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Hydrangea changed from mophead to lacecap - why?

julia_pidduckjulia_pidduck Posts: 4
edited July 2018 in Problem solving
I have a gorgeous blue hydrangea with black stems which i bought last summer. It's in a pot (terrace, no garden) and in ericaceous compost as recommended by the garden centre. It has plenty of water, leaves are healthy, and sun in the afternoons rather than mornings. The flowers are still a lovely blue colour but the blooms have turned from mopheads last year to lacecaps this year - any idea why? I bought it mid-late summer last year in full bloom and pruned after the blooms died. It's grown incredibly well this summer and is very healthy apart from this odd change! 

I'd love to change it back to get the big heads of blooms back! 

Posts

  • UpNorthUpNorth Posts: 376
    Probably best post a few pictures if you can.
  • PurplerainPurplerain Posts: 1,053
    They may not be in full bloom yet. I have attached a pic of my mop head. Within a couple of weeks they will be big and round, but at the moment they do look a little like my lace cap elsewhere in the garden.


    SW Scotland
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited July 2018
    Julia - I think you may have answered your own question when you said : it's grown incredibly well this summer. It's probably put most of it's energy into growth rather than flowers, so it may look a bit half hearted.  :)
    A lot of these plants [and hydrangeas are a favourite ] are forced into growth, and early flowering, when young, so that they appeal to people in a garden centre in spring and early summer. Big blousy blooms look good all massed together.  Once they get into normal garden conditions, whether potted or in the ground, they often  slow up a bit,  because they need to produce more root to get themselves established in order to perform well for the future.
    Yours sounds like it's doing what it's meant to - and as long as it carries on like that, and you look after it well, I'm sure it'll be nicely balanced for next year.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • julia_pidduckjulia_pidduck Posts: 4
    Thanks all - Here are a few photos 
  • julia_pidduckjulia_pidduck Posts: 4
    @Fairygirl thanks for the advice, fingers crossed! 
  • julia_pidduckjulia_pidduck Posts: 4
    @Purplerain Thank you! have uploaded photos of mine - sadly not looking quite as healthy as yours! 

  • mamakadanmamakadan Posts: 1
    The same thing happened to me. I had five Merritt supreme hydrangeas bloom two years. Then last year one branch of one plant put out lacecap flowers.  This year the entire shrub is lacecap and the other 4 are still mopheads.  No one can explain this to me either.
  • ElferElfer Posts: 329
    How odd, @julia_pidduck your plant does looks fabulous though
  • SueAtooSueAtoo Posts: 380
    I love lacecaps, so dainty compared with mopheads. 
    East Dorset, new (to me) rather neglected garden.
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