Shrubs - Hydrangea (page 2)
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  I want to plant some hydrangeas along the front of our house, which faces north. I also have some shade trees. Would that location be suitable for hydrangeas, and when is the best time to plant them?

  Hydrangeas do best on the north or east side of the house, so location-wise, it should be fine. One problem, is most hydrangeas look like a bunch of dead sticks during the winter, and if you have them in a highly visible spot along the front of the house, they won’t be overly attractive. If the plants will be mixed in with other evergreens, it should be fine. If you can find plants available now, you can plant, water and mulch well. The later you get in the season, the better it would be to wait until spring, since hydrangeas are somewhat sensitive to winter weather, and will be more so with a limited root system.

  I planted two hydrangeas this spring (purchased at the same time, from the same place, and planted in the same general area.) One is blooming profusely, and the other one didn’t have a singe bloom. The leaves on both plants have a few rust-colored spots. Why would one bloom and not the other? How should I treat these spots?

  Hydrangeas are unusual plants, in that they bloom in the summer, but they set their flower buds the previous fall. Many hydrangeas had begun active growth this spring, when the late cold snap came through in March. If the plant was hit by the cold--whether in the ground or in the pot, it got the flowers for this season. Different plants grow at different speeds, and one could have been further along than the other. I wouldn’t worry much about the spots, since these plants are working on getting established, they are weaker than others, and with this heat, just help them survive. Keep them watered, and hopefully both will bloom next spring.

  How and when do you treat the soil surrounding a hydrangea with lime to make it bloom pink instead of blue?

  Apply lime now. Lime is fairly slow acting, so it will take a while to make a difference. Scratch it in lightly and water well. By next summer you should be seeing some changes.

  My hydrangeas bloomed beautiful this year, but they are growing so tall due to the rains. When should I prune them so they can bloom well next year? 

  Hydrangeas are somewhat unusual, in that they set their flower buds in the fall for next summers bloom. Prune them sparingly immediately following bloom, (usually in July) by removing some of the taller, and therefore older, stalks at the ground line. This will reduce the size of your plants, yet leave other stalks for blooming in the following year. If you prune now, you will not have as pretty a show next summer.

  Our large bed of hydrangeas did well this spring/summer, but the large blooms all appeared to be on the lower limbs--nearer to the ground. As they bloomed, most of the limbs seemed to drop down until they were either lying on the ground or nearly there. This winter, during their off season, I plan to trim back the stems. How far back should they be trimmed? What type of fertilizer should I use. I plan to let them run their course during the growing season, but desire to give them all the help I can after their green season. Thanks for your help.

  Although they may not be green and growing, once hydrangeas lose their leaves, all of their flower buds are set for next season’s blooms. Pruning them while dormant, will lead to few to no flowers next summer. If hydrangeas are pruned in the winter--by man or mother nature, we have limited flowers. The time to prune your plants, is as the flowers begin to fade in the summer. Thin them out by removing the older (and thus, taller and woodier) canes close to the ground line. This should leave ample canes for flowers the next season, and encourage new growth. Any general fertilizer can be used in the spring after they begin growth.

  We have had two healthy and full blooming blue hydrangea plants for three years. This summer there have been only two blooms on one plant, instead of about 30 on each plant. The plants seem very healthy, full foliage, no disease. What could have caused this lack of blooms??  Also, I have heard there is a way to alter flower color in hydrangeas. If this is so, could you share them with me. Many thanks.

  Hydrangeas bloom in the summer, yet turn right around and set flower buds in late summer to early fall. The past three years have been tough on our plants, and if the hydrangeas were stressed by lack of water during the flower bud setting phase, they won’t bloom well. If they are pruned at the wrong time they won’t bloom as well. Hydrangeas are cane producing plants, and have a number of branches generated from the soil line. Any pruning that is needed should be done immediately following flowering. Then simply remove some of the largest, overgrown canes close to the soil line. The pH of the soil determines flower color. Lime makes them pinker, while sulfur makes them bluer. The more acidic the pH the bluer they are and the more alkaline, the pinker.

