Keep it on the cool side, make sure it's moist. Hydrangea macrophylla like this are actually pretty tough, but they're greedy and thirsty. Yours has retracted what it can into its stems and roots because of drought damage earlier in the season. But give it some proper soil--planting it in the garden is ideal--and next year plenty of fertiliser and water: a mulch of well-rotted horse manure in the spring is good.
Mid April is normally when you'd cut the shoots back, so you may have lost next year's flowers, but the plant overall looks perfectly viable to me.
If you do plant it outside now, do it in a mild spell and I'd cover it with fleece, especially if you're in one of the colder parts of the UK. Even if you wait till spring to plant it out, still protect it against the shock of transition. In future years the dead flowerheads can be left on to protect the new flowerbuds until April.
If you need to keep it in a pot, give it a much bigger pot. And plenty of liquid food through the year. They really are fabulous rewarding plants and give loads of pleasure, so it's worth taking a bit of trouble over it.
Can’t see anything wrong with it, it’s going to drop all it’s leaves soon anyway, put it in a sheltered spot over winter, if you want to plant it out in that border, just remove the dark green middle shrub and put it there. Don’t forget they grow to 6’ in both directions at least, so it needs space. Pots are not a good idea in the long term.
Ive got 50 planted in my garden, all grown from cuttings, no need to fuss over them, still got some completely neglected in posts as I can’t find anymore space to plant them out, each year they still grow and flower.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Don't worry about your Hydrangea in winter if you're anywhere in the UK.
As has been previously said, they're pretty hardy. I would certainly repot it now so long as it's not frozen and give it as large a container as you can. I've had one of the Black Steel species growing for a few years now and yes, the stems are great, the flowers are as well. It gets cut back in early springtime and mine will grow about a 100cm or more most years. I grow mine in a large container and top dress every year and give it the odd feed of tomato food when I'm watering during the summer. Good luck.
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I agree, unless you want to give space to the hydrangea and ditch the boring laurels.
Keep it on the cool side, make sure it's moist. Hydrangea macrophylla like this are actually pretty tough, but they're greedy and thirsty. Yours has retracted what it can into its stems and roots because of drought damage earlier in the season. But give it some proper soil--planting it in the garden is ideal--and next year plenty of fertiliser and water: a mulch of well-rotted horse manure in the spring is good.
Mid April is normally when you'd cut the shoots back, so you may have lost next year's flowers, but the plant overall looks perfectly viable to me.
If you do plant it outside now, do it in a mild spell and I'd cover it with fleece, especially if you're in one of the colder parts of the UK. Even if you wait till spring to plant it out, still protect it against the shock of transition. In future years the dead flowerheads can be left on to protect the new flowerbuds until April.
If you need to keep it in a pot, give it a much bigger pot. And plenty of liquid food through the year. They really are fabulous rewarding plants and give loads of pleasure, so it's worth taking a bit of trouble over it.
Fairygirl That oak leafed Hydrangea is very nice. Envy coming on.
'You must have some bread with it me duck!'
Can’t see anything wrong with it, it’s going to drop all it’s leaves soon anyway, put it in a sheltered spot over winter, if you want to plant it out in that border, just remove the dark green middle shrub and put it there. Don’t forget they grow to 6’ in both directions at least, so it needs space. Pots are not a good idea in the long term.
Ive got 50 planted in my garden, all grown from cuttings, no need to fuss over them, still got some completely neglected in posts as I can’t find anymore space to plant them out, each year they still grow and flower.
Don't worry about your Hydrangea in winter if you're anywhere in the UK.
As has been previously said, they're pretty hardy. I would certainly repot it now so long as it's not frozen and give it as large a container as you can. I've had one of the Black Steel species growing for a few years now and yes, the stems are great, the flowers are as well. It gets cut back in early springtime and mine will grow about a 100cm or more most years. I grow mine in a large container and top dress every year and give it the odd feed of tomato food when I'm watering during the summer. Good luck.