Mine wasn’t happy last year, died back early, then the pot broke, exposing everything. Then, winter (bad me, I didn’t do a thing to protect the plant.) Looked hopeless. In a WTH moment, threw the mess into a new pot, didn’t even add more soil to fill for a week or two. Took me another week to tamp down the soil. And it’s happy, lot of buds.
EK, serrata is on google. Asian.
It may be your soil and not the hydrangeas. Low PH can make the flowers blue. EDIT: If you are trying to conserve water you may want to grow them in containers. They are big water users! Container growing will also better control the soil content to get the right PH, etc.
How much very bright direct sunshine can container-grown hydrangeas take? We have intense UV that kills off basil and many other plants. Getting verry tired of zonal geraniums.
I don’t think they should have continuous bright sun for a good part of the day. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.
I LOVE the blue and purple - my favorites.
You are correct, abasket
I think hydrangeas are perhaps my favorite flowers…mine are not that great though because of my well water. They start out as blue and turn a color that is best described as maroon. I envy the people who can grow the beautiful blue ones
“Japanese viburnums, kinda have the same effect as hydrangeas, but are supposed to be " deer resistant”.
But that may only mean that they will eat something else first."
I have several different viburnums, including the snowball and the deer don’t touch any of them. My favorite viburnum is Korean Spice. The fragrance is amazing. http://www.finegardening.com/koreanspice-viburnum-viburnum-carlesii
Viburnum Summer Snowflake is also very nice because it blooms all summer.
The deer in my town are now oblivious to dogs and humans. They don’t even run when we let the dogs out.
“It may be your soil and not the hydrangeas. Low PH can make the flowers blue.”
I don’t have any blue ones because I don’t like them.
You like Lace Caps, I (as well as abasket) like Mop Heads…
Re:#20, I was looking for the exact cultivar, but thanks.
It depends on the hydrangea how much sun it can take. I think one reason why I bought the “lemonade” was because it was advertised as sun tolerant.
There is a macrophylla " lemon head" with yellow leaves, but it could be a new cultivar that just hadn’t been widely distributed yet.
I bought two viburnum japonica thinking of incorporating them into a hedgerow, but the soil is kinda crappy.
That’s interesting that your hydrangeas turn color,
Lje62.
Mine are blue, but we have pretty acid soil.
“You like Lace Caps, I (as well as abasket) like Mop Heads…”
Lace Caps can also be blue.
I like snowballs (Annabelles) and Oakleafs (the pinky winky is an oakleaf)
I like blue hydrangeas, I need to make my soil more acidic to keep the blue.
Dipping them in boiling water doesn’t just revive them, it makes freshly cut flowers last in a vase for a very long time. It’s best to cut them first thing in the morning, then recut and dip the stems in boiling water before placing in the vase. A bouquet prepared this way will easily last two weeks.
I adore lace cap hydrangeas. They’re very common on Cape Cod, and I get a beach vacation feeling whenever I see them here at home.
@NYMOmof2, next time you narrowly miss hitting a deer or even see one disappearing at the side of the road, be sure to stop the car and wait a bit. If one deer is crossing the road, there’s an awfully good chance there are others coming right behind, and the damage they can do to your car is tremendous.
Lately I’ve had to swerve to avoid flocks of wild turkeys, and last fall it was a giant tortoise laboriously making his way across the road. Heads up!
The best thing I ever did was enclose our 3 acres in 7 1/2’ deer fence. The hooved rats have never entered and I hope they never will. It’s amazing what happens when you exclude them.
Very good point, MommaJ. The deer here roam in herds of up to a dozen. Thanks.
We are not allowed to have fences in the front, only in the back and along the sides as far as the front of the house. And they can only be 6’.
We have a limit on fence heights, also, and the deer have no trouble jumping over them.
My town is trying to do something about them. They’ve formed a committee and sent everyone a survey several months ago. Haven’t heard what they plan to do yet, but it’s become a huge problem here.
I am so glad I don’t have deer, although my dog will gnaw/prune shrubs if he thinks they are in his way.
@Gourmetmom, do you mean just dip the stem in boiling Water for a second or two? Or do you mean putting them in boiling water and keeping them in that water as the water cools?
I want to try this, but of course I get hung up on the proper procedure. Dipping them for a second doesn’t seem significant enough to make a difference, but on the other hand,placing fresh flower stems in boiling water seems like it would damage the flower.
I am going to try this with my lilacs which should be in full bloom in a week or two.
@NYMomof2 My DH refers to our area as “being on the buffet trail”
@FlyMeToTheMoon I put a small saucepan of water onto simmer. Then I stand there and cut each stem to the length I want, and dip just the end (¼" to ½") in the simmering water. I count to five. Then I place the stem in the vase filled with tap water. Holding the end of the stem in the simmering water seals the cuticle and prevents moisture from wicking out of the stem…which is why they often wilt - the moisture in the flower wicks out into the vase, rather than it taking on water…obviously, the opposite of what you want to happen! Dipping the ends in hot water seals the capillaries and prevents this from happening. It really works! You’ll be amazed at how long they last.