Small hydrangea frost bite?

Posts

• Lyn Posts: 23,190

  May 2021 edited May 2021

  Cut the dead sticks back, it will be fine. 
  Edit.... is that the roots showing on the surface? Definitely needs repotting then, preferably  into the open ground, they’re big plants that like to grow to full potential. 

  Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 
  
  

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• luis_pr Posts: 123

  May 2021 edited May 2021

  I also think it would looks like partial frost stem damage. These plants can often get rather tall and wide (mopheads can get slightly of a meter tall and wide although the Let's Dance Series is very compact) so I concur in maybe getting a bigger pot. Try not to disturb the roots when transplanting as they tend to be located in the top 10 cms. I feed them after all chance of frost has passed. I also water deeply the night before frost is announced, mulch and use frost cloth or blankets (watch out for heavy blankets that may bend or break the stems). Potted plants can simply be carried temporarily indoors or into the garage and brought back outside when temperatures rise in the morning.
  

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• Elfer Posts: 329

  May 2021

  Thanks for the advice @Lyn & @luis_pr
  It's a mophead macrophylla little blue which only grows to 60cm (2 ft). It is one of the most compact hydrangeas and I got it specifically to keep as a potted plant. Need to figure out pot size (currently in a 2.7L pot). I do have a nice glazed ceramic pot which is 27cm x 25cm (15L) which I think will be good for atleast the first year given that it's a compact variety. I am thinking of putting a couple of inches of bark instead of rocks at the base of the pot, apparently it helps to keep moisture, then add 2 inches of soil (to keep costs down) and fill up with erecreous compost. It's my first potting experience so would appreciate any tips and suggestions. 

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• luis_pr Posts: 123

  May 2021 edited May 2021

  I would place the pot in either morning sun only (sunlight until 10-11am) or dappled sun, in a spot that is not too windy as they have shallow roots and winds can dry the top of the soil easily. Insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 5-10 cms to see if you need to water; skip watering if it feels moist or soggy. I review how the leaves are doing daily in the mornings during the summer in year 1 (meaning, are they wilted or not?) as the plants have a small root system and the leaves tend to wilt often in the summer of year 1 but specially when very windy, when they get excessive sunlight in the summer and-or when temperatures are above 29°C. They develop flower buds some time after they bloom but this specific time varies. For me, I discovered "the hard way" that it happens in mid July. The flower buds stay inside the stems until Spring 2022 when they open and resemble tiny broccoli heads. If it gets very cold during winter where you are, consider bring the pot into the garage or inside the house temporarily (but remember to water once a week or once every two weeks). Then bring them outside once the chance of late frosts has passed. Macrophyllas like to break dormancy early at times so, if you move the pot outside "too early", be aware of freeze or frost warnings and take action accordingly. It should need little pruning due to its small dimensions, maybe pruning down any stems that do not survive winter where you are and some deadheading of any spent blooms still on the plant by the time that Spring arrives, although I let Mother Nature do that now... I quit doing that due to the large number of blooms I have to cut. Hee, hee, hee. ;o)) Consider watering extra as soon as temperatures typically reach or exceed 29°C. Then revert back to watering at Spring watering levels once temperatures recede are typically below 29°C. Water only the soil from the base of the stems in all directions and use enough water to get the soil moist down to a depth of 15-20 cms. Avoid watering the leaves to minimize the chance of getting powdery mildew or leaf spots.
  

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