Hydrangeas are stunning flowering plants with showy flowers that provide color and drama to the summer garden, but if they don’t receive the right care and attention, they may be finicky. Late winter hydrangea care must be done correctly. Disappointment might result from improper pruning, other typical blunders, challenging weather, and more. Fortunately, my radio guest this week, Lorraine Ballato, is an authority in hydrangeas who can assist you in overcoming the most difficult hydrangea problems.
Lorraine is a hydrangea expert, lecturer, writer, and photographer who specializes in gardens. In fact, she wrote the book Success with Hydrangeas: A Gardener’s Guide on hydrangea maintenance. She claims that hydrangeas are one of those plants that have a bit of a diva complex and are picky about how gardeners care for them. She advises gardeners to remember that what works in one area won’t necessarily be the ideal strategy in another. The ideal winter care for a hydrangea in Washington may be the worst possible care for one in North Carolina. And various hydrangea kinds have varied requirements, she continues.
Hydrangea Care in Deer Country
In zone 5b, where Lorraine resides, March is a chilly month. There are two to three feet of snow on the ground, and she can see deer footprints there, indicating that they are out grazing.
“If you live anywhere near deer habitat, Lorraine advises that you get outside and spray as soon as it warms up and becomes dry since this is the time of year when they really start to destroy everything. Before all the snow melts and before the does give birth, you may teach the deer that your garden is not their salad bar. The deer are hungry and pregnant. Don’t wait; the does will teach the fawns where to eat.
When using sprays, make sure you are facing the wind “Lorraine advises, and she means it, “You don’t want to be downwind of any deer spray that you use.” Any clothing you are wearing should be washed as soon as you are through spraying.
There are systemic deer repellents in addition to spray repellents. When plants are actively growing, systemics are sprayed. Through their roots, the plants absorb substances like denatonium benzoate, which gives the leaves a harsh flavor that keeps deer away. These can be used on ornamental plants but are not intended for food crops.
I live in zone 7b, where dormant plants will soon begin to leaf out, which is simply food for deer. I don’t have deer fences on my land, therefore my family of 13 deer feel free to roam about. You can listen to my chat with landscape design expert Karen Chapman about how she keeps deer away from the plants on her remote property in the Pacific Northwest for fence-free ideas to avoid deer from devouring your food garden and beautiful plants.
These 13 deer like my fence-free land and will soon be enjoying the dormant shrubs that are just beginning to leaf out. Here are a few of them.
Prepare Before Pruning
Make sure you have the appropriate instruments for the job, that they are all sharp and clean, before beginning to prune shrubs. Cutting can spread infections that were on tools that had contact with infected plant material the previous year.
In order to avoid the spread of diseases, Lorraine also suggests cleaning pruning equipment thoroughly before and after each plant. She uses rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle or antiseptic wipes. She does not advise using bleach because it will corrode metal surfaces.
Pruners come in two varieties, each of which is used for a distinct job. With a motion similar to a pair of scissors, a bypass pruner passes its blades by one another. A dull side of an anvil pruner is crushed by a sharp blade that presses down on it.
Anything that is alive should be chopped with a bypass pruner. Lorraine advises cutting at a 45-degree angle since it will result in a good, clean cut. Deadwood can be cut using an anvil pruner in the meanwhile. She cautions that using one on live wood will damage the plant.
Give anything that is alive a nice, clean cut with a bypass pruner. To cut, Lorraine advises a 45-degree angle. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Bear in mind that although appearing to be dead, branches are actually alive. Some gardeners make the error of believing the top growth on their hydrangeas is completely dead, so they chop it all the way down. According to Lorraine, they pulled off all of the flower buds that were going to bloom that year, which is how they end up with a green bush devoid of blooms.
The scratch test is what Lorraine employs to determine whether a plant component is alive or dead: If the stem turns green after being scratched, it is alive. It is dead if the urine turns brown.
To see if a stem is still green, use the scratch test. It is dead if the urine turns brown. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
According to Lorraine, every cut a gardener makes will encourage new growth. In the spring, pruning before the temperature has warmed up can make a plant wake up too early. That will deprive the plant of the energy it needs to really emerge from hibernation, and the new growth will be more susceptible to the cold. The plant will be more vulnerable to pests and disease if it dies back.
Take care of that decayed, ill, or damaged wood if you’re in a warmer climate, Lorraine advises. If you don’t feel like pruning right now, she suggests going fishing instead.
Even on a 50-degree day, according to Lorraine, ice, snow, and cutting instruments don’t mix. The wait will benefit the plants the most, and it is not worth the risk.
Hydrangeas shouldn’t be pruned before the last date of the last frost since pruning encourages development, and new growth is readily harmed in cold weather. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
New-Wood Hydrangeas and Old-Wood Hydrangeas
Not all hydrangeas grow in the same ways. Some flower on the fresh growth of the year, whilst old-wood varieties flower on the growth of the year before.
