waxy curled hydrangea petals - Ask Extension
Last year, my hydrangea looked great. This year, 90% of the blooms came out with curled petals, that are thickened and almost waxy feeling. You can se...
Knowledgebase
waxy curled hydrangea petals #583259
Asked July 24, 2019, 7:18 PM EDT
Last year, my hydrangea looked great. This year, 90% of the blooms came out with curled petals, that are thickened and almost waxy feeling. You can see a couple normal-looking blooms in the background that are on the same main stem as the affected blooms. I don't feed or spray them, and haven't changed watering habits from one year to the next. What causes this? Even the buds seem distorted.
Clackamas County Oregon
Expert Response
Well, I can't find anything that looks like this. It may just be a mutation of some sort, or it could be the result of a virus or bacterium that has changed how the tissues grow. I can see from the picture that other blooms do not show the difference. It's possible that some pest has induced a hormone change (this is what galls are.) They are typically an one-season phenomenon.
I think it looks kind of cool. Some options: If this is constrained to one branch, you could simply cut the branch out at the base, or to wherever the difference starts. You can wait until next year to see if it grows back with the same results. You could take that cutting and root it into a pot. I would separate it from any of my current hydrangeas and grow to see if it maintains the form. I went to the American Hydrangea Society home page https://americanhydrangeasociety.org/ and the first picture shows a hydrangea wit h a similar form.
Are these plants that you planted, or were they established in the yard of a house you purchased? If you planted them, it may be worthwhile to call the place where you purchased them.
There is a specialty nursery in Aurora OR, Hydrangeas Plus. They are not open to the public on a regular basis (they have a couple of open days which are published on their website.) You could try contacting them if they know of this issue. I wouldn't take a physical sample there without asking because if there is a pathogen that could infect their stock.
I think it looks kind of cool. Some options: If this is constrained to one branch, you could simply cut the branch out at the base, or to wherever the difference starts. You can wait until next year to see if it grows back with the same results. You could take that cutting and root it into a pot. I would separate it from any of my current hydrangeas and grow to see if it maintains the form. I went to the American Hydrangea Society home page https://americanhydrangeasociety.org/ and the first picture shows a hydrangea wit h a similar form.
Are these plants that you planted, or were they established in the yard of a house you purchased? If you planted them, it may be worthwhile to call the place where you purchased them.
There is a specialty nursery in Aurora OR, Hydrangeas Plus. They are not open to the public on a regular basis (they have a couple of open days which are published on their website.) You could try contacting them if they know of this issue. I wouldn't take a physical sample there without asking because if there is a pathogen that could infect their stock.
