'Hydrangea hysteria': Last week's chill may have damaged Cape Cod's signature blooms

Have you checked your hydrangeas today? I really hate to ask, but a peculiar series of events has led me to believe that trouble could be lurking.

This all started when my better half and I were surveying our tiny kingdom last weekend. It was sunny and warm, daffodils and tulips were poking into prominence, and fat buds were singing a spring song on the hydrangea bushes.

I could just tell it was going to be a great year for hydrangeas, perhaps Cape Cod's signature plant. And we sure deserved it: 2023 was a nightmare for hydrangeas after a wicked cold snap in February of that year. According to weather wizard Doc Taylor of Falmouth, temperatures hit 6 degrees below zero on Feb. 4, 2023.

The horrendous chill wreaked havoc on hydrangeas, roses, lavender, and heaths and heathers. We only saw a few hydrangea blooms in my corner of the world last year, a sorry state of affairs that left me muttering on the front porch as I looked out into the yard. Beer barely helped!

But last weekend, with spring coming around the bend on a fast train, all those frigid 2023 memories could be forgotten, couldn't they? Everything was coming up hydrangeas!

I figured it would be a good time to put together a 2024 hydrangea forecast with the help of gardening guru C.L. Fornari. In my mind, I could already see how the story would go: C.L. and I would have a few laughs and bask in the glow of the glorious return of the Cape's beloved showstoppers.

Then I would cheerfully report that we would be up to our hindquarters in hydrangea blooms. I would become a hero, appearing on flowery floats in every Fourth of July parade on Cape Cod. I would change my name to Shrubby the Magnificent and sign autographs at garden centers.

So, I called up C.L. on Tuesday, ready for a joyful gab session. But things took an odd turn. It started right off the bat, when she answered the phone by saying: "Hydrangea hysteria hotline — how can I help you?"

I laughed nervously. What was this "hysteria" all about?

"Here is the problem," said C.L. "On Thursday night, temperatures are supposed to go down to 26. It has the potential to kill hydrangea buds."

When I stopped sobbing, I pressed for more details. C.L. said our relatively mild winter meant that many hydrangeas around the Cape were breaking out of dormancy, leaving buds vulnerable to below-freezing temperatures. On the plus side, C.L. said damage wasn't a sure thing, and if it occurred, it wouldn't be on the scale of what we saw in 2023.

"Once again, we are reminded that we are not in control," said C.L. Sure, that was profound, but I still didn't like it.

So it will be hydrangea triage time this weekend, as we try to determine what Thursday's chill has wrought. What we don't want to see is black buds, which will indicate that damage has occurred.

Even if we see black buds, C.L. said it made sense to take a wait and see approach into May, as recovery is possible. And maybe we'll all get lucky: our hydrangeas will dodge the freeze and steam ahead with vigor.

As you step outside to start the hydrangea inspection, stay strong and keep C.L.'s lovely mantra in mind: "Where there is a garden, there is always hope."

Eric Williams, when not solving Curious Cape Cod mysteries, writes about a variety of ways to enjoy the Cape, the weather, wildlife and other subjects. Contact him at ewilliams@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X: @capecast.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Hydrangeas on Cape Cod: Chilly weather may have damaged beloved plants