My hydrangeas, Mopheads, Oakleaf, and Lacecaps, just started to leaf out in early June from the bottom but some are not leafing at all. They were all lush last year. Do you have any advice for me? I did not prune in the past year. Thank you. Linda
Answer
Hi Linda,
This past winter we did not have any snow cover to speak of. Snow cover is important because it acts as insulation for the plants from the cold winter winds.
The hydrangeas were hit hard again this past winter and were killed back to the ground. If you have an old hydrangea variety that blooms on old wood, only you will not have flowers this year. If you have new hydrangea varieties that bloom on old and new wood, you will have some flowers this year...but not many. The last 4-5 winters have produced cold enough weather to kill the flower buds on the hydrangeas. I would expect that the future winters will be similar. I suggest that in the late fall you put tall wooded stakes around your hydrangeas and wrap them with burlap. Fill the space inside the burlap wrap with dry leaves which will help protect the plants. That should take care of the problems you have had with poor blooming after cold winters.
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About Linda Lillie
Linda K. Lillie is the President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc, the premier
landscape design and maintenance, tree care, lawn care, stonework, and carpentry
service provider in southeastern Connecticut since 1997. She is a graduate of
Connecticut College in Botany, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national
award winning landscape designer for her landscape design and landscape installation work.
