I got a new hydrangea last year at a botanical sale.
I planted it in late may and it got a little bloom.
It was coddled and fertilized and protected.
checking on it after a long cold winter - all I can find is
a dry bare stem where it once stood.
Is it dead or am I impatient?
Tell me it is not true (sob)
Is it dead?
LOL roxroe, I think you are like me, impatient. Mine is sitting under about 4-6 inches of mulch and it wont start doing anything until it gets warmer out, but once it does it grows rather quickly. I cut mine down every year because I dont want it getting too big as I have it close to the front porch wich is only about 2 steps high.
Im trying to remember the name of mine, brain isnt working this am. its blue with the big flower petals, the name is on the tip of my brain.
CoCo
Mar 18, 2004
Depends what kind you have, as hydrangas are mostly deciduous plants, though a few of the tender species are evergreen. Just leave it for now, as when the weather warms up, it may start leaving out. Hydrangas blooms on both old and new wood.
(The instructions for growing the Endless Summer Hydrangea can be downloaded in PDF (Portable Document Format).
http://www.gardeners.com/gardening/content.asp?copy_id=5592
i am here in south carolina. some of mine are just now popping up and others are still sleeping. give it time yet as the cold then hot then cold agian will confuse the plant.
Be patient. i know its hard.
ok just remembered, Nikko Blue" is what I have. Its showing new growth and showing more everyday.
Hows yours doing roxroe?
nothing at all yet. It was new only about 6 inches tall
when winter came. I keep looking for a clue and nothing.
Not even the stem from last year.
sigh
Roxe- try scratching the stem- see if you can see any green underneath the "bark".
there is no "stem" to scratch. The whole thing appears to be missing
I have a large bush, don;t know the variety. It blooms in May every year and at this time is covered in light blue flowers. The only thing that I do is water.
I think anyone with a small shrub that they are worried about in the hardiness dept should make a point of mulching the bottom 4" over the winter.
I use wetted leaves (which are free and good food for the worms) and I have had quite tender plants survive many degrees of frost using this technique...
Mike
finally after many weeks a side shoot survived. But the main plant didn't make it. I was well within my hardiness zone
but it was a very cold winter.