I know hydrangea petiolaris are slow to start. With the choice between a 2 litre and 5 litre plant am I better off going for the larger or will this not make much difference in how fast it establishes in a new container or raised bed? Many thanks for any advice.
I have never had luck with Hydrangea here but yes, the larger pot means the plant will establish easier. At the larger size it has a great root system and is most likely at least a couple of years old which makes for a healthier start than a yearling.
Just to update - prompted by a comment that sometimes vendors simply put a smaller plant in a larger pot with lots of compost, I called the company (begins with T-M) and asked how old the two different size pots were. The person I spoke to was very helpful about ideal planting needs and gave the opinion that in this case actually the _smaller_ size would be better as it would be less "set in its ways" so to speak and so would settle in to a new location more quickly (particularly given the limitations of my tiny garden). Since the 2l option was quite a lot cheaper, that's what I've gone for. Either way, hopefully in a year or two I'll have a happy hydrangea, however big it is!
Good Luck with your plant! I have one now (finally) growing up a fence, and I love it. I had 2 die on me before this 3rd one that was very slow to establish. I bought it in a gallon container, which is pretty small. The ones we sell at my work were in 5 gallon pots and were quite a bit large plants. I preferred the smaller size, as it was easier to get trained up the trellis. I don't know where you are, but if you're in a cold winter zone; you should get it in the ground ASAP, and mulch it in real well for the dormant months. Mine is about 5 years old now, and it has been well worth the wait to see it establish.
