My MIL & neighbor both have this var. that they have had for years and neither of them have ever bloomed. Both are on the E side of their houses so they get dappled light and they fertilze them well. Any suggestions????
Oak leaf that never blooms
When are they pruning them? They're like the macrophyllas and bloom on old wood, so if they're pruning them in fall/winter/early spring they're pruning off the branches that would have flowers. Also since these bloom on old wood and assuming they're in zone 5 too, it's possible they may need to protect them just like you would with most of the macrophyllas, otherwise the buds can get frozen off and then it won't bloom.
I don't think the trim them at all and I know they don't protect them...I thought Oak Leaf was hardy in our zone?? They sell them here with the tags that say they are??? What kind of protection-they are well mulched, but like some kind of cover??
They are hardy in that the plant won't die, but just like most of the macrophyllas since they bloom on old wood, the buds start to form while it's still cold enough in your area that they can get frozen off, and since they only bloom on old wood once those freeze off then that's it, no flowers. Or if the branches are dying back and most of the growth is new stuff coming up from the base that growth won't produce flower buds this year. Nurseries have been selling macrophyllas in zone 5 for years without the warning that you have to protect them if you want to see flowers, so it doesn't surprise me that they do the same thing with the oakleaf ones.
I don't know for a fact that's what is going on, but I'm assuming that since they bloom on old wood they will be subject to the same troubles as the macrophyllas when you grown them in zone 5/6. If you want hydrangeas for your zone that will bloom without having to protect them, go for the cultivars of H. arborescens and H. paniculata, they are hardy to about zone 3 or so and bloom on new wood so you can count on a good show every year without any extra effort on your part. Or there are some reblooming macrophylla cultivars that bloom on new as well as old wood so those work better in your area too. Unfortunately I don't think anybody's come up with a reblooming quercifolia yet. For protection, what a lot of people do with their macrophyllas is build a cage around them in the fall and pile it full of leaves, I assume that would work for these too unless the plants are too big.
That does help-I had gotten a lacecap at the St Loius Botanical Gardens that they told me was hardy to Z5, so now I guess I know that for that one also I probably wnat to do the cage thing too right?? I will let my MIL & Neighbor know about the oakleaf...
Do you know what species your lacecap is? They all look similar, but some lacecaps are H. serrata instead of H. macrophylla and it's a little hardier so may be OK w/o protection if it's serrata (although they still bloom on old wood, so it wouldn't hurt to protect it especially if you're prone to late frosts). If it's macrophylla then for sure I'd protect it, I think all the reblooming ones are mopheads so if yours is a lacecap macrophylla I'm pretty sure it would only bloom on old wood.
it is serrata, but I still will prob. protect it for the forst couple years, then may leave it for a year, just to see-THANKS!
Hydrangea quercifolia - Oakleaf hydrangea - is hardy to zone 5 . They like moist, but not wet conditions. They can flower in dense shade. Flowers do develop on old wood as ercane3 explained. If pruning becomes necessary prune just after flowering. They do appreciate a mulch. Michael Dirr - "Hydrangeas for American Gardens" mentions that the flower buds can be killed in zone 5 but that they are worth growing for the foliage alone. This year I'm trying Hydrangea quercifolia "Little Honey". This cultivar is said to get only 3-4 ft and have chartreuse/golden foliage through the summer followed by good red fall color.
This message was edited Apr 27, 2008 3:27 PM
This message was edited Apr 27, 2008 3:37 PM
My MIL has had it for about 4 yeasr, never trimmed it, has it mulched and fertilized and keeps it watered with the rest of her stuff-she like the foliage, but wants it to bloom-I told her toady about you all and the advice and she was VERY grateful!!
We'll all keep our fingers crossed that it blooms for her next year!
THANKS!!!!
Fairy1004 , do you have deer? They very neatly use to eat all the buds off ours in the spring before we put up a deer fence. Look carefully at the tips to see if you have been pruned by the DD ( not dear daughter!) Now mine are glorious. One of my favorite plants. Patti
Nope no dear here-in the city-only bunnies and squirrels!!-ugh!!
Bunnies will eat the buds too if they can reach them. Look for an clean angled cut about 2 feet off the ground and it is a rabbit. Lucky you with no deer. Patti
I will check out the bottom, but MIL's is like over 3' tall-so I know bunnies didn't get that far up (unless they are mutants!!LOL)
Rabbits stand on top of the snow and munch. Especially in February when food is scarce and the snow might be deep. Damage isn't always confined to the bottom. One winter here when we had had a lot of snow they gnawed the bark and nearly girdled a young magnolia at least 15" off the ground. Consistent rabbit damage is usually pretty esasy to spot though. Stuff looks chewed in some fashion or other depending on what they are eating.
I know that my MIL doesn't have that issues-my neighbor might-I think part of the neighbors problem is that I think she cuts it back every year-to the ground....MIL-I think hers is her buds freezing off-I talked to her about it and she said she has never noticed any damage whatsoever on it, just no flowers...she said she is going to insulate it this winter and see if it works:)
Yes, cutting it back every year is a good way to make sure it never blooms! LOL
I didn't realize she did it until this year-I was looking for it on Suday and it was only a couple inches tall-LOL-I think that explains her problem....
It will come back and you can snag an offshoot for yourself from her plant. I have many from one original plant. I hadn't thought of the bunnies standing on a snow bank. cleaver rats. Patti
rats is right-they ate all of my crocus just after they bloomed-do you know how mad I am!!:(
I always get some dieback on mine here, but usually will get a few flowers every year.
They have both had them for at least 4 years and a bud they have never seen....
Junk them and get a paniculata. I do know of an old oakleaf at an arboretum - it's 10 years old and only 4' high yet - it still only gets 5 or 6 flowers. They really are more of a foliage plant for this zone.
I think MIL is going to try the leaf thing this winter and if it doesn't bloom she will either take it out or put something pretty in front of it that wil add color to the foliage..
I agree with Al. Get a paniculata. I have oakleaves, and am zone 6, and they never bloom above the snowline. We had a zone 7 winter this year, so I am hoping for more bloom. They are just not reliably bud hardy here. You can put a cage around them, and fill it with leaves, and they may make it, but rather than go to the trouble, the paniculatas are so reliable here, I would just stick with them.
The oakleaf does have lovely fall foliage, so if you just want them for that, there's nothing wrong with doing that.
I dunno-I don't have one-I got a lacecap at the St. Louis Botanical Garden, but that is the only one-been in my house all winter-will plant it in a couple week in my front bed...