??
Sadly no!!! But if you put them out in the sun the flower heads will dry beautifully and she can use them for indoor decoration. Do this when they become papery!! However, introduce them to the outside elements gradually until the days and nights are warmer. When you do cut the spent blooms, cut to just above a healthy outward facing bud and don't cut into old wood!! How lucky your MIL is to have a wee chap like you in her family!! :-)
Thanks Louisa,
I just left before you posted, but i've got them into the ground now.
It was 6 wee plants, and they were so dry that the flowers just hung down, and when I picked them up they fell off.
I put them in a tub of water for almost 1 hour, and planted them in a real mud mixture of pine needles, and a wee bit of fertilizer. The ground is so sandy, that I only had to put my trowel in to dig up some earth, and I already hit 80% sand. I threw some bone-meal in then watered the hole and filled it up quickly with the earth, and had to keep watering to make a decent mud, then pressed the plants into that. Great fun playing at mud-pies again;-)
Before we left the leaves had perked up, and were smiling their thanks in my general direction (at least I hope it was thanks and not a smile that revenge is coming) lol
I didn't have to trim anything, just pinched the dead parts of the flowers off.
I think we saved them just in the nick....
All the best
Wintermoor
Good for you Barry!! Hope you whispered some encouraging words to the little darlings!! :-)
I was yapping at them the whole time. Wanda still thinks I'm crackers lol.
She has seen though what I did with a hydrangea which I bought for her, for our flower-beds last year. It had only four flowers, and now the new flowers are starting to come out, Dark Pink!!, and I've counted 32 heads growing, with still more shoots coming up. This will be a beauty.
All the best
Wintermoor
It sure will be a beauty!! Hope you post a pic!!