What's Wrong With My Hydrangea?

In this encore presentation of Down the Garden Path, Joanne discusses some of the issues you may be experiencing with your hydrangeas this month and what you can do about them.

Topics covered in this week's episode:

Hydrangeas not blooming?

• Knowing what variety of hydrangea you have is the first step
• In Joanne's experience, if you have a nice large green bush but no or few flowers then you have a Macrophylla variety
  • They bloom on old wood that is unfortunately susceptible to late spring frost damage
  • The buds form on the old wood in early spring, and then a late frost comes and kills the buds
  • The plant still grows nice and lush and you don’t know anything is wrong until it doesn’t flower.
  • Extra water and fertilizer provide a nice full-leaved plant, but no blooms
  • I have tried all the techniques to try and prevent this and protect the plant, but I gave up and replaced it with a hardier variety
• If you are in an area where you often get a late frost after a nice warm-up, then consider swapping to another variety
• Hydrangeas discussed:
  • Macrophylla
  • Paniculata
  • Quercifolia
  • Serrata
  • Arborescence
• Which hydrangeas grow on old or new wood

Hydrangeas getting too large/floppy?

• Preferred pruning practices 
• Smaller variety recommendations of each type to have a hydrangea that stays smaller:
  • Munchkin Oakleaf Hydrangea
  • Invincibelle Wee White Hydrangea
  • Invincibelle Limetta
  • Little Lime or Bobo Hydrangeas
  • All are a great way to have more hydrangeas in a smaller space

Related Episodes/Resources Mentioned in the Show:

Tips To Extend The Blooming Season Of Your Endless Summer Hydrangea

Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas Part One

Hydrangeas Part Two

BLOG POST -- Hydrangeas: When They Don’t Work And What You Can Do About It

Are you a landscape or gardening expert?

We'd love to have you on the show! Click here to learn more.

Find Down the Garden Path on Instagram, Facebook, and .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}