Fall Hydrangea Care

Hi,

I just purchased three hydrangea bushes from the nursery. The reason why is a drawn out story... I had to put my beloved 4 year old cat to sleep this Saturday because she had cancer and in an effort to remember her, it dawned on me to plant a hydrangea plant. (her name was Heidi, and originally I gave her that name because she had lavender coloring as a kitten that reminded me of a hydrangea bloom).

The only variety they had left was the 'shamrock,' and they were well passed blooming. There were only 4 left and the nursery gave us three for 50% off. You can tell the nursery had given up on those plants, they were wilted and sickly looking.

We planted them on the east south east side of the house - so they would get morning and early afternoon sun, but shade in the late afternoon sun.

Upon being placed in the ground and watered, the plants perked up immediately. We used a tree/shrub soil to amend the rather poor clay soil we have and I've been making sure they get a little water every few days if it doesn't rain.

The question I have is whether or not to pinch off the spent flowers, but I'm not sure if they are spent flowers or next year's blooms. Also, I think it is pretty obvious that the plant had a mold issue?? (black spots) this past season. Should I worry about that now, considering it is late and the season and hope the new location will prove to be a healthier place for the plants and we won't see a reoccurance.

Should I be worried about these new plants being succeptible to our first frost (I'm expecting it any day now).. we are in zone 6b.

Also, I want to turn this part of the house into a garden/reflection area... any ideas on what plantings would compliment this variety of hydrangea (I don't know if we will get red or blue blooms... I don't know the pH of the soil).

Thanks,

I hope this helps.
http://www.colorchoiceplants.com/shamrock.htm

Lynn

If you just cut off the spent blooms themselves you shouldn't be doing any harm to next year's buds, but I wouldn't do any other pruning since then you would be cutting off where next year's blooms would form (don't necessarily expect blooms next year though--many times especially if you plant things late in the year they'll take the next year off from blooming while they work to get their roots going).

For the black spots, the leaves will fall off as you get farther into fall/winter so I'd just make sure to pick up any spotted leaves rather than leaving them on the ground, that ought to help prevent any problems next year. Also, next year make sure that you water in the morning rather than the evening, and try to avoid splashing water on the leaves when you do water, that should help prevent the spots from forming again.

If you get a hard frost anytime soon you might consider protecting them a bit--they are hardy in your zone but until they've had a chance to get their roots going a little plants are always more susceptible to cold. I wouldn't expect a light frost would have too much effect, but I would think a hard frost in the next month or two might be able to do some damage.

7thDirection, I don't have any advice on your hydrangeas; I just wanted to offer my condolences on the loss of your Heidi. Losing a beloved furbaby is very painful, and you have my sympathy.

I agree with all that Ecrane has given for advice, your nursery neglected plants will need time to bulk up and recover, so do as Ecrane has said but you could add a nice thick mulch around the root area to offer extra protection from the real cold you are expecting in a month or so, next spring when you see new buds start to form on the bare stems, give the plants a general fertiliser feed as directed on the packet and this should help them get really healthy again, sorry about your loss with you cat, but this is a great way to keep the memories alive in your heart. Good Luck. WeeNel.

I hope these help

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/284/

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/287/

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/291/

Thanks for the advice everyone.

From what I can tell:

I picked a good place to put them. They will get morning sun and afternoon shade (especially in summer).

I've been watering almost daily (more like a deep soaking every two or three days). I've heard that giving a new plant water too often leads to shallow root growth. I've been watering in the morning, trying not to get water on the leaves.

When I planted the shrubs, I put a thick layer of mulch down anyway to help retain moisture in the soil.

The shrubs were shaped well, so I didn't have the urge to prune. I was worried about the spent blooms, that is all.

Question:

When should I stop watering for this year?

Water up until the soil freezes.

Paul

Ah... First Freeze Watch of the season (right on time!)

Should I buy clear plastic, or can I use regular garbage bags and uncover the plants after daybreak?

don't use plastic, use either burlap or remay (row covers) use can alos use an old bedsheet or blanket.

Thumbs up. I dug out some old blankets and covered the hydrangea up last night (one for each plant). They did splendid! I uncovered them so they could have some sunlight today (though the blankets are light enough they'd only diffuse the light, I 'd think). They are calling for more hard freezes the next couple nights. Should I keep covering and uncovering, or leave the blankets on (despite the fact that it looks like I have mini multicolor "ghosts" standing next to our house... :p) Ahh.... Mid October... the frosts/freezes are exactly on time this year!

Sounds like you did well! You may hear from others wiser than me, but I have always heard that you should not use plastic, and that you should always uncover your items either when temps go back above freezing or if they get direct sunlight. I have even had to safety pin sheets at the bottom if I have been expecting wind. It is a pain, but it helps keep them from blowing around! If your shrubs are small it is often easier to turn a garbage can over them.