March UK, Frosts over. Dead heading (flowers) no problem. It's the stalks with no flowers on in Feb. But have large healthy buds on the very tip of the stem plus most of the way down. 1.Can these also be pruned back, if so when is the best time. 2. How can I distinguished between a leaf and flower bud. Thanks
The flower buds will be on the ends of the stems (terminal buds) or on separate flower stalks. They are plumper than leaf buds, which are more pointed. If you have a bigleaf hydrangea, it forms flower buds on the previous season's growth (old wood), so do not cut those off or you will lose your blooms. Prune those after flowering. Here is a good guide. If you don't know the type of hydrangea you have, it's best not to prune. Wait to see when the shrub blooms, spring vs summer, which will tell you when to prune.
Can I propagate hydrangeas in spring??
Both of these say to do it in fall so you can choose a stem that didn't flower.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/hydrangea/hydrangea-propagation.htm
would like more flowers this year. the leaves are already comming out. there are 2 pics from March 20, and oct 2020 other july 2020
It looks like you get a few blooms. Make sure you aren't overfertilizing. Too much nitrogen will bring a lot of foliage but reduced blooms. In fact, most hydrangeas do well without any fertilizer. It looks like they may get a lot of shade. Hydrangeas do best with morning sun and moist soil. They may not be getting much rain under the eaves.
It is the bigleaf hydrangea, and you are right, it blooms on previous summer's bud development. You can see buds on the early stems so you do not want to prune till after it blooms. Your type just has one big show. Unless you have the variety that blooms on old and new wood, they won't rebloom the same summer.
So lack of blooms is not a pruning issue if you are not pruning, so here are some more ideas:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/hydrangea/hydrangea-not-blooming.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/hydrangea/do-hydrangeas-rebloom.htm
I have not trimmed my hydrangea for a few years. your article explains how to determine which kind of plant. I think mine grow from old wood. 2 pics are from this march 20th. other is july 2020 and oct 2020. as you can see, there are lots of leaves.
In a cold zone like yours, a hydrangea that blooms on old wood can fail to bloom if winter injuries kill the stems; in spring, the stems do not leaf out and all new growth consists of new stems that originate from the crown or base. Here in Texas with milder winters, a variation of that occurs: cold in late frost kills the flower buds inside the ends of the stems but the stem is not killed or is not completely killed. Winter protection of the stems ends is then required to protect the stem ends from cold and late frosts. A remontant macrophylla cultivar may be more bloom reliable although a different type of hydrangea may be both more winter hardy and more bloom reliable: hydrangea paniculatas and-or Annabelle-like hydrangeas as both of those usually bloom on new wood, which is normally not affected by winter cold.
I planted my hydrangea yesterday as per all the instructions I have read I watered it fed it fertilize it as it was said the plant seemed happy yesterday and today when I came home from work the leaves are wilting but like a slimy wealth. I live in northern Canada the hydrangea is in shade most of the morning then it gets sun for about four hours in the afternoon the degree here was 20°C when I came home from work I also watered it and that’s when I noticed. Please help.
It may be from transplant shock and a bit too much water and/or fertilizer. Hold off on fertilizing again for a year; hydrangeas don't need much.
I inherited Hydrangea bushes at my new home here in Boise. I have never owned Hydrangea bushes. Last year 3 out of 5 were amazing, big bushes with large blooms. I don't know if/what the previous owners did to/for them. This winter I pruned them but not much at all. They are greening up now, a lot of greenery in the middle and some greenery growing out of some of the branches from last year. Some branches are obviously dead/old, so today I pruned them out. I accidently cut some that are still very green. Now I'm afraid bugs will get in the newly cut branches that are green. What, if anything should I/could I do to prevent any harm to the newly cut branches?
They should be fine. However, if your hydrangeas bloom on last year's growth, you may have cut some blooms off. This year, take note when they bloom and also compare the height, bloom color and shape, and leaves with photos below of the different kinds of hydrangeas. Once you know what you have, you can prune easily, if needed. When in doubt, it's best not to prune at all, except for dead wood like you were doing.
Bought a new hydrangea last year. About a month after planting, it bloomed producing several flowers. I deadheaded the blooms in the winter just below the flower making sure to leave all the buds in place that I believed would produce flowers this summer. Since spring has come on new growth has emerged from the ground but only one bud that formed last fall has sprouted. How soon after the weather starts to warm should old wood start to activate? Can old wood buds be damaged/die off if your spring weather is very up and down? I fear that an early warm snap at the beginning of March followed by many weeks of below average temps might have done the old wood blooms in?
Unfortunately, this isn't simple. Mainly, pruning and bloom time will be determined by which of the five types of hydrangea that you have. This will, also, determine if it flowers on new or old wood.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/hydrangea
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/hydrangea/when-do-hydrangeas-bloom.htm