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Hydrangea macrophylla turned green

helenmary.bhelenmary.b Posts: 3
in Problem solving
My new hydrangea macrophylla was a lovely blue until the recent heat wave when the leaves turned a sad looking green. Is there anything I can do to restore them to blue or should I deadhead them all? I haven't been able to find the answer online and I'm fairly new to gardening! Any guidance appreciated. Thank you!
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  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Dont know why they have gone green, but they do change colour as they are. Dont dead head until you see new growth in spring as it protects the flower buds from frost. Dont forget to keep on watering
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Do you mean the flowerheads have turned green? The leaves should be green anyway, unless they're being affected by hot dry weather, or autumn, and in that case they turn brown/red/yellow. 
    It's most likely due to lack of water though. Plants  try to preserve themselves if they're stressed, and that often means flowers dying back early, or wilting, especially if those flowers are at the ends of stems. 
    Do you have a photo?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    I have two which were labeled “magic Colour” and they change across the season from a pale green, to blue and back to a mottled  green/ blue mix as the heads age. It’s actually really quite nice . But if you are expecting them to stay the same I guess it would come as a shock.
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That's what I was thinking @Jacquimcmahon. Most hydrangea flowers change colour to some extent through the season, but I wasn't sure what the OP was meaning. Foliage turning purply blue is common in cold spells, so it could have been someone not in the UK.

    As you say - if you're expecting them to just stay blue all the time, it might be worrying.   :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    Just took a couple of photos of mine. One was deep pink, one a sky blue. Both have suffered bleaching and some scorching due to the over 40 degrees heat we had a few weeks back. They normally change a few weeks later, I’ve just put it down to crazy heat. Like I said I was expecting the colour change so it does not worry me much.
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
  • helenmary.bhelenmary.b Posts: 3
    Sorry if my photo didn't show. I'm in the SW of the UK. I meant the flowers were originally blue and turned green. I didn't know they did this - interesting they may change back! Sounds like I just need to let them do their thing. Thank you both. Good to see your photo @Jacquimcmahon, thanks for sharing!
  • Loraine3Loraine3 Posts: 579
    Hence the country name of 'Changeable'.
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    Helenmary the plant looks fine, you may still get a few more blue heads if there are still unfowered branches. Generally a second flush will be smaller but new heads will come out blue, the green is just the colour bleaching out over time. Looks nice and healthy.
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
  • MontysGalMontysGal Posts: 70
    Mine have gone from blue to a very definite green colour too, almost a teal colour! It has grown a new head of flowers since this happened though which has come through the same pale blue as it was originally.
  • MontysGalMontysGal Posts: 70
    edited August 2020
    I actually remembered today to take some pics to show just how green mine had turned. I'm not too worried now because as you can see in the last pic it's grown a new head of petals that are the original blue! 

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