What’s up with my Hydrangea ??
That’s a great question!
This summer of 2023 has been an odd one for the DMV area hydrangea blooms. This is especially concerning for those of us who’s curated hydrangea look plays a big part of the “Curb Appeal” of the entire home, and not just the front yard landscapes.
What’s happening?
Hydrangea’s are a family favorite in our house and we have quite a few adorning our back yard, some 20+ years old. So when blooms fail to appear, we notice. Most folks we know are seeing a reduced bloom yield on virtually all hydrangea varieties. Why? Well apparently, by consensus, due to an early growth spurt due to warmer than average February temps, and then a 1-2 hard freezes in the DMV area in late February / early March, those events killed off those early stage buds and new growth in the stems. Sorry to say, it “Doomed the Blooms”. I can see in our own yard in McLean that we have 50% or less of our normal bloom yield on all our Hydrangea plants, especially on our Lace-Caps and Endless Summers where we probably have a 90% loss of expected blooms. Our spectacular Oak Leaf Hydrangea, currently 9’+ feet tall, has 50% of its usual crop of amazing blooms.
Don’t Panic:
Don’t panic however, Mother Nature will correct these problems over the next few months, but more for the coming year, and not so much for this summer. There is hope that some hardy plants will still push out blooms on new growth late this season. That said, be diligent about pruning any dead wood and removing and disposing any spotted leaves safely (Like in a trash can, not your compost pile). Be mindful too about any whole stems dying ( like a 6-8″ stem suddenly wilting and then dying) and prune them out asap and dispose safely.
Feed your Hydrangea…Test your soil:
If you have not fed / fertilized your plants recently, you may want to consider doing so, but stay on the light side of what you give them, you don’t want to over fertilize this late in the season. If you have reason to feel your plants are hungry, then use a fertilizer with essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
This may also be a good time to test the soil around your hydrangeas, with a good test kit from your local hardware store, or from Amazon, or visit the VA Cooperative Extension for a test kit. Just be sure to follow instructions and get soil from 4-6 inches down (in most cases) and from a few different spots so you have a more uniform sample.
Hopefully the 2024 season will not experience any early spring hard freezes and we can go back to enjoying one of the simply best and most spectacular plants for spring /summer in the DC area.
Best,
Steve
“Remember, Your landscape never gets a second chance to make a first impression
