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speedy_353

Identify hydrangea and should it be transplanted

Speedy_353
9 years ago

I bought a house three years ago and have a health looking hydrangea on the side of my house that gets full sun. Nothing has bloomed since we have been here. Year one my wife pruned it in the fall. Year too we didn't prune at all and now year three we are almost ready to give up on it and dig it out / replace with a hydrangea that we have instructions on how to care for it.

Can anyone identify what kind of hydrangea we have and how should we care for it? Would transplanting it in shade help it bloom? Thanks!

Comments (5)

  • Lalala (zone 6b)
    9 years ago

    Where are you located (specific location or plant hardiness zone)? The advice will depend on your climate.

    This is a macrophylla/mophead of some sort. If it's somewhere that was affected by the very cold winter this past year, then last year's wood (+ blooms) were probably frozen to death. The previous year, they were pruned off by your wife. Don't prune and hope for a warmer winter. If your winters are always very cold (zone 5 and below) then you may never get blooms with this variety.

    Do the leaves wilt in the heat of full sun, or do they look perky all day?

    It also looks like it has iron chlorosis (causing the yellow leaves). There are products you can apply to help that, but I don't have personal experience with them, so I'll leave others to advise on that.

  • Speedy_353
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for your reply. I live in Michigan in zone 5. The leaves seem to be perky all day long even in the full sun. This past winter has been very cold. Would it help if I covered it in the winter?

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    Yes, it would help. Search the forum archives for posts on "winter protection" to review discussions on various methods of approaching this. I strongly urge anyone in zone 6 or below to winter protect macrophyllas, rebloomers or not, to optimize any bloom potential.

    Full sun is not an ideal setting for this plant - some afternoon shade would be preferable. And the chlorosis is likely due to soil pH being off (leaching from close concrete foundation). You can improve on this immediately with chelated iron or over time with a fertilizer formulated for acid loving plants.

  • Lalala (zone 6b)
    9 years ago

    I agree, in zone 5 you have to winter protect to have any chance of blooms. Full sun is not ideal but you can probably get away with it in your cooler zone if you don't want to move it, or at least try keeping it there for another year or two to see how it does.

  • October_Gardens
    9 years ago

    In mid-November, tie the stems together with string to fit in a 24-30" diameter circle. Try filling a white kitchen garbage bag with leaves and then quickly flip it upside down over the plant and shimmy it down to the base. If leaves fall out, stuff them back up in. Cinch at the bottom The white bag will act as a greenhouse that should keep the buds from drying out and freezing too far below zero, and the leaves will act as insulating material.

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