Springtime Paradise In Danger, focusing on restoration of Hydrangeas and Buddelia (Butterfly Bush), brings us out of this 2014 early springtime, below freezing temperatures, and nearing the end of Spring. In all my years I have never seen such a severe dieback on Hydrangeas around long Island in New York.
There have been other dramatic events. The Camellias In New York have had the majority of their duds destroyed as many of the Northern hardy varieties have suffered, in many cases close to decline with little chance of restoring any time soon. Back to the original issue at hand. Hydrangeas and their setback. Many of the Endless Summer series have died completely back to the ground and should flower. Unfortunately years of stem development have been destroyed and plants will start over. The good news is most damaged Hydrangeas will fully restore by next year and newer varieties will show significant growth before the end of this growing season.
Those that will need a year to recover flower displays are the older varieties that need old stems to push out flowers. Varieties like Annabel, Niko Blue and other Varieites that flower on old wood will need this entire season to re-establish themselves as flower producers.
Some good information here. I have been seeing a lot of die back on hydrangea, crape myrtle and butterfly bush here on Long Island after the long harsh winter we just had. Hopefully the warmer weather and rain will spark their growth.