Strange Hydrangea growth

Hi there

I bought some hydrangea blooms that dried. When I went to dispose of them I realised there was growth going on underneath the dried blooms so I removed them and now as you can see they are really growing, but I don’t know what to do with them now.

do I plant them? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

Hi Trev, They look in nice condition. I would pot them up (provided they have visible roots) and keep them in a well lit, cool position safe from frost. A cold frame etc would do.
It's surprising what they charge for Hydrangea plants at nurseries, so you could have a couple of nice free examples there during the summer.
By the following year they'll have pushed up a lot more shoots too.

 

I'd cut the flower buds off.

 

Thank you so much. No visible roots yet, perhaps I’ll get some roofing powder to help that part along.
I’m quite excited this has happened, I adore the species

 

Thanks but may I ask why?

 

Flower buds tend to stop cuttings from rooting.

 

They also starve other parts of the plant of energy for growth

 

It does not harm the plant to cut the flower buds that are opening but you can aid the plant in its journey as a new plant if you control where it uses its energy. The goal now should be to develop roots so you can then move it into a pot.

Keep the glass on a sunny windowsill, and change the water often. Allowing the water to become murky can cause the cutting to rot.

Watch for roots to appear in three to four weeks after first putting it in water. Leave the stem in the water for an additional two to three weeks (or however long it takes) to give it time to develop a healthy root system, then plant the cutting in a pot filled with commercial potting mix.

While propagating them in water may not be the most reliable (sometimes the stems may die but it may be that they also choose to go dormant so, post quickly if you observe problems), it is the easiest, fun and very visible of what is going on normally under the soil.

With good care and a little luck, you'll soon have new hydrangeas. Keep the eventually potted hydrangeas inside while there is still some threat of frost outside. When you bring the rooted, potted plants outside, slowly acclimate them to receive more sun (a few days of bright indirect sunlight; then a little sun; then more but always morning sun from sunrise until 11am or so. Again, keep the water clean as best as you can.

Some final notes... Always let tap water sit out overnight before changing the water in the glass; this will allow time for fluoride and chlorine in tap water to dissipate. Although clear glass will enable you to see the roots developing, the cutting will root faster in an opaque "container". But since you also have live foliage in the stems, the leaves need sunlight to photosynthesize food for the roots and they will have difficulty in a truly opaque type of container with no sunlight so, keep the stems in clear or very clear glasses... When searching for potting soil, it is best to use a well draining potting mix for ericaceous plants like azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas or blueberries. Maintain the potting soil as evenly moist as you can. Do not water again if you insert a finger into the potting soil and it feels already moist or soggy. Check using the finger method to get an idea how often to water.

 

This is fantastic, thank you so much!

This forum is great, nice people and excellent advice.