Hope for frosted hydrangeas

When temperatures dropped into the 20's last month the hydrangeas took a beating.

Even though they looked ugly, I told gardeners not to trim them back.

In my garden that advice has paid off. 'Nikko Blue' hydrangea has started to bud, which is amazing.

This plant gave me about six flowers in as many years. When I threatened it with a trip to the compost pile I was rewarded with about 50 blooms.

Now I know the secret to getting hydrangeas to bloom in our climate.

I've pruned back some of the deadwood. You need to be careful though, some of what looks to be dead, might flower.

I'm going to use an organic liquid fertilizer on the plants to make them happy.

If you're getting buds, post them over on my Facebook page, I'd love to see them and know how your plants are doing.