Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have a hydrangea in my yard that is many years old. I'm not sure exactly what type of hydrangea it is since it was already planted when I bought my house. I noticed some years it grows new leaves off the previous years shoots, but other years (like this year) it is only growing new leaves directly out of the ground. So needless to say the bush looks very unsightly as it only has growth near the bottom and lots of ugly, dead looking shoots sticking up above the leaves. Any ideas what would cause this? I never prune the bush because I don't really know how.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,206,701 times
Reputation: 57822
Most likely it got too cold and the branches died off in the winter. We rarely get below 20F and usually not for more than a few days, but even so I always lose a few branches to the cold. Since they bloom on the previous year's growth, you are not likely to get many blooms. You should cut off any dead branches that have not sprouted new growth by now. Normally pruning is done about April when the new buds start to show green. You would cut off the old flowers just above the first set of buds, and if it's getting too full, thin by cutting a few of the branches down to the base. Leaving the old flowers on makes it look ugly all winter but helps protect it from the cold. In your case it might just be located in an area where it gets too much exposure to cold and wind. They do well in partial/total shade, and being under a tree helps protect them in winter.
This post was helpful to me. I planted an "Endless Summer" hydrangea in the fall. It had branches about two feet high. We had a very long and cold winter (Zone 6). I have noticed that there are leaves coming out of the ground but otherwise the branches look dead. Should I just cut them to the ground? it sound slike it will not be a pretty tree this year...
The previous owner of my home let his Hydrangea go to the point that it was 6 1/2 feet tall. If it were not in the front of my home I would have left it alone, but it was out of scale and looked funny. So late last fall I trimmed it to only 22 inches tall. This spring I trimmed the dead wood off the bush and it is now thriving as a much smaller version of what it was.
This post was helpful to me. I planted an "Endless Summer" hydrangea in the fall. It had branches about two feet high. We had a very long and cold winter (Zone 6). I have noticed that there are leaves coming out of the ground but otherwise the branches look dead. Should I just cut them to the ground? it sound slike it will not be a pretty tree this year...
Endless Summer Hydrangeas usually die to the ground in cold climates with harsh winters. Cut off the dead. It's dead and not going to leaf out. As the root system becomes more developed, the hydrangea will grow larger each year, in spite of the winter dieback.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
