How can I tell when it's a goner?

I planted 3 hydrangeas last year--1 Endless Summer, 1 Nikko Blue, and 1...something I can't remember but it's also a machrophylla and has variegated leaves. The Nikko Blue and Mr. Unidentified Variegated Somethingorother both have new growth at the base, which I assume means they died back to the ground over winter. The Endless Summer looks like a dried up woody bunch of twigs with no new growth or signs of life. How long should I wait before playing taps for this poor little guy and finding him a home in the compost bin?

Since the other two seem to have died back to the ground, what should I do with the old growth? Do I cut it back to the new growth or wait and see if it perks up? Spring has been a little late in coming to Wisconsin (my daffodils aren't even blooming yet, although I do see them blooming in other warmer yards and mine have buds). I don't want to give up on anything too soon.

Don't put on a toe tag yet! My Nikko Blue (which some sites will tell you is still not hardy in our zone) died back most of the way for the first couple years. In year three I got one flower. Last year (year 4) I got FIVE flowers and guess what ... they were mostly blue!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was thrilled. My endless summer looks the way you describe yours pretty much every year, but it's always there. And in fact, right now mine looks like a bunch of dead sticks too but hang in there because it seems to rally.

I had a gorgeous oak leaf hydrangea that was about 5 feet in diameter and last year it got some kind of bug and died entirely back except for ONE stick. I left it because it's a beautiful plant and there is still life there this year, although no sign of any new shoots.

Anyway ... I think in our zone you have to really wait a long time before calling in the coroner ... especially after the winter and spring we had!

Thanks for the advice, Twonewfs! I'll let the Endless Summer stick around, then. (I'm sure it's ENDLESSLY relieved to hear that.) It was new from the nursery last year, but it had 5 lovely pink flowers on its small frame. I was so happy with it and I hoped it would make it through winter.

My impatience is really gonna get me in trouble some day. I almost yanked out my Russian sage this week because it looked deader than a doornail. Then I went to the garden center today and saw that they were selling their Russian sage as dormant twigs. Lucky for me I hadn't composted those babies yet! I definitely would've regretted it.

I think I need to make a pledge: "I will not pull out another poor plant until I'm good and certain it's dead!" :P

I'm in zone 9, and I honestly give things until June before I give them up for dead. So since you're in a much colder zone than I am, you definitely shouldn't give up on anything yet.

My Endless Summer, totally unprotected every winter, is just now coming on strong from the base. I pulled out the oak leaves from the crown that had blown in over the winter and there was the new growth. Also residing in the clump of leaves in the crown was a small snake. Eastern Garter I think. Now there was a handfull. Good thing I don't mind snakes. The last three years here we've had a lot of snakes, probably because of the rock work and the ponds. Anyway, the Endless Summer can be slow to wake up. It can also be slow to establish. Way to soon to be thinking DOA.

The silly Endless Summer has new growth today. It's very small, but it's there. Also, when I nipped off the mopheads (did I do evil? I didn't know what else to do with them.) I noticed that the interior of the stems was nice and white-ish green, like green wood on a tree. I'll assume that's also a good sign!

My impatience is gonna get me in trouble some day. *blush*

Yep ... that's a great sign. And now, thanks to Snapple's story, I can no longer pull away leaves from my plants because of my irrational fear of totally harmless snakes. I ran into a garter snake in the garden about three years ago and for the rest of the summer would not go near the garden without a big stick (I have no idea what THAT was supposed to do). This was, of course, after screaming at a level and pitch that had my husband convinced I had just maimed myself in a freak pruning accident.

Hehe! What you need is a snake dog!

When I was in my early 20's my parents decided to raise cabbage on a portion of their 150 acre farm (most of which they rented out to a local farmer). On weekends I used to come help harvest the cabbage. We had a keeshond mix then named Smokey. Whenever he encountered a garter snake he'd grab it by the tail and whip it around like a chew toy.

The snakes had it rough, but I can say that we were never surprised or bothered by them. lol

Good thing you mostly just have garter snakes where you are! I don't know if rattlers would appreciate being whipped around like chew toys! LOL

If I encountered a rattler I'd need a change of underwear. Uh, twonewfs, sorry I raised your anxiety level. We've had so darn many snakes here the last three years I've just gotten used to them. I see one or two in every garden bed, daily. Or maybe it's the same ones and they are really, really fast. They don't stop to chat.

omg ... one or two DAILY? I might have to move. Or consider hypnosis or something. And while the weather in Wisconsin stinks about 80% of the time, the fact that there are no dangerous snakes here makes it worth it. AT least I don't think there are any dangerous snakes. Nobody correct me if I'm wrong.

