climbing hydrangea - no flowers and holes in leaves - Ask Extension
My climbing hydrangea (about 10 years old and quite established) starts the season looking fine, but for the last two to three years it hasn't bloomed...
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climbing hydrangea - no flowers and holes in leaves #880955
Asked August 10, 2024, 4:41 PM EDT
My climbing hydrangea (about 10 years old and quite established) starts the season looking fine, but for the last two to three years it hasn't bloomed and midway through the growing season it starts to get small holes in the leaves and webs appear in the branches. Can you help?
Thanks so much!
Washington County Oregon
Expert Response
Thank you for your question, Elizabeth. First, as to the notching of the leaves: the most common pest of hydrangeas is the root weevil, which causes this damage: https://pnwhandbooks.org/insect/hort/landscape/hosts-pests-landscape-plants/hydrangea-hydrangea-root-weevil
The leaf spots may be caused by one of several fungi, described here: https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease/hydrangea-leaf-spots
Some of the leaves appear yellow, which is typically caused by too little nitrogen in the soil. Have you done a soil test for pH and nutrients? Here is the closest lab to do that: https://al-labs-west.com/contact-us/ (Sherwood).
Climbing hydrangeas bloom only on vertical stems, not on horizontal ones or those on the ground. https://chesapeake.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/chesapeake_ext_vt_edu/files/pruning-hydrangeas.pdf And their blooms appear only on new wood, so needs to be pruned so the plant creates new stems and, then, flowers. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hydrangea-barbara/
Perhaps this information will allow you to figure out which of the above is going on with your plant. Good luck!
The leaf spots may be caused by one of several fungi, described here: https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease/hydrangea-leaf-spots
Some of the leaves appear yellow, which is typically caused by too little nitrogen in the soil. Have you done a soil test for pH and nutrients? Here is the closest lab to do that: https://al-labs-west.com/contact-us/ (Sherwood).
Climbing hydrangeas bloom only on vertical stems, not on horizontal ones or those on the ground. https://chesapeake.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/chesapeake_ext_vt_edu/files/pruning-hydrangeas.pdf And their blooms appear only on new wood, so needs to be pruned so the plant creates new stems and, then, flowers. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hydrangea-barbara/
Perhaps this information will allow you to figure out which of the above is going on with your plant. Good luck!
