Hydrangea advice please

becky528

I bought a lovely blue mophead hydrangea last year.  It was in bloom at the time and it lasted through the season, turning lilacy/pink (due to my potting compost I guess). I didn't mind the change of colour.  

I pruned it believing it would bloom on new wood however as you can see ... no sign of a lovely mophead and the stems seem to have gone much darker than they were and the leaves are changing colour/dropping. I haven't fed it but it's regularly watered and in sun all afternoon.  Last summer we were at a different house and it was in sun all morning. 

Help please.

Dovefromabove

Afraid it looks half starved .... it needs repotting into a much bigger pot and some new really good loam-based compost ... not ordinary multi-purpose.    It's used up all the goodness in that small amount of compost.  

When did you prune it?  It looks as if you cut all the flowering wood off.  You should leave the faded flowers on over the winter and then all it really need is is for you to cut the dead flowerheads off in the spring ... just cutting back to the first set of good buds.  

Paul B3

Looks like a bad case of chlorosis caused by trace-element (i.e. Magnesium , Boron etc.) defficiency .

Too much sunlight and in a pot for too long . Sequestrene or another chelated plant-tonic will rectify this , or try planting in open ground in dappled shade , watering with rainwater and feeding with MiracleGro.This contains all the elements a plant should need .

becky528

I cut off the dead flowers probably in February.

If I replant into the ground now and feed is it likely to flower this year? 

Thanks again, I'm new to gardening so  your advice is much appreciated.

Paul B3

It should be nearly flowering now ; better luck for next year .

Dovefromabove

Plant it into the ground now ... give it some feed as Paul has suggested ... it might flower this year, it might not ... but at least it will be building itself up for a super show next year.  

musher

If theres no flower buds forming it won't flower this Year.

Dove right you pruned it to soon, Prune it down to the first pair of fat Buds at the beginning of April.

To keep it Blue during the growing Season feed with fish bone and blood. Pink feed with Acid loving plant feed.

Iamweedy

I have a sorry tale of three Hydrangeas.

H "Anabelle" has just about  managed to grow tall enough not to be bothered by the slugs.  

H "Red frills" with deeply coloured leaves seems not to be palatable to slugs, the leaves have very little damage. 

H "White Frills"  with pale green leaves  has disappeared altogther, despite being grown on a scratchy chicken wire mat  covered with "Slug gone" wool pellets . 

These are possibly new hybridised vareities that are not as robust and the old woody shrubs that used to sit beside everyones front doors when I was a child.

musher

For some reason my Anabelle the flowers have turned a light lime green.

Doe's your Anabelle throw up plenty of new Canes?. Over the last two years I've had to settle for smaller flowers. Pruned it down alittle because theres been no signs of new shoots

Iamweedy

Mine was only planted in the spring I am hoping it will start getting stems thick enough to deter slugs.

Iamweedy

An update! I exhumed the H white frills and under the soil there were green shoots.

I have repotted it and I will keep it in my Wendy house for the time being. Threaten it to grow or such.