A fresh-wood hydrangea will develop new buds and then bloom if you prune it in the spring. However, spring trimming on an old-wood hydrangea will eliminate the flower buds, so the plant won’t bloom that year. If you must prune old-wood varieties, do so as soon as their summer flowering buds appear. Search for the “broccoli, claims Lorraine. That is how buds appear as they approach blossoming. Leave the broccoli alone and only remove obviously sick or dead wood.
On an old-wood kind, the buds start to resemble broccoli as they get closer to blossoming. Only remove sick or dead wood, leaving the healthy wood alone “broccoli unbroken. The red-circled bud is dead and can be removed without risk. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Clues to Identify Hydrangeas
Some examples of new-wood hydrangeas include panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata), such as Limelight, and woodland or smooth hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens), such as Annabelle, Incrediball, and Invincibelle. However, you might not be familiar with the name of the hydrangeas you have if you didn’t choose them yourself. Perhaps you received plants when you moved into a new home. In that situation, Lorraine advises against taking any action the first year, saying that it is best to wait until you have a firm grasp of your garden’s capabilities.
A significant focal point in the landscape, this Hydrangea paniculata “Tardiva” has been trimmed into a tree form. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
To tell if a hydrangea blooms on fresh wood or old wood, there are a few signs to watch for. For instance, a panicle hydrangea, a new-wood type, may have conical-shaped blooms, but it’s also important to check at the foliage. Hydrangea quercifolia, popularly known as oakleaf hydrangea, is an old-wood bloomer that can also produce conical blooms.
The conical-shaped Snow Queen hydrangea blooms on mature growth and has oak-leaf shaped leaves. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Bigleaf hydrangeas are always going to be blue or turn blue when exposed to a soil acidifier (Hydrangea macrophylla). The Endless Summer kinds of bigleaf hydrangeas bloom on both old wood and new growth, unlike most of them which only bloom on old wood.
Bigleaf hydrangeas with mopheads, or pink pompom blossoms, are sometimes mistaken for mountain hydrangeas (Hydrangea serrata). On aged wood, mountain hydrangeas bloom.
The hydrangea serrata “Blue Billow” is more than merely lovely. Additionally, it is the hydrangea kind that tolerates shadow the best. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Lacecap (flat) blooms on hydrangeas could indicate either a mountain or a bigleaf variety, therefore they are insufficient justification for taking action. To get a better sense, Lorraine advises looking at the foliage, or spending the season watching the plant and noting when it flowers and how it grows. Does it alter its color? Can it bloom again?
Japanese highlands are the source of mountain hydrangeas, which are more resilient. Even in years when it was too cold for other types to blossom, they can.
Mountain or bigleaf hydrangeas with lacecap (flat) blooms are both possible. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
How to Care for a Reblooming Hydrangea
Rebloomers should not be pruned at the beginning of spring; instead, treat them like old-wood-only hydrangeas. However, there is a way to promote additional blooms because they have the ability to set out flower buds for that season on new growth as well. Cutting off the dead stem tips will allow growth hormones to migrate up the plant when the terminal flower, which is the blossom at the stem’s tip, dies. Flowers will then grow up the stem’s sides.
Reblooming hydrangeas should be treated as old-wood-only hydrangeas and shouldn’t be pruned in the early spring. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Lorraine claims that flower buds on old wood simply won’t survive the winter in extremely cold places, like Minnesota. The correct course of action in those situations is to remove the rebloomers from the garden in April or early May and promote new growth that will bloom later, in mid-July or August.
If cold-climate gardeners grow hydrangeas that only produce new buds once a year, they might never see flowers. Reblooming or continuously blooming hydrangeas are the best option for colder climates because of this, in Lorraine’s opinion. (Blue Enchantress is her favorite prolific rebloomer.)
A rebloomer is a blue enchantress hydrangea, for instance. When the stem’s tip is clipped, fresh flower buds will grow up it. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Sun, Shade and Hydrangeas
In the past, hydrangeas were not sun-tolerant. Some more recent cultivars can survive full sun, but only to a certain extent.
According to Lorraine, it is not possible to grow bigleaf, mountain, oakleaf, and climbing hydrangeas in full light in the South. They’ll burn up. The panicle hydrangea, which adores the sun, is the only variety of hydrangea that can tolerate full light wherever it grows.
Bigleaf and mountain hydrangeas thrive in partial sunlight, ideally in the morning.
Typically, hydrangeas thrive in partial sun. Hydrangeas can burn in full sun, particularly in the South. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Wind and Hydrangeas
Lorraine claimed that it took her almost ten years to realize how crucial it is to shield hydrangeas from wind in a chilly region. A fence, a shed, or a tree or plant with winter-enduring foliage, such as an azalea or rhododendron, will shield the cold winds that damage flower buds.
