Hydrangea SOS

WAMS

Got a cheap white hydrangea from Lidl last spring... £4 I think. It bloomed well, but got nibbled by some insect, then scorched by the heatwave. I stuck it in a damp dark corner of the garden and forgot about it. To my surprise I just found it still just about alive (though not looking very attractive). What do I do-- cut off the remaining stalks (some have been snapped off by wildlife), leave them on in the hope of flowers, or bin the thing? I could use the pot.

Balgay.Hill

It looks very healthy for this time of year. 

Fairygirl

Depends where you live and what type it is. If it's a paniculata they get cut back - lacecaps and mopheads get pruned back to buds.
If you don't get frost/cold weather through March it might be ok to take it back to the buds, but new growth can be hit by frosts etc. which then affects flowering, mainly with the latter types. 

I wouldn't cut any of it back just yet though - it's unlikely to be very mature, so you can leave it for this year to fill out if you want. Just take off the obviously dead little ends if you want.  It would be better in the ground of course   

WAMS

Ah thanks both! I am afraid I don't know what type it is, other than "cheap"... it looked quite pretty when in flower. I didn't photograph it clearly, but here it is with my then-puppy, Jessica. Are you able to make any deductions about it?



It was planted there but I dug it up and potted it when it got horribly munched by something like this .


I cut it back then and it regrew nice leaves (it's potted here though that isn't clear) 

... which got disgustingly scorched in the 40-degree weather, whereupon I forgot about it.

A bit reluctant to put it in the ground  again as Google tells me slugs don't go for hydrangeas, so I don't know what else it would have been. Any ideas?  

Then again, I could just plant it out and forget it exists... again.:)

Thanks again!

Loraine3

looks like Mophead type

Fairygirl

Yes - mophead.
I'd plant it. They don't tend to thrive long term in containers. 
Slugs have never really bothered mine to any great extent, and we have them in the thousands. They can also get scale, but I can't tell if that's what that is.
They usually recover and thrive if they get nibbled by slugs. Don't cosset it though. Too much food makes for soft, weak shrubs.
Just trim back to a good pair of buds. Keep it somewhere shady, especially if you get those temps. They just get scorched in sun. 

WAMS

Well, I can certainly promise not to mollycoddle it lol... I'll chuck it in the shadiest corner in front of rosa Souvenir du Docteur Jamain and reclaim the pot for a dahlia or something in the sunshine. Thanks!

Eustace

I had bought a cheap hydrangea last year and when I tried to repot it, found vine weevil infestation. It was disposed off promptly. It might be worthwhile to be a bit circumspect with the potted hydrangea.

WAMS

Thanks, Eustace.... I couldn't find any of those last year but I will tip it out and have a look for sure. Awful things.

bédé

Cheap is rarely successful.  If you find you like hydrangeas, bin yours and seek out a recommended variety you really like at a good specialist nursery.

Fairygirl

It recovered well @WAMS, going by your later pic of the healthy new foliage, and the condition of it just now with the new growth there, so it should be fine.
V. weevil can certainly be a bit of a nuisance, but an otherwise healthy shrub will generally shrug that off, and you'd just have a bit of aesthetic damage. 
The damage in your pic isn't from vine weevil though. 

Just make sure you have enough room for it and your rose. For water especially. Plenty of organic matter in the area, and leaf mould is excellent for hydrangeas if you have any