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Hydrangea's need some help!

safiahdowdsafiahdowd Posts: 3
in Plants
Hi there! I bought a couple of hydrangeas about three weeks ago for the balcony. One seems to be doing fine but the other is really struggling. It's been fairly hot over here in London and one day I accidentally over watered both of them, to find that the next day they had been soaking in a pool overnight. As soon as I realised I quickly drained them. I've now removed the compacted soil from the pot to dry out a little but the petals have turned dry-ish and slightly crispy despite the soil being sufficiently damp for the past few days, and the leaves are wilting. They tend to get a couple of hours direct sunlight in the morning, but for the majority of the day they've been getting a good amount of indirect (ie. shaded but bright surrounding) sunlight. Does anyone have any tricks to get this one back into good shape? Making me v sad. I've attached some pictures, including one of the other that is doing just fine. I've treated them both the same since I bought them so really puzzled by this. Thanks so much for your help! Safiah 

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    How did you water them? If you did it from overhead in the sun, it won't help.
    Balconies can be very windy too, and that's just as drying as sun. Those flowers are done, so they'll just die back now. 
    They really won't appreciate being in pots that size, and in hot conditions, for any length of time. They're not the right type of plants for your conditions I'm afraid. They like being in the ground, in semi shade and with plenty of consistent moisture to thrive. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • safiahdowdsafiahdowd Posts: 3
    Heya! Thanks for your reply. Just watered them with a jug of tap water. The balcony itself doesn't get too windy and in any case I keep them closer to the wall so they're less exposed, and by hot I mean hot for UK standards not like the Sahara! The other one seems to be doing fine in the exact same pot. Do you think it's just the flowers that have died but not the whole plant? 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited May 2020
    It would even have been too hot up here for them in pots, and exposed to a lot of sun.  :)
    They're shade loving plants, which like cooler conditions. Those ones will also have been grown in protected conditions, to force them into flower early, and when they're exposed to very high temps or very low temps etc, they can suffer a bit. It's a common problem at this time of year.
    It won't have died, but you'll need to be prepared to get them into bigger pots too, as time goes on, as they won't thrive in tiny pots. Keep it watered for now, and just keep it at a steady, lower temperature until it's happier. A bit of shading would help. A sheet or similar, erected like a screen to protect it from the hottest part of the day.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • safiahdowdsafiahdowd Posts: 3
    But do you think it will pick back up from steady watering alone or is there anything else you think it might need? Thanks for all of your advice btw!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Just water and shade  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    It will certainly pick up if you can put it in a 30 - 45 cm pot now and a 60 cm pot next year, after than it will need to go in the garden for it to reach its full potential
    Then keep watered.
    They are garden plants really, they won’t last in pots for long.



    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • young codgeryoung codger Posts: 543
    Hi, Safia, I'm sorry to hear about your Hydrangeas.

    We have plants in our lives to give us pleasure, which they do most of the time. Sometimes things don't work out for us. But we still gain something when that happens-we gain experience, and no one can take that experience from us.

    I think the error in the the chain of events was not the over watering or the sun. It was when you tried to save the plant by removing the soil. In the winter (dormant season) you would been fine doing that. The plant would have eventually got dryer without intervention.

    Please do not feel sad. It is very easy to take cuttings from Hydrangeas. You can end up with as many little Hydrangeas as you want-all from just the main plant. If you look around online/YouTube tutorials etc, there is lots of information. 

    Please come back to this thread in 3 or 4 weeks and let us know how the plants are doing. All the best to you, Y C.

  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    In pots it’s key to be able to give them sufficient room to grow a bit and maintain cool humid (but never soggy) soil. My hydrangeas are really happy in pots with good quality soil and a covering with bark chips to keep the soil cool.


    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
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