  I have hydrangeas that still have dried growth from last season ---- can I prune them without damaging this year's blooms?

  Pruning off the spent blossoms should not affect this years blooms, provided you simply snip them off directly behind the flower head. Don't cut back on the branch or you might do some damage to the dormant flower buds.

  I have a hydrangea that used to be in the shade of a small tree. A recent storm caused the tree to fall on the hydrangea, and now the hydrangea is damaged, and in full sun. When is the best time to move this plant and prune it to reshape it? (Benton)

  I would go ahead and dig it up and move it now. Even though this is a tough time to move the plant, if you have it in full sunlight, it is going to be stressed and wilt every day. This in combination with the storm damage may be too much for this plant. Dig it up early in the day, or late in the evening. Have the soil prepared in an eastern or northern location, and get the plant in the ground as quickly as you can. Then mulch it well and keep it watered. You may need to water daily until the roots get established, but make sure you don’t drown it. In normal situations, the best time to move a plant is while it is dormant--November through February. The best time to prune a hydrangea, is as soon after bloom as possible. Remove older canes at the base. When something drastic happens to a plant, such as yours, normal recommendations don’t always fit.

  Is it too late to prune hydrangeas? If not, what is the proper way to prune?

  Hydrangeas are setting flower buds for next season’s blooms now. Pruning now would interfere with their blooming next summer. The best time to prune them is in the summer, as the flowers start to fade. Hydrangeas are cane producing plants, and you can reduce size, by removing older (thus taller) canes, close to the soil line. This should reduce the overall plant, yet still leave younger canes to bear flowers the next season.

  This fall our Hydrangeas did not bloom until very late. They were blooming in November and December until the freeze. Now the stalks and leaves are deep brown and the dry blooms are still on the stalks. What pruning should we do and when?

  This fall and early winter many of our plants were confused and blooming or growing too late. This may lead to some winter injury problems, but for now we simply must wait and see what happens. Mulching the plants will offer some protection, but this should have been done by now. Hydrangeas are unusual plants, in that, they set flower buds in the fall for the following summers blooms. Any pruning of hydrangeas–unless they are winter damaged, should be done immediately following flowering in the summer. If size needs to be reduced, thin out some of the older, larger canes at the soil line. This should reduce size and still leave mature branches for flowering the following year. If the plants look damaged now, don’t do anything. Wait for spring and see where growth begins. Hydrangeas often look dead during the winter, and pruning them now would open them up for more damage.

  My hydrangeas were so big last year that I pruned out one third of the older canes and then sheared them back slightly. I did it per your instructions as soon as the flowers faded. They went dormant in the fall, but began to bud out in November when we had such warm conditions. When the December cold hit, they again went dormant. Now the only growth I can see is coming from the base of the plants. Did I prune at the wrong time, or what has happened? Is there anything I should do now?

  You did everything right, it was our weather that got messed up. The mild fall and early winter had many plants growing or not going dormant, and damage may have occurred. If the only growth is from the base, chances are good that the top growth was frozen back. Unfortunately, that means, no flowers this summer. Give them a few more weeks to see if anything sprouts out at the top, and if not, prune out the dead wood. Your plants will grow rapidly without the energy going into flowers. Look on the bright side, at least you will have smaller more manageable plants this year.

  I planted several different hydrangeas in my garden last year, including Annabelle, and several different varieties of the pink and blue forms. I am confused about when to prune these plants. None of them really need it this year, unless they were frozen back, but for future reference when do I prune, and how much? 

  Pruning hydrangeas can be most confusing, especially with all the new cultivars which are coming out, and which bloom different seasons. As a general rule, ‘Annabelle’ blooms on the current season growth, so it should be pruned back before new growth begins, typically in February. Most of the pink and blue forms are considered Bigleaf hydrangeas, and they bloom in the summer, but set their flower buds in the fall. The only pruning on these, should be done immediately following bloom. There are a few cultivars even in this group which are supposed to bloom on current season growth too, but they are in the minority. After this year, many of the plants may have been burned back by the freeze, and if so, many of the bigleaf forms will not bloom.

