Hydrangea Macrophylla - too far gone ?

Hi,

In early summer 2019 we were given two young, in flower potted Hydrangeas
Macrophylla, v Teller White and a Blue.
We planted them in a moist semi shaded area and they grew and flowered very well for the rest of that year.

In 2020 they started to put on fresh leaf but assume it was frost that hit them and for the rest of the year they never flowered and the few leaves they carried looked quite poor.

This spring up to March this year they put on some really healthy buds abd growth and we hoped for some good flowers, but the frosts in April have again really hit them hard as the pics below show.

Wonder if they will recover and flower well this year or are they a lost cause in our garden and better replacing them with something more hardy ?

We don't really want to wait another year on the chance we might get some flowers from them next year, if they are unlikey to give a decent display this year.

 

Some of the Teller Hybrids tend to be winter hardy (meaning the roots do not die and they produce new growth/stems when last year's stems are zapped by freezes or frosts) but not bloom reliable (meaning that the flower buds or last year's stems get zapped).

The pictures are a little unclear but there seems to be what might be new foliage. If so, that is good because it means that the stems are still alive. However, that does not say whether the flower buds were killed by the late frost or not. You will have to wait now to see if you notice tiny broccoli heads or not. Some of the flower buds may have injuries and once they expand, you could see that part of the flower is green and another part is brown. If the whole thing is brown then there would be no flowers on that stem.

Because Teller Hybrids are not bloom reliable in several spots on this side of the pond, it is often suggested that one should winter protect them once they lose their foliage in the Fall.

These plants will develop flower buds in late summer 2021 or early fall 2021. They will be near the ends of the stems and located inside of the stems for winter protection. Those buds will then open in Spring 2022.

You can also try other macrophyllas, including ones that rebloom. Or you can change to Smooth Hydrangeas (hydrangea arborescens) or Pee Gee Hydrangeas (hydrangea paniculatas), two types that are very bloom reliable because they develop flower buds in mid to late Spring so winter is usually not a problem. You can also try Mountain Hydrangeas (hydrangea serratas) as they are more compact than macrophyllas but bloom later. Or Oakleaf Hydrangeas (hydrangea quercifolias), which are slightly more bloom reliable than macrophyllas as well as very drought tolerant... compared to other hydrangeas.

 

Thanks @luis_pr ,

From what you say and the fact they have been so damaged for 2 years running, think its clear they are not best suited to our frost prone garden.

 

I hear you. My mild winters, with their temperature ups and downs, are also a problem as that makes them break dormancy early and then late freezes/frosts can zap the leaves. I suspect that breaking dormancy early may be your problem too.

When I moved into my current home with the hydrangeas already there, I even had years with no flowers (the previous owner only planted varieties that bloom on old wood) so, I added re-bloomer macrophyllas, oakleaf hydrangeas (which are very drought tolerant and which have really outstanding Fall foliage colors) and paniculatas (which bloom on new wood and almost guarantees no more years with no flowers). Oddly, with extremely cold temperatures of -19°C in February 2021 -the coldest in 30 years here- only one macrophylla is having no blooms. I even had to leave for two days due to extreme cold and no electricity. I expected the worst in the hydrangea blooming department. But like I said, all hydrangeas except one hydrangea are blooming. Odd! They were probably safely dormant this time, I guess.

Foliage injury from late frosts irks me but does not deter me as they replace the damaged leaves quickly, once overnight temperatures are reliably above 10°C. Winter protection can also help but, obviously, so can switching to some other type of evergreen plant.