I have had no luck with hydrangeas. I ordered 2 of them 2 years ago and they are not thriving at all. One is about 2 inches tall just putting on leaves, the other is around 4 inches with a few leaves. They do grow from old wood. I asked to have them replaced, the co. sent me a gift certificate.
I bought one earlier in the year and my little one watered it with dish soap/water. It is dry as a bone.
Can someone advise me where to buy one that will thrive in our weather. I know it takes a couple years to get them established with their big, beautiful blooms, but I am impatient! My yard is naked without one or two....
Susan
Suggestions for hydrangeas
I would suggest going to a local nursery and buying a bigger plant. I have some from cuttings that were about 2" tall when I planted and are shrubs now 3 years later. Frankly I think nurseries are crazy sending plants that small and expecting customers to have a lot of success with them.
GGG
Try Hydrangeas Plus (hydrangeasplus.com). They have amazing stock; comes large and healthy. They publish a monthly newsletter about care. And if you have any questions or problems, you can e-mail them and THEY WILL ANSWER. Within a day or so, actually. I wouldn't buy a hydrangea anywhere else.
I have found some great hydrangeas at local Big Box stores for very reasonable prices.. And I find them very easy to propagate. :) I have only ever lost one, due to bad place for it.. too much sun and not enough water.
Susan
Just go to Lowes or Home depot and buy an endless summer. Around here they sell for about $20 for big plants that are flowering already. They seem just about unkillable to me. One note, they do not like sun in my zone. You can almost grow them in full shade. Few hours of sun is fine.
susan, if you are willing to drive to lagrange...just south of atlanta you will find one of the most knowledgeable hydrangea growers around......nice display gardens and very nice plants. dmail me if intersted...don't think i can post name as per rules. also, if anyone is interested lagrange has their annual hydrangea festival june 2-3 this year. city is slacking......no info online as of yet. - jon
I think your talking about http://www.hydrangea.com/ ....Wilkerson Mill Gardens ?? What rules??
:)
Susan
hey susan, actually i was thinking Arbor Gardens in lagrange. ed's 3 gal plants are huge, and blooms galore...awesome. i'll post some pics as his hydrangeas come into bloom if ya'll are interested in seeing.
Great, I'll be going through Lagrange on the way to AL to see my dad in a couple weeks. Sure, I'd love to see some pics of the hydrangeas in bloom :)
We usually have to stop in Lagrange for bathroom breaks/food/gas anyway so that will give me something to look forward to and maybe I can find something for Pops too. I'm taking him elephant ears and jerusalem artichoke so far.
Susan
Hello everyone! I have visited Wilkerson Mill Farms (Hydrangea.com) and they have a pretty extensive selection of hydrangeas and other hard to find shrubs and trees. Great website as well. Owners/proprietors are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable.
While we're on the subject of hydrangeas, during our late freeze a couple of weeks ago, one of my hydrangeas suffered severe leaf burn. It's sort of in the "eyesore" phase right now. Any advice on whether I should cut it back, pull off the damaged leaves or just leave it alone?
ohhh never heard of Arbor Gardens??
I am leaving all of my hydrangeas alone till they fully grow out and them I will remove any dead wood. You may remove potential blooms if you cut now.
Susan
Thanks for the quick response Susan--sounds like I need to learn more about Arbor Gardens!
I got an oakleaf hydrangea (Snow Queen I think) from Park Seed years ago that came in a pot that couldn't have been any bigger than 3 inches (4 maybe). The plant was a twig and I had to baby it for the first two to three years and finally it became a fairly large shrub. The thing cost me around $12 to $15 which was quite high back then (even today considering the size). If you can buy local, you will be a lot better off (bigger and usually cheaper) but sometimes you just cannot find what you are looking for locally so you have to do mail order, but be prepared for tiny plants that you may have to treat like a baby for the first few years. Put these kinds of plants in a special bed dedicated to small plants that affords protection from the weather and critters with the best soil, etc.