Hydrangea size?

I have a few Hydrangeas that have been in the ground for about two years and each year they only seem to come back and grow to about 6 to 8 inches in height. (Zone 7) I dont trim the dead stems from the previous year because I have been told the provide nutrients throughout the winter month to the root system. When I planted them a used mushroom compost and since mulched with organic compost the following year. One is in full sun about 8 hours a day and the other in partial sun about 3 to 4 hours a day, and yet another a forgot about in almost full shade all day except for maybe an hour a day under some vines on a fence. All are the same height now in late July no matter where they seem to be planted........Any help here to make them bigger?

Hydrangea size?
Do you know what variety of hydrangea you planted? Some cultivars of H. macrophylla are bred to be compact . Also, if you used too much mushroom compost to amend the soil when planting, it is possible that may contribute to poor performance in your hydrangeas. Mushroom compost is mostly sterile and has not been composted as thoroughly as that in your compost pile; it does not provide nutrients immediately, and may lock up some nutrients in the process of decomposing. I would suggest a slow release organic fertilizer such as Espoma over the course of a couple of seasons. For further information, try these websites: http://www.conweb.com/hydrangea/ or http://squtch.quiet-like-a-panther.org/s...
Reply:this could be what there suppose to grow in a season as not get too big too fast there are diffrent kinds and colors
Reply:hm. I got one of those "box with a stick in it" things from my boyfriend when we just started dating, about a year and a few months ago. Planted it in a pot... it grew 3 sprouts 8 inches tall. Planted it in the garden last fall, in a semishaded position, watered well all spring since it was near some grass I seeded, and it's got three blooms on it and is about 18 inches tall. Not bad for first year.





Yours should be doing similar things. If they are not... were they in some sort of "plant the whole pot!" kind of thing? If so, I have found that those things do not generally decompose the way they're supposed to. Or, if you have really hard or rocky soil, the plant might be stuck in the hole... that is, it might not be able to get into the surrounding soil. With that sort of soil, you have to dig a hole meant for a much larger plant... like 3x the size of the root ball you're planting... and fill most of it back in with good loose (friable) soil.





I'd dig one of them up to look at the root system, see if it's stuck in a pot or stuck in the hole.

larry