HYDRANGEAS GALORE IN 2024! – Lorraine Ballato
There are hydrangeas galore in 2024, the very best flowering season I can ever keep in mind (and that takes in additional than 20 years!). Anyplace you drive, you will note them in all their glory. Hydrangea hysteria is over – at the least for now.
WHAT IF YOUR HYDRANGEA ISN’T DOING WELL
In case your hydrangea isn’t doing effectively, you will have a few selections. First know that it’s not a climate subject in colder U.S. geographies that brought about your plant to fail. Mom Nature gave us loads of rain, a light winter, and no fluctuating temps within the spring as soon as the vegetation broke dormancy. So which means it’s one thing you’re doing that must be fastened. It could possibly be soil, mild, drainage, moisture, and above all of your pruning practices. To not point out perhaps some critter sampling your plant. So carefully look at your state of affairs and for those who nonetheless come up empty, you could wish to take into account taking over golf as an alternative of gardening – only a joke!
SEASONAL HYDRANGEA CHORES FOR JULY
Early July is the very best time to deal with the final of your seasonal hydrangea chores. First up is chopping again among the extra development. You’re in all probability noticing that the expansion this season in your massive leaf and mountain hydrangeas has begun to cover these attractive flowers. Possibly your plant appears like my Hydrangea serrata ‘Tuff Stuff Crimson’ that I propagated 2 years in the past.
Hydrangea serrata earlier than mid-season pruning with all the brand new development that hides the flowers.
If that’s the case, be courageous and provides it a haircut. Take among the tall stems and minimize them down. You may propagate new vegetation from them fairly simply (which is the place this plant got here from) which I wrote about on this publish.
Search for a spot on the stem the place you see 2 aspect shoots starting to emerge. That’s the place new stems will develop so make your minimize there.
Hydrangea mid-season pruning: The place to chop
CONSIDER DOING SOME “PINCH PRUNING”
The subsequent factor you would possibly wish to do with these flowerless stems which can be in your plant is “pinch prune” them. On this case, you take away the rising tip proper above a pair of leaves which is able to drive the plant’s hormones down into the stem. That stem that you just simply minimize will now department and if we’re fortunate once more subsequent yr, you’ll get 2 flowers as an alternative of 1. It’s the very best factor you are able to do for extra flowers until you will have a working magic wand. This may be achieved with all of your “previous wooden” hydrangeas together with oak leaf and climbing varieties. Try this earlier publish the place I cowl that course of intimately.
The very last thing to do in July is fertilize your massive leaf and mountain hydrangeas which can be rebloomers. They want that further oomph this season to maintain the flowers coming. Once more, an earlier publish particulars that exercise and repeats among the data from the opposite posts already referenced above.
UPCOMING SPEAKING DATE
Viewers listening to speaker
I’ll be again on the Greenwich Botanical Heart (GBC) this month on July 25. This time I will be speaking about roses, the most well-liked shrub within the U.S. and one other of my favorites. The occasion known as “Roses and Rosé.” Right here is the hyperlink with all the data. This late day dialogue begins at 5 p.m. Come and mingle with different rose lovers, together with some rosé and “mild bites” whereas we discuss in the present day’s roses. Inform/deliver your mates!
Thanks for studying!
Supply hyperlink
There are hydrangeas galore in 2024, the very best flowering season I can ever keep in mind (and that takes in additional than 20 years!). Anyplace you drive, you will note them in all their glory. Hydrangea hysteria is over – at the least for now. WHAT IF YOUR HYDRANGEA…