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1. Ash 2. Hydrangea

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From: Patricia Bauhs City: Oak Park, IL
As advised, we removed a dead ash that we had treated for several years. It was full of the ash borer. Do we need to grind out the stump for an health reason (we have other ash trees)? Should hydrangea flowers (which I think look lovely on the shrub through the winter) be deadheaded now to encourage more growth next summer? Thank you, in advance, for your advise. PMB
	Extension Message From: Richard Hentschel Extension Educator, Horticulture DuPage/Kane/Kendall Unit hentsche@illinois.edu
The ash tree stump does not likely contain any ash borer. Often times it is removed to allow plantings in the same area or for aesthetics. EAB needs live wood to feed and your tree was totally dead. There is no need to deadhead your Hydrangea if you enjoy the winter interest. You will have time to do that next spring whiling you are cleaning up after our winter. Deadheading does not promote more flowers.
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