02/29/2024
Some Hydrangea Care Notes for the Next Month
Foliage growth on garden hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) is commencing. Wait a few weeks after leafout and prune out any dead wood. There may be dead wood in the canopy from the January cold weather. Fertilize soon with a slow release ornamental / landscape fertilizer - Osmocote, Fertilome Gardener's Special, Fertilome Tree and Shrub Food, etc.
Do not do a height reduction pruning on these - on most garden hydrangeas flower buds for this year were set last year (late summer, fall). If you have dead wood, remove.
Cold weather the last few winters has majorly harmed Hydrangea macrophylla flower buds. Temperatures once again this winter went into the mid teens in LA and single digits in ARK, TN, north MS and north AL. This will affect blooms in 2024 also.
Some garden hydrangeas - such as the Endless Summer varieties that bloom on new wood - will likely bloom this year with good late winter, early spring care. This picture is in Louisiana