So girls ... not sure what I was thinking trying to grow hydrangeas in zone 3...
Anyways, last summer I planted 3 plants. One little lamb and two lime lights. They suffered really badly shortly after I planted them last summer. I went to mexico and while I was gone we had a huge summer storm with hail that flattenned them to the ground and also they suffered from lack of water.... ( My neighbor forgot to water).
This year I really thought that they were all dead. The scratch test showed no green and so i went out and bought some replacement shrubs and planned to to dig out the hydrangeas on my next day off. Long story short, they werent dead! At least two of them weren't. they started growing green shoots from the ground. I still dug them up and moved them to my backyard in a location isolated from wind. they were sort of in a wind tunnel.
Two of them are THRIVING in their new home. The third one is showing no growth still. I would have thrown it away when I dug it up to transplant it but the roots were still alive. This plant fails the scratch test. It even fails having any green when I snap a branch. Is it gone or should I still keep waiting? Does anybody have luck in zone 3 with hydrangeas. I've moved them to an isolated location with morning sun and a constant flow of water from our sump.... it is good draining soil though. Sure I'm getting growth now on two of them but will they get flowers? I read somewhere that flowers start developping in August the year before. If they die back to the ground after every winter I will never get any flowers will I?
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used coffee grounds really help hydrangas. Add to soil.
I planted blood grass one year and it didn't come up the next so I figured it was dead but the following year it grew like the blazes. So you never know.
thanks lessismore! It's nice to hear that somebody in a zone 3 is having luck! I guess that the two varieties that I have bloom on new wood. I did cut them back in the spring. The new growth is coming in really quickly but still none on the one :confused:
I live in zone 3 and have great success with hydrangeas. I have mophead and oakleaf hydrangeas. They are mainly promoted for zone 4,however, they are known to live in zone 3 with ample sun. I have tried mine in many different locations since we have a lot of trees on our property but they seem to love my garden where the sun hits them from 1-5. I certainly would not give up on them.
Pruning hydrangeas is a bit 'special'. I always refer to the following site, it is so easy to follow and understand what you should be doing to have successful and healthy hydrangeas.
[url]http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/[/url]
Thanks pearl. I fertilized with bone meal yesterday so maybe that will help. You're right though. I have nothing to loose. They are in a corner in my backyard so it's not like they are the stars of my garden.
The two types that I have are little lamb and limelight so they are supposed to be hardy here. I may try insulating for the winter this year. I know that this was an exceptionally hard winter, but maybe I can help them out over next winter.
On an up note my peonies are very happy! And I swear my acidantheras grew over an inch today. I am so addicted to gardenning and it's my first year really. My last house I landscaped and just put in a few perrenial shrubs here and there and some trees. I'm having so much fun! Even if these hydrangeas don't survive, it sure is fun trying to keep them alive. Just imagine how rewarding it would be if they live. :)