In my daughter’s front yard in Edmond, Oklahoma, there’s this shrub with variegated, saw-toothed leaves. It dies down to the ground in winter, and the cut stems look for all the world like some hydrangeas I’ve had with the same habit. Yet, my daughter says this bushy plant doesn’t flower. Can anyone tell me what it is?
This message was edited Apr 5, 2021 4:32 PM
Looks like a hydrangea to me. Why are the stems cut? If it's being intentionally cut to the ground it won't bloom. They bloom off of new growth that originates from the previous year's branches. If deer are in the area they can browse enough of the green growth to prevent bloom. I have to cage all of mine, fall through spring, to prevent this if I expect to see flowers.
MaypopLaurel: That's the conclusion I came to, as well, after additional research. It looks like a hydrangea macrophylla. She's been cutting it to the ground in the fall because it loses all its leaves. This year, I'll have her leave the old wood, and I'll take some cutting for rooting myself. I'll mark this topic closed.
I know this is hideous but mine are currently under house arrest. One is on the deck, in a pot, for protection. The cages can come off as soon as the surrounding pastures green up enough to lure the deer away. You can see in the first photo where the branches touching the cage edges have been browsed especially on the left. My oakleaf hydrangeas only bloom on branches above six feet where they are not browsed. Meanwhile, maybe confiscate daughter's clippers and keep the plant well fertilized to promote new growth.
Is that all green shoot off your variegated bush? Generally, if non variegated growth occurs, you should take it off for all green shoots will probably be more aggressive than variegated ones and can overtake the entire plant, killing off the variegation parts.