  We planted three hydrangeas against our house last Spring (1998) and all three bloomed well. Even though all three are very healthy this year, only one has actually bloomed (but not very proficiently). All three are very close to one another in a shady location (southern exposure, but shaded by a mature oak tree). The one that bloomed gets a little more sun than the others late in the afternoon. We did not fertilize or otherwise augment the soil. Do you think the location is too shady or could there be another reason they have not bloomed?

  Hydrangeas set flower buds for summer bloom in the fall. The December weather did cause some damage to hydrangeas, and if yours were nipped, that could be the cause of the lack of blooms this year. Hydrangeas do need some light to bloom, but if there is filtered light at some point, that should suffice. Do you think they were damaged at all--if they were, they would have sprouted from the base of the plant, versus the older woody stalks.

  My parents have a hydrangea that needs to be pruned. I get home every other month, and I could do it when I come later this month. Is this a good time to prune it? Also, I've never done any pruning. Can you tell me how it's done?

  If it needs to be pruned, as soon after bloom as possible is best. To reduce both height and width, yet still leave enough branches for good flower production next season, consider pruning out one third of the older --taller and thicker branches close to the soil line. If the plant is still too tall, some tipping back of other canes can be done. Hydrangeas bloom in the summer, and set flower buds in late summer to early fall, so you need to work quickly to allow the plant to recover in time for flower set.

  We follow your column in the paper since we retired from Minnesota and we are not familiar with most of the plants here. I have a question about our hydrangeas. Two of our plants were not doing too well and I thought that they had too much sun. I transplanted them to a shady area. They continue to get brown spots on the leaves and then some go black and brown and the leaves drop off. Anything I should be doing to these plants to help them along? Three plants that were originally in the shade are doing well. All of them were planted in the spring.

  At this stage, just continue to water. Hydrangeas don't do well in the sun, and they require water at all times. Transplanting can also be a shock to their system. Keep them alive, and by next spring they should be acclimated to the move. Many plants are struggling with our dry, hot weather, so continue to water. Monitor the plants next spring, and if you see spots again, call your county extension office for a fungicide recommendation. There are many secondary diseases or symptoms that can occur on a stressed plant, so I really wouldn’t recommend spraying this late in the season.

  My son and his wife gave me a beautiful blooming hydrangea for Mother’s Day. After it quit blooming, I planted it in my flower bed. It did great until now. Can you please tell me from the leaves I’ve enclosed in this letter, what is wrong with it? I sprayed it a few days ago with a pyrethrin, along with my azaleas. Will this do the job or do I need something else?

  Your hydrangeas have a fungus leaf spot. Whenever you can see the concentric "bull’s eye" rings, you can be pretty sure it is a disease, and not an insect. The pyrethrin spray is for insects not diseases. However, this late in the season, I’m not so sure you need to be spraying. Be sure to rake up and destroy all the leaves as they fall. Next spring, watch the foliage closely. If new spots occur, then spray with a general fungicide such as Daconil or Funginex. Hopefully, it will be a one time problem and won’t reoccur.

  My question is about whether my hydrangeas will be ok planted on the North side of a 6 foot fence. They did great last year, no blooms since I had transplanted them from a flower bed my Mother started 50 years ago. These are from the original plants. We just took 3 trees down that helped shade them last year. The original plants were planted on the North side of a small shed that was not much higher than the fence they are next to now. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to transplant them again, but will if you think it necessary. So far they are greening up very nicely.

  The north side of a building or structure is ideal, provided they get some sunlight at some point during the day--preferably early morning or late, late afternoon. Direct mid day sun can be hard on them and cause them to wilt every day. If they are in total shade, they won't have any flowers. It is good they are leafing out all over, since many were damaged by the winter weather.

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