Hydrangea Tree damaged by late frost (no leaves) - Ask Extension
My hydrangea tree was damaged by the late Spring frost. The leaves had just started to bud. Initially, only about 1/3 of the tiny leaves turned brown,...
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Hydrangea Tree damaged by late frost (no leaves) #656277
Asked June 26, 2020, 8:08 AM EDT
My hydrangea tree was damaged by the late Spring frost. The leaves had just started to bud. Initially, only about 1/3 of the tiny leaves turned brown, but eventually they all did. Now, in late June, there is not one green leaf on the tree, other than a healthy sucker that started growing at the bottom. The branches are still green underneath, but I wonder if the tree will come back next year and if I should cut or leave the sucker.
Elkhart County Indiana
Expert Response
I know it's disappointing but if that's all the growth the shrub could put out, that's all it has. It looks like you've lost the main trunk so it will no longer be a tree form if this was a grafted variety.
NO, do not remove the branch that emerged from the roots. It's the only leaves the plant has so that's the extent of your photosynthetic engine.
Plants amaze me all the time. If it happens to bloom and you like the flower, you can certainly keep it. If it was grafted, the understock may be something you don't particularly like (as far as the flowering characteristics go).
If it was not a grafted variety, you could train it back to a tree form. The paniculata hydrangeas can be trained into a tree form. It will take several years to accomplish this, however.
Hope this helps.
NO, do not remove the branch that emerged from the roots. It's the only leaves the plant has so that's the extent of your photosynthetic engine.
Plants amaze me all the time. If it happens to bloom and you like the flower, you can certainly keep it. If it was grafted, the understock may be something you don't particularly like (as far as the flowering characteristics go).
If it was not a grafted variety, you could train it back to a tree form. The paniculata hydrangeas can be trained into a tree form. It will take several years to accomplish this, however.
Hope this helps.
