Go to the garden center. Ask for a kind that does well in your area. Then replace loser with performer.

For early summer bloom (actually almost all summer), plant hydrangea aborescens Annabelle (or her newer pink version). Or plant one of the hydrangea paniculata (like Pinky Winky or any number of others) that bloom during the second half of summer. With either type, you should have no problems.

However, if you insist on planting the hydrangea macrophylla (which is what most beginners get), plan on being frustrated. Your area is just simply too hard on them and they will usually have problems--unless you can find some newer ones that bloom on both new and old wood. In that case, your weather will probably kill off the old wood buds, but the ones that form on the new wood will probably bloom.

That is just a fact of life, so you should search out the ones that can take your zone. That way you won't be so frustrated.

Good luck.

Kate

Hydrangea macrophylla - bigleaf hydranges or those with large colored flowers - are vulnerable to cold damage in zones lower than 7 and require winter protection. A great many gardeners in colder zones DO this and grow these plants with a good degree of success. It sounds like you have seen some success by mulching yours heavily with leaves.......it may be that you just removed the mulch a bit early and there is some frost damage. As long as the damage is not severe, the plant should recover nicely as the temperatures continue to warm and hopefully you will see flowers this season.

If you check the archives of this forums you'll find various methods employed for winter protection. Or you can grow the hardier species of hydrangea (paniculata and arborescens) which bloom on new growth and require no protection. But these will not offer the brightly colored blue, purple or red/pink flowers of the macs. As noted, there are a few 'reblooming' macs or those can produce flowers on both old and new growth and they tend to more root hardy than other macs as well. For best results though, these should be given some protection as well.

I am assuming that you were referring to macrophyllas. Do you know exactly what type you have?

Here in NE Ohio, we are in zone 5b. Ohio does span from zone 5b to 6a, and obviously if you're in 5b, it's even tougher for the macrophyllas.

There are so many factors involved here... so before yanking them out, I would ask you to do a more thorough search here (lots of great info) and then try to work on them before pulling them out.

If you really want something more carefree, go with the paniculatas, but they will not give you the big, colorful flower heads that you were probably looking for.