Hydrangea care help

DaveKearley

Hi all, i have three Hydrangea bushes, all in pots, two seem ok but this one has started growing above its blooms

It got a bit singed in the heatwave but seems ok, few brown tips. Two questions...

1- when do you dead-head a bush like this - the flowers never drop, does the bloom in picture indicate time to DH it?

2 - Stems above the blooms - ignore or take action ?

Thanks for any tips.
Dave

Fairygirl

It's just new growth, so nothing to worry about. The spent heads are usually left on over winter, and removed in spring, just back to the next bud. Those flower on the old wood, so that helps to prevent the new growth being frosted and damaged, as that can deter flowering. 
I take it they're fairly new? You'll probably find they'll need much bigger pots soon,  and a good soil based growing medium to keep them happy for future. 

DaveKearley

Ok, thanks.

No not new, they were my mums and we got them when she passed a couple of years back. Always been in pots, all three are in similar sized pots, i think they are about 14" round.

Sadly we have little space to put in bigger pots and no ground soil at all so they may have to remain a little choked.

bcpathome

If you can’t re pot them you will lose them .Sorry about your mum ,that’s sad .However these plants want to grow ….it’s what they do .If a larger pot is out of the question how about a much deeper pot that may stay their execution for a year or two .

DaveKearley

Ooh, thats annoying, how much deeper might we be looking at? 

I can't simply plant them as we have no usable soil here.

AnniD

I have one in a pot similar to this, it's been in for at least 3 years probably more.
https://www.woodsidegardencentre.co.uk/online-garden-products.asp?productrange=Large-Blue-Glazed-Garden-Pots&textpage=Extra-Large-Blue-Glazed-Round-Garden-Planter&productcode=3929&MainNav=&backpars=productrange=Large-Blue-Glazed-Garden-Pots&textpage=tp-Large-Blue-Glazed-Garden-Pots&sp=true#.YtrRI73TXkw

DaveKearley

The largest size?

AnniD

Yes, the biggest you can get. If l've worked it out correctly it's just over 29 inches deep. I would go and measure mine but it's raining at the moment (hooray).

Nanny Beach

I've got a beautiful blue one in a pot...a present,it's called some thing like blue diamond shining angel. It's not in a big pot,BUT and I'm surprised no-one has mentioned it....it's in the shade,and gets a lot of water.

Fairygirl

Yes - a bigger pot, proper soil [which will need refreshed each year if staying potted] with some slow release food, plenty of moisture, plus adequate drainage, and some shade. 
In long, hot or windy spells, a potted shrub will dry out far more quickly than in the ground, so keeping it in a shadier site will help prevent that, and enable the water you give it to be more beneficial. They prefer shade anyway. 

DaveKearley

Thinking more about this, this is my work-in-progress corner, a bed about 3' deep and 15' wide. There used to be two big conifers there which died and were cut to stumps about a year back. The soil was never used as it was compacted and hidden under the trees.

Would the Hydrangea in the post above be happier if I were to drag the chippings off, cut the weed mat and dig a large enough hole - it would likely take a pick-axe to get it broken up and I don't know what sort of spread the conifer roots would have taken.



Maybe the hydrangea could fill that corner well??