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Lace cap hydrangea

sprengerjansprengerjan Posts: 30
in Problem solving
This is a lace cap hydrangea, grown from a layered shoot, about two years ago before we moved house. Should I a) leave it in this pot, and perhaps transplant to a bigger pot at a later date or b) plant into the ground?
Also, as you can see from the image, it has quite a strong stem at an angle. Would the plant benefit from a bit of trimming, now, to achieve a better bush shape? Or should it be trimmed later, and if so, when?
The parent bush was beautiful and a gift to celebrate the life of my father, so I don't want to screw this up and lose it.  No pressure!  :)  
Thanks in anticipation





Posts

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I think it would be happier in the ground. Do you know if you have acid or alkali soil? That can affect the colour. I would prune that sloping shoot, July is a good time to do it. 
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    edited July 2021
    I agree - it'll be much happier in the ground, but do remember to water it frequently for the rest of the season to help it settle in.
    If you cut back the stem of the big shoot a couple of inches to just above a pair of leaves it will start to bush out too.
    Don't worry about the angle of the shoot - it'll sort itself out when planted and you'll get more shoots coming from the leaf joints to make a good shape

    PS - may be worth a try - use the bit you cut off as a cutting and see if it'll root.
    It's not really long enough, but you never know - they do root really easily

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • sprengerjansprengerjan Posts: 30
    Thank you. The soil is pH7, as was the garden I brought it from.

    Thanks for the advice on trimming and I'll give the cutting a go.
  • luis_prluis_pr Posts: 123
    Hello, sprengerjan. Do you know why the stem is angled like that? The picture made me think it was stretching towards the light. I used stakes and other suggestions on an Annabelle that tended to flop but also had to cut some of those stems that flopped too much and would not straighten up. Your lacecap may be ok with temporary stakes and a tad more sun but only if that was the original cause of the bending.

    I also agree with the others... the pot does look small for lacecaps that normally get about a meter high and wide. Sometimes it is easier to control watering in pots but I prefer to plant hydrangeas in the ground as I have an automatic drip irrigation system for "on the ground" plants whereas the "poor" potted ones have to trust I will not forget to water them nu hand in the middle of the summer.  ;o))  I only keep them in those small pots -temporarily- when they are small cuttings that someone mails to me.

    Most lacecaps tend to produce Spring 2022 flower buds sometime between the point after they open their flower buds in 2021 and before the end of the summer 2021 or the start of autumn 2021 so I am not sure if pruning it now will cut off Spring 2022 blooms... That is just something to think about since you enjoy the blooms of the parent plant so much. Pruning mine in mid July was a disaster once for me (no blooms the following spring  ;o( so if you are not sure, consider pruning after it has bloomed in Spring 2022.

    Transplanting when it is dormant usually works best and is less stressful. I try to leave them alone (except for mulching and watering) during the hot summer months. Note: hydrangeas have shallow, tiny, fibrous roots usually in the top 10 cm so be careful not to disturb the roots too "too much".

    If your hydrangea leaves do not display symptoms of chlorosis, the neutral (7.0) soil pH and use of organic materials should be fine. Symptoms of chlorosis: the leaves turn light green, except for the leaf veins which remain dark green. If the problem persists, the leaves turn yellow, except for the leaf veins which remain dark green. If nothing is done, the leaves turn white, except for the leaf veins which remain dark green. Then the leaves will die. Should that ever be a problem, consider using garden sulfur, greensand or iron chelated liquid compounds. Careful exceeding the product amounts as the roots are small and could be damaged by the sulfur in some of those products. My hydrangeas do well in 7.6 but I amend always in Spring and again in late summer or early fall. 

    Sorry about your dad and I hope you get flowers!



  • sprengerjansprengerjan Posts: 30
    Hi Luis, thanks for your feedback.

    The angle might be light related. I've had the pot sheltering by the house (the other side of the house can be very windy) so it may have been in the same position long enough to reach for the sun. It's a NE facing wall so only gets morning sun at present. I will be moving it to a sunnier spot, and am very happy to plant it in the ground, as was the parent plant.

    This baby hasn't flowered at all, yet but the parent plant was a cracker!

    I'm thinking I may transplant it in the early autumn, if that's safest.
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Hi @sprengerjan.  Luis is in Texas so, though he clearly knows a lot about his hydrangeas, his advice may be less appropriate for the UK.  And you're not actually transplanting it (which implies digging it up and damaging the roots, then replanting in a different spot), just planting it out from its pot.  That's perfectly safe to do now.  It's much easier to keep it happy in the ground than in a pot - the roots have more space, better access to water, and keep cooler.   :)
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I agree- The sooner it's in the ground the faster it can get its roots down.
    As long as you can ensure it won't dry out I'd put it in as soon as you're ready

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • sprengerjansprengerjan Posts: 30
    Thanks, folks. You're a great bunch!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    There also isn't much soil in that pot @sprengerjan so it's done well to get to that size  ;)
    As @Liriodendron and @Pete.8 say - in the ground it'll be happier, and it just needs well watered until established. 
    A potted specimen of anything can be planted at almost any time of year. The only times to avoid are when ground's frozen or waterlogged. The main disadvantage of doing it in summer is the extra watering. Easier in autumn and winter because it's cooler and wetter, so plants [especially shrubs] need less attention  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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