I have qutie a few differnent hydrangeas which all seemed to have come through the winter with lots of new growth. The only one not showing any signs of life is the Pinky Winky. Does anyone know if it is slower to show any signs of life than other hydrangeas? It was a beaut last summer, sure hope it is not dead. I didn't give it any protection during the winter, as it was labeled as hardy for my zone.
Barb
Pinky Winky looks dead
I can't speak for how quickly it shows signs of life since I'm nowhere near your zone, but it's a paniculata so it's hardy to zone 3/4 and you shouldn't need to protect it.
Wait until mid to late June for leaf out to happen; that is when most of the big offenders decide to leaf out in northern states. If it has not started by then, prune the stems at 1" or 2" increments looking for green. Stop when you see green or when you reach the bottom. Do this on all stems.
If the plant is dead, try to think what could have gone wrong. Watering issues? Too much fertilizer? Were roots disrupted by gardening projects? etc. In the mean time, maintain the soil moist, mulch with 3" of acidic mulch and do not fertilize (should only fertilize in June on good/normal years).
Thanks, I will give it til after the full moon in June. I did nothing to it once I planted it besides making sure it received plenty of water. I never did mulch it but will give it some now. It had plenty of snow cover all winter, maybe too much. I must admit our spring weather has been rather cold and wet and most spring flowers seem to be rather slow. But all the other hydrangeas (12 in all) are doing great and showing signs of green.Barb
have you cut it back?
No I have not cut it back, should I do it now or wait until I see if it is alive or not ?
if it were mine i would cut it back now. but thats only my opinion. i cut mine back every year
Thanks, it is rather huge, and I had plans on cutting it back. Do you know if it blooms on new and old wood or just new wood?
mine sends up new shoots and gets bigger every year
here it is today. i cut this to the ground in feb.
Wow it looks great, so healthy and fat with leaves. I am going to go and trim it today.
It blooms on new wood, that's one of the reasons (along with the hardiness) that paniculatas are good hydrangeas for colder zones.
Well if it only blooms on new wood do you think I should cut it back in the fall or wait until the spring?
i would cut it now
Well Pinky Winky has been pruned and I was delighted to notice when I cut it back that their was life. Just being slow in our cold temps. It is in a spot that gets a lot of Nor'east wind from the ocean, so I think I will move it. Should I move it now or wait until the fall is the question.
I also added a Limelight and a Quick Fire to the family. I was planning on putting them is a shady part of the garden but their tags suggest sun or part shade. Has anyone had any luck with them in the shade?
Cheers Barb
How much shade are you talking about, bluecow? Under those conditions, indirect sunlight becomes important. Also, the more sun the plant gets, the more and bigger the blooms. With some indirect sun, you may get smaller or less blooms but the plant will make it there. In dense shade, it is more difficult -but not impossible- for the plant to thrive. Try it in that location but move it if bloom production next year does not meet with your approval.