My Corner Online
Hydrangea
On December 20, 2023, my hydrangea never having bloomed, I was watching it carefully for buds when I discovered it was already budding! It is not supposed to bud until next March or April! It is REALLY confused.
I have two tags for hydrangeas that I have purchased. My mind remembers that this was purchased more likely in 2019 as we had it in the very back corner of our garden and it never bloomed after several years, so we moved it where it would get less shade, but still significant sun. It still never bloomed! That means that we have a Merritt's Supreme Hydrangea macrophylla. Some folks online shared with me to cover it up and also shared some varieties that would work better for our area, being the paniculata, Oak Leaf, or Annabelle. (see below). It seems I bought a Hydrangea paniculata Fire Light Tidbit in 2021, but I have no idea where it is in my garden. My husband was never patient for me to plant and he often planted randomly and then went back later and dug them up as weeds! So it is very likely that it did not survive the abuse of my husband, who has now been kicked out of the gardens.
I set out to cover my hydrangea as I thought it was worth a shot to at least try to see if I could save it and get it to bloom. First I put chicken wire around it. Then I grabbed a bucket and gathered leaves. I had to pack the leaves between the chicken wire and the buds and got a nice cut on my arm from the chicken wire. The suggestion was to wrap it with burlap, but I had none, so I wrapped it in some painters cloth of which I have plenty. The idea came to me that I was wrapping myself a Christmas gift for the Spring! So I went to the basement and got a bow for the gift to myself! I was laughing at myself. Then I covered it with a plastic tub. I was told that the tub may cause the plant to rot, but my plan is to remove the tub during dry warmer days and to put it back in the colder days. I do not think they cloth should get wet and then freeze, but the thing does need to breath! Maybe I will pick up some burlap later and change it up.
Hydrangea (pronounced) hy-DRAN-jee-ah
Wikipedia gives a long list of 42 or so varieties of Hydrangea. People here in Missouri seem to talk about just a few of the varieties.
I have learned there are other reasons that Hydrangeas do not bloom, such as too little sun, too much sun, nutrient deficiencies, and incorrect pruning. It was suggested for nutrient deficiencies to feed them Espoma Azalea food which is a great slow release, and Maxsea Acid. It is also recommended to get a soil ph test.
It is important to know whether a hydrangea blooms on old wood or new wood.
If it blooms on old wood and you prune back the old wood, you will not have any blooms. If you prune after the buds come out, you certainly will have no blooms. These need to be pruned directly after flowering in the Summer, but not in the Autumn or Winter. The buds begin to develop in late August or September.
For new wood varieties, you can cut it back in the late Autumn or late Winter (very early Spring) before it begins to grow new wood. The varieties are easier to grow.
-----
Hydrangea macrophylla (pronounced macro-fil-a)
Hydrangea Macrophylla are also known as "Big Leaf" hydrangeas or "mopheads." These bloom on old wood. The "Endless Summer" brand is this type of hydrangea, which differs as it blooms on both old and new wood. They are large round pom poms that resemble the fluffy part of a mop. In our area of Southeast Missouri, or Missouri in general, they are not well suited because our weather has such extremes all of the time. In March the buds come out and then before the end of April, we often have a quick overnight freeze that kills them. This is called bud blight. They never bloom! The up and down temperatures here are too much for them. These hydrangeas need to be covered in the cold months in our area.
Hydrangea quercifolia (pronounced kwer-sih-FOH-lee-ah)
Hydrangea quercifolia is known as the Oak Leaf variety because the leaves are similar to an oak's leaf. It is well suited for our area because it is native to Southeast America. These bloom on old wood. This plants must be five years old or so before they will bloom! These get very tall and big, about 8 feet tall.
Hydrangea petiolaris (Pronounced pet-ee-ol-LAY-riss)
Hydrangea petiolaris are known as the Climbing variety. These bloom on old wood. They are hardy to zone 4, so are not well suited for our area in Missouri.
Hydrangea serrata (pronounced suh-RATE-uh)
Hydrangea serrata are known as the Mountain hydrangea. These bloom on old wood, so should rarely be pruned unless cutting out dead wood. These are different as they have lacecap shaped flowers. It forms a deciduous shrub or bush. Accustomed to growing in the mountains, they are able to tolerate colder temperatures. They are not well suited to this area. This variety is smaller and more compact being 2 to 4 feet tall. It was formerly listed and sold as Hydrangea macrophylla var. serrata so it is also susceptible to bud blight.
------
Hydrangea paniculata (pronounced pa-NICK-u-lay-tuh)
Paniculata Hydrangeas are the hardy variety and tolerate the sun and are much better suited for our area. These bloom on new wood. The flowers start out white and then turn into shades of pink. These hydrangeas get large and if you want a smaller paniculata, look for dwarf varieties such as Little Lime, Little Quick Fire, or Bobo. The plants must be two years old or older before they will bloom. These are well suited for our area here in Missouri.
Hydrangea arborescens (pronounced ar-BOR-es-ence)
Hydrangea arborescens is known as the Smooth variety or the Annabella variety, or sometimes the wild variety. These bloom on new wood. It can be pruned to the ground, but it is best to leave some stems otherwise it will get weak stems. This variety can be planted as hedges. These are well suited for our area here in Missouri.