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Hydrangea not happy.

simonstroud1970simonstroud1970 Posts: 3
in Problem solving
Put in a Hydrangea earlier in the year to fill a gap in a bed, and it's really not happy.  It started out with lovelly purple flowers, but it's now looking very sorry for itself.   We have been watering it, it's in sun, but not direct sunlight.

Any advice?   Worried we might be overwatering it?


Posts

  • bcpathomebcpathome Posts: 1,313
    Have you been feeding it ? If it’s only new it needs feeding just like a new pet , it needs food ,water and a comfy bed 
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Don't feed it while it is so stressed, it will only make things worse!
    Give it water and time to recover, there should be more than enough nourishment in the soil for a young plant. :)
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited July 2021
    That's one of those forced plants for the Easter market. Hydrangeas don't flower until this time of year and into August, so the flowers are finished now on your plant.
    It will sort itself out for next year, as long as you keep it really well watered until autumn. No food , as @Buttercupdays says. When you water it, a good canful in at the base is what's needed.  :)
    It's just getting it's roots down, and it will take a while to establish, so it can't support the top growth very easily. Once that happens, it'll be able to cope with dry spells more easily, as the roots will be much further down and it'll access moisture itself. 
    The hot dry spell is taking a bit of a toll, but it will be fine. If it wasn't so hot and dry, it would look perkier  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • luis_prluis_pr Posts: 123
    edited July 2021
    The few leaves shown at the bottom look like they needed water several days ago. Try to keep the soil as moist as you can by testing the soil with a finger instead of watering based on a schedule: insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 10 cm more or less and water the soil -not the leaves- if the soil feels dry or almost dry. The spent blooms can be deadheaded at any time. They normally go through a series of color changes that end in browned out blooms but when they prematurely go from purple directly to brown then usually there is a watering problem. For example, originally purple blooms may add some green tones after a month or so, then add some pink/red/purple splotches after a month or more and then turn brown after a month or more. In future years, the purple blooms may change their color to reflect available nutrients in your garden and on its soil pH. Make sure the plant is not drying out too much because it gets sun all day.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    No offence @luis_pr, but the blooms are like that now simply because it's been forced into early flowering, and produced for a specific market [Easter] in the UK. It's a common marketing ploy here, and causes endless problems because people are lured into buying them because they look nice, and then worry because they think they're dead/dying.  
    In normal conditions, hydrangeas wouldn't even be flowering just now. That's all that's wrong with the flowers, and it'll be fine next year.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • CloggieCloggie Posts: 1,457
    I'd deadhead it (cut off the flowers) so you can see the leaves to monitor health based on what others have said. I'd also remove any dead leaves but only for aesthetics.

    I might also be suspecting that it might