May 7, 2014: My guess is that you have been in the garden this week deadheading the daffodils and enjoying the new spring color. Don't be surprised if you find a few plants that did not make it through this winter.
Hydrangea macrophylla, the cultivar with large blue or pink flowers, is a shrub that has been damaged by this winter but not killed. You will see new growth at the base of the shrub but almost nothing on the branches.
If there is any green, cut back to that point; if not, remove the entire branch. Make sure to prune evenly, and don't leave a few stems sticking up--remove them to match the others.
We will see, but I don't think there will be any blooms on hydrangea macrophylla this year.
There are many shrubs with brown leaves that have been burned by the cold. Just remove these.
I hope your loss is minimal; nature has a way of throwing us a curveball every once in a while.
Pictured here: Hydrangea plant that may not survive this year.
Photo by N. Bower
