There seems to be green on some of the stems in the picture so I would wait until the end of May to see if it leafs out and develops new stems from the base. Maintain the soil as evenly moist as you can; water if the soil feels dry at a depth of 4" but do not water if the soil feels moist or wet. Use mulch to control weeds, minimize soil moisture evaporation, protect the roots from temperature extremes and provide some nutrients when the plant becomes established. New plantings will usually perform differently on Year 1 (bloom times may be off, wake up times may be off, etc.). Extended cold weather can also delay active growth in some years.

i dont see any signs of life.. and usually algae on the trunks isnt a good sign ...

dig it out.. and see if there are any good roots on it ...

are your other also potted for winter??? .. i suspect it might have gotten and stayed too wet during winter ...

that and you never really know how abused late fall bargains might be ... i see a lot of fert in that pot.. was that applied this spring.. or did you get it that way??? .. potted plants going into winter should be slowing down for dormancy.. not all juiced up on late season fert ...

dig it up.. if its dead.. you will want to put something else in teh pot anyway ... and if there is nay live root.. maybe you can save it ... so no downside to bare rooting it and finding out ...

take pix.. keep us posted ...

ken

I put those fertilizer this spring. I tried a lot of stuff. Worm castings, kelp, slow release fertilizer to keep and get it going, but still nothing.

New plantings will usually perform differently on Year 1 (bloom times may be off, wake up times may be off, etc.). Extended cold weather can also delay active growth in some years. Wait until the end of May to see if it leafs out and develops new stems from the base.

PS - In future years, try to fertilize after your average date of last frost so it does not break dormancy early due to fertilizer applications.

A scratch test on the bark can confirm if the stems are still alive (if you see green) but failure to see green does not mean that the plant is dead. The roots may still be alive and may develop new, late stems so wait until the end of May. That is also an approximate date when you can safely prune all the way down stems that fail to leaf out. A plant that shows no sign of life by then might be considered dead unless there are other causes contributing to the lateness.

"I tried a lot of stuff. Worm castings, kelp, slow release fertilizer"

Stop throwing fertilizer at it and be patient.

All those ferts in a container plant that isn't even growing yet aren't helping.

I have had so many warm ups and freezes this spring that many of my hydrangeas (and all of my arborescens) have decided to postpone their leafing out until they are sure it's really spring this time.

Sometimes doing nothing is the hardest thing of all to do- but do it anyway.

I agree with luis_pr. I see green on the branches. No more fertilizer & leave it alone. I think it will branch out from the bottom. Give it another month at least. I think if you disturb it, it will die. Janice

This is my hydrangea now. You can see new growth coming from the bottom at dirt level. A couple of weeks ago I thought it hadn’t made it through the winter. (We’re zone 4) I was told to lightly scratch near the bottom of a branch. If it’s green, it’s alive. If all the branches are white when scratched, it’s dead. This will be it’s 2nd summer. I planted mine last year in late August. It was marked down to $2. I didn’t have much to lose.

And for a dissenting viewpoint, I believe it's already dead. Overwintering an unestablished plant in a container outside is risky. The roots are exposed to much colder ambient air temps than they would if it was planted in the ground. And to be honest, even a brand new last season plant should be showing signs of life by now if it was still viable.

This is my hydrangea now. You can see new growth coming from the bottom at dirt level. A couple of weeks ago I thought it hadn’t made it through the winter. (We’re zone 4) I was told to lightly scratch near the bottom of a branch. If it’s green, it’s alive. If all the branches are white when scratched, it’s dead. This will be it’s 2nd summer. I planted mine last year in late August. It was marked down to $2. I didn’t have much to lose.

agree with gal .. it probably dead.. thats why i wanted you to verify such by digging it up ..

presumably you are buying new plants and planting right now.. so what could it hurt to dig up an old plant.. and look at the roots and replant it ... if it still looks hopeful where you cant see it.. the roots ...

ken