Lucky for me I was raised summers on a small Michigan inland lake. Snakes, a couple of mildly venemous varieties included, were part of daily life and Dad "didn't raise any sissies" as he put it. We we not conditioned to fear them or allowed to harm them. I actually kept some as "pets" back home over the winter in a terrerium. Now, the real hero in all this was my mother, who was raised a city gal and had to get country quick.

Ugh. I'm back to wondering if one of my hydrangeas is a goner. (And just after I encouraged Twonewfs in another thread to be patient with her echinaceas! lol) Every single other mophead is alive and kicking with new growth (although they did die back to the ground). One of them is just plain dead-looking, though. Not a single sign of life. I can't for the life of me remember the cultivar except that it's the only one I have with variegated leaves.

I'll give it until June or so, but...I'm already thinking of what I might put in its place. Maybe a nice new 'Limelight.' I think I need to try a paniculata. ;)

Maybe the variegated ones are more temperamental. Or maybe they're just slower to get going--if you had them protected for the winter I wouldn't give up on it yet, I've noticed some variegated things that I have just aren't as vigorous as their all-green relatives, so it wouldn't surprise me if it's a little slower to get going.

I have one varigate - 'Lemon Wave' - yellow, white and green foliage. That one always dies back completely. I don't protect it. It's just now budding out. I'ts a lace cap and I rarely get a bloom.

This is the first spring for a Lady In Red and there are flower buds showing. It was protected with a cage of oak leaves. This cultivar looks like its going to be vigorous, if cared for over the winter.

I've got 2" of new growth on the Pinky Winky. How's yours doing ercrane3? It's been chilly here so its probably behind yours.

I got several surprises this year, the new peony that I was given last year that I was CONVINCED was deader than a door nail is alive and kicking! The peony I split and transplanted from a friend, both were very puny looking and it is doing gang busters this spring! SOME of my tiny baby Endless Summer hydrangeas are showing growth, some are not. I'm waiting to see before I give them a proper burial in the compost pile. Every year I tell myself I will NOT clean up and tidy up too soon. I will allow all plants the opportunity to self-seed etc... it's a battle with me!

pscchw2 - The baby ES's. Did you propagate them yourself? Congratulations on the peonies. That's why we garden isn't it! Sometimes things work out, inspite of us!

psychw2 - I fight the same battle. Part of me wants to clean up and get things over with so I can move another plant into the place of something that didn't survive. I have to keep telling myself to be patient. I mean, it's not like I want the dead-looking ones to really be dead; I just like for things to...move along.

I think "patient gardener" is an oxymoron. :P

No, I did not propagate the ES myself, I bought 10 of them as liners for CHEAP.

I'm really excited because these are my first peonys & hydrangeas. I have my first coneflower too! My flower choices are varied, I can't seem to settle on "one favorite". If it blooms, is pink, blue, purple or white... doesn't take BABYING and constant maintance ... SIGN ME UP! LOL

Snapple--my pinky winky is pretty much fully leafed out, no new growth but that's probably because I planted it just a couple weeks ago so it's working on its roots right now. I do hope it'll bloom this year though!

I'm a lazy gardener, that's why I generally end up giving things plenty of chance to come back from the winter...I notice them in Feb or March and think "oh, that's dead, put it on the list of things to clean up", then I'll look at it again in April and I'll think "oh, I really do need to take care of that dead thing", then I'll come back in June and the dead thing will have leaves or be sprouting new growth from the base and then I think "oh, I'm glad I never got around to pulling that!" So now I've learned to let all the dead looking things sit around for a while because you never know when they might come back to life!

KaylyRed ... If you do need to get a new hydrangea, Limelight really is lovely. It's by far teh best performer in my garden (other than my oakleaf until it was invested last year ... :( ).

I would recommend any paniculatas over the macropylls here. When I used to have my Nikko Blues they would die back every year, but would come back fine to answer your question.

Twonewfs - you're really gonna doom that poor little mophead! I want a 'Limelight' in my garden, and unless this guy is dead I really don't have room for it. I just went out and threatened it, saying, "You know, you can be replaced!" ;)

Al - my two 'Nikko Blue' died back to the ground but have new growth at the base. Did yours bloom when they did that? 'Nikko Blue' doesn't bloom on new wood, does it? If these guys are going to die back every year and never bloom I may just give them to my mom and see how her garden likes them, although with her I fear they may get too much summer sun.