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How should I care for this new hydrangea?

RubiksRubiks Posts: 25
in Plants
Hi,

I've just planted this hydrangea that I bought from B&Q (don't judge me).  It was labelled only as "hydrangea blue", which isn't very helpful to me and my googling. 

My question is, should I deadhead this at some point? Is there a way I can tell whether it's a "new wood" or "old wood" plant? From what I can tell, none of this is on new growth, and you can see in the last picture one stem which is growing this year from the base of the plant.

If I need to deadhead, where should this be done?

Help please  :s




Posts

  • katerich48katerich48 Posts: 6
     I’ve got 6 Hydrangeas, and I dead head when the flowers are dead looking, which won’t be happening just yet as they’re only just starting to flower, Endless Summer always flowers before the others..So that has already pink flower heads. the others just have the green flower buds that wont be opening just yet, they need sun..You only need to know which wood is old or new when you’re cutting off stems to use them to propagate to make new plants..



  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Scariff, County Clare, IrelandPosts: 7,848
    Hydrangeas which have been growing over winter in the garden are nowhere near flowering yet; yours has been grown under cover in a protected environment, so is producing its flowers very early.  Those are this year's flowers, so don't cut them off!  Ideally your plant should flower from midsummer onwards, and you should then leave the dead heads (which will become brown) on the bush over winter, as they protect the emerging buds from frost.  If you have any more frosts forecast this spring it would be a good idea to cover your hydrangea with fleece, or newspaper if you haven't any fleece, to protect it.
    "The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life."  Rabindranath Tagore
  • RubiksRubiks Posts: 25
    katerich48 said:
     I’ve got 6 Hydrangeas, and I dead head when the flowers are dead looking, which won’t be happening just yet as they’re only just starting to flower, Endless Summer always flowers before the others..So that has already pink flower heads. the others just have the green flower buds that wont be opening just yet, they need sun..You only need to know which wood is old or new when you’re cutting off stems to use them to propagate to make new plants..



    Liriodendron said:
    Hydrangeas which have been growing over winter in the garden are nowhere near flowering yet; yours has been grown under cover in a protected environment, so is producing its flowers very early.  Those are this year's flowers, so don't cut them off!  Ideally your plant should flower from midsummer onwards, and you should then leave the dead heads (which will become brown) on the bush over winter, as they protect the emerging buds from frost.  If you have any more frosts forecast this spring it would be a good idea to cover your hydrangea with fleece, or newspaper if you haven't any fleece, to protect it.
    Thanks both. I'm a bit sad because today I went and looked and the flowers are wilting a little bit :( we've had loads of rain so i don't think they're drying out.  The leaves look well though. It's in an almost full-sun position in clay soil, maybe I disturbed the roots too much when I planted..
  • FireFire North LondonPosts: 17,116
    edited May 2021
    The plants might be in shock for a while, with the transplanting, temperature changes and a new environment.
  • InglezinhoInglezinho Posts: 567
    Well for a start off, that's pink not blue. Hydrangeas will only be blue in acid soil. Clay may be acid or alkaline, more often the latter. If you don't know, Aluminium sulphate may help. Hydrangeas are easy. Just make sure they never dry out.
    Everyone likes butterflies. Nobody likes caterpillars.
  • ElferElfer Posts: 329
    edited May 2021
    Mrs bought a hydrangea from Tesco last summer for a tenner, planted it in a pot and put it by the porch where it hardly ever gets any sun. Fast forward to this spring and lockdown meant I had some free time and decided to do a garden makeover. By now I decided I wanted a hydrangea as a centre piece, looked at them all, was worried about Annabelle's droopy flower heads, limelight was too big. Meanwhile the ignored tesco Hydrangea kept saying look at me, and a little research indicated that it's a macrophylla which is probably what you got. Planted it in my chalky soil with lots of erecreous compost and it's looking lush bar a couple of leaves which look like frost bite. Have you given it a feed, there are hydrangea specific feeds out there.


  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 48,940
    @Liriodendron's advice is correct @Rubiks . The problem is that it's a forced plant. They don't flower at this time of year unless forced. It's a 'gimmick' to get plants purchased for the Easter market mainly. They look pretty and it encourages sales. 

    It'll be fine. It will regulate itself for next year and flower in summer.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • LG_LG_ SE LondonPosts: 4,047
    As Liri said, the earliest you need to think about deadheading is next spring, when growth has started and after the worst of the frosts.
    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
    - Cicero
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,294
    It is pink,might turn blue in your soil,the need s huge amount of water ( clue in the name) we don't dead head either the dry heads look quite nice in winter and protect the
  • RubiksRubiks Posts: 25
    Thank you everyone, that's been really useful! I'm glad that it's likely not something I've done. I did notice it was pink and not bluez which only made me more confused about what was going on (it was pink when I bought it). 

    I will just leave it be and make sure it has enough water. Hopefully it will survive until next year :D 
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