On 30/04/2014 21:33, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Martin Brown wrote:

I bought one this spring, but the snails have eaten all of the
buds right down to the old wood :-( What are the chances of
it surviving?

Fairly good but you won't get any flowers this year.

That's good news!

It is rather slow when small but once it gets going quite vigorous but
needs tying in once it gets above about 6' or it falls off the wall!

It's in the open - I shall be pruning it as an upright shrub,
and perhaps staking, if it survives.

I find that some cats like to nibble the ends of certain hydrangea
cultivars which tends to damage the lower flower stems. YMMV

I have never yet had slug/snail damage though and I am well provided
with both (but maybe different ones up here on a cold clay soil).

--
Regards,
Martin Brown