It’s crucial to provide hydrangeas with winter wind protection, whether it be in the form of a fence, a shed, or a plant with evergreen foliage. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Watering Hydrangeas Without Drowning Them
Gardeners frequently flood the area with water as hydrangea foliage starts to wilt in the midday sun. Instead, Lorraine advises taking a break and coming back later. If the soil is properly amended with plenty of compost and a thick layer of mulch, the foliage will rehydrate and perk back up after the sun has been off the plants for a bit.
A plant can temporarily shelter itself from the hot sun by collapsing its leaf. Hours later, there may be a problem if the foliage has not revived. Other plants might be absorbing the water more quickly than the hydrangea can, or the soil may not be storing moisture.
Plants use droopy leaves as a defense against the intense sun. Wait a few hours before dousing it in water; the foliage will revive spontaneously after that. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Propagate Hydrangeas Through Layering
A stem that touches the ground provides a chance for hydrangeas to be easily propagated. It’s possible that anything hindered the stem’s growth or that it became too heavy. It is ready to be divided into a new plant for any cause.
Give the stem’s underside a cut in the spring, then place a rock on top to weigh it down and keep it in contact with the ground. Give it a tug in July to uncover all the roots that have emerged from the cut. You now have a rooted slice that is prepared for transplantation.
If a stem is in contact with the ground, layering can be used to create new plants. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Controlling the Color of Hydrangeas with pH
Although not all hydrangeas can change color, those that can are affected by the soil’s pH. Higher pH soil is more alkaline, and lower pH soil is more acidic. Pink blooms will grow in soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.2, whereas blue blooms will grow in soil with a pH between 5.2 and 5.5.
The acid itself does not cause flowers to turn blue. Instead, hydrangeas can more easily absorb aluminum from the soil when the soil is acidic.
Hydrangeas in foundation plantings that were blue when they were brought home from the nursery would quickly turn pink because foundations and sidewalks both leach lime into the soil, making it more alkaline.
The pH of the soil affects the color of some varieties of hydrangea blooms. Pink blossoms grow in soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.2. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Before haphazardly adding solid amendments or fertilizer to raise or lower pH, Lorraine advises conducting a soil test to ascertain the pH and any nutrient deficits. For instance, holly-tone includes numerous nutrients that hydrangeas don’t require, but may increase the soil’s acidity and the color of the blossoms.
Because acidic soil makes it easier for hydrangeas to absorb aluminum, soil with a pH of 5.2–5.5 will result in blue blooms. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Only lacecap and mophead hydrangeas undergo color change. No matter the pH, hydrangeas in any shape, including white ones, will retain their original bloom color. Mathilda Gutges, a mophead bigleaf hydrangea that becomes deep purple instead of blue in acidic soil, is one new color-changing variation to take note of.
No matter the pH, white hydrangeas won’t change their bloom color. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Hydrangeas as Gift Plants
Small potted hydrangeas are a common plant to buy at the store as an uncomplicated present. They might perish in the cold soon if left outside, though. Since the flowers can remain for months indoors, these are meant to be enjoyed there.
These gift plants might endure outside in warmer climates, but they won’t ever flower. That’s because they were developed expressly as indoor plants and are maintained in carefully regulated environments to produce alluring flowers that tempt customers to buy them. They will only be a green bush outside, Lorraine claims.
Small potted hydrangeas make wonderful gifts but are really best enjoyed inside. Lorraine Ballato is pictured.
Shopping for Hydrangea Care Supplies
Due to the large number of people who started gardening for the first time last year, garden centers sold out of many things. Get outside early this spring to shop for supplies while they last and get enough for the entire year, is Lorraine’s advise.
It’s a good idea to keep shrub fertilizer or rose food on hand for all hydrangeas, but particularly rebloomers. Purchase organic treatments now to be ready to handle leaf spot and powdery mildew when they appear in July.
Additionally, get a pruner sharpener because a dull pruner will cause more harm than good. The easiest way to learn how to sharpen tools, according to Lorraine, is on YouTube.
The bugs that have been eating plants can be found using yellow sticky traps, and don’t forget to stock up on deer repellent.
The Importance of Organic Care Methods for Hydrangeas
Pollinators are drawn to hydrangeas. Particular lacecap kinds are attractors for butterflies and bees. Because of this, it is crucial to avoid spraying hydrangeas with harmful chemicals. Pest control that is organic and tailored is always preferable to broad-spectrum methods that also eliminate beneficial insects.
Independent garden centers frequently carry more organic products than big box stores do. Who’s one of the main justifications for why it’s crucial to support these little companies that support us.
If you haven’t already, scroll to the top of the page and click the Play button in the green bar beneath the page title to listen to my interview with Lorraine Ballato on hydrangea care.