Alice Oakleaf Hydrangeas Blooming - July 2022

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We had some (dang) rabbit damage this Winter on most of our young Oakleaf Hydrangeas in our backyard.  They ate away on a bunch of the shoots, stems and limbs.  All of the shrubs made it through and have put on new foliage and growth this season.  The problem?  Oakleaf Hydrangeas flower on what is called 'old wood'.  That means...the growth from 2021 creates the buds for 2022's flowers.  

The dang rabbits going hog on these this Winter means that I wasn't planning on seeing any flowers this season from these Alice Oakleaf Hydrangeas.  Last year, they were lovely - see this post from a little bit over a year ago showing tons of flowers.  This year?  Not so much.

We have just ONE bloom - on a dwarf Alice Oakleaf Hydrangea - munchkin.  You can see it below:

One of the big projects this Fall is going to be protecting these - and others - from those dang rabbits - so we get a full set of blooms next year. 

Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA

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