big leaf hydrangea - Ask Extension
hello, I have several big leaf hydrangeas that bloom on old wood.. ..I wrap them for the winter and always rewrap them if we have a frost warning dur...
Knowledgebase
big leaf hydrangea #871703
Asked June 05, 2024, 11:58 AM EDT
hello, I have several big leaf hydrangeas that bloom on old wood.. ..I wrap them for the winter and always rewrap them if we have a frost warning during the spring. This past spring when we had that really cold 24 degree frost, I had them wrapped with frost blankets. I am noticing very few buds and lots of dead ones from last fall. Is a frost blanket not sufficient for that cold temperature? thanks,
jan
Oakland County Michigan
Expert Response
Jan - Usually when hydrangeas are not blooming it is a result of pruning at the wrong time or cold damage to the buds. Did you perhaps prune them in the fall?. If so, that would result in the buds being cut off and no blooms for this year.
If no pruning, did you see any buds in the fall? If so, after you wrapped them, did the buds appear healthy or damaged by the cold? See the article below which provides more details about possible reasons for failure to flower.
https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C973&title=growing-bigleaf-hydrangea
Hope that helps.
thanks, I absolutely did NOT trim them in the fall... I am a fairly competent and knowledgeable gardener, especially when it comes to my big leaf hydrangeas.. I was just wondering if a frost blanket isn't enough to protect them against 24 degree spring weather. it doesn't seem like it was.. i iwas just wondering if anyone had blooms on big leafs in oakland county,
thanks,
