This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Can This Hydrangea Be Saved?
MTB79
Posts: 52
My youngest brother is doing some landscaping for my oldest brother who had a couple of really nice looking hydrangeas, unbeknownst to me part of the work was getting rid of them.
They were taken out on Monday afternoon and i found out about it on Wednesday morning, got my brother to put the root in a bucket of water and stick them in the shade until I got there.
They looked very sad and not a great deal of root beyond the ball remained, so I took it home, dug a hole and mixed in a load of compost and soaked it. Would you say I am completely wasting my time with this considering the state of it, how long it was out the ground in the heat and the fact the root system wasn't complete?
0
Posts
Cut it back, by at least half I'd say and keep it watered.
I once decided to remove a hydrangea so I dug and hacked and trailed and swore and finally gave up and left it half in and half out of it's planting spot. It's still there flowering happily many (15?) years later. Cut it well down and do as HF says. Don't expect big things next year but it should be ok after that.
As Hosta says - cut it right back ASAP.
The roots are broken and struggling to provide all the leaves with water, less leaves, less of a struggle and the plant can concentrate on growing new roots. If you keep it well watered and your fingers crossed it'll be ok
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Ok, I will cut it right back tonight after work.
Is there any benefit to feeding it or should I just stick to watering?
Thanks for the replies!
A little blood, fish and bone would probably be appreciated, but just a little if you have some. Main thing though is to keep it watered and let it recover.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
And take a good bit of the grass away that it's sitting in. Re shape your border.
You're only making it harder for any shrub to establish well, as it's competing with the grass for water and nutrients.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'd go further than fairygirl. I'd remove all the grass. It looks like a nightmare to mow.
I am seriously considering it, but I do not know what I would do as a covering in its place. The plants themselves are in a bed topped with red bark which you cannot see in the photo, but I have regretted doing that as its turned into the local cats litter tray.
Last edited: 02 September 2016 08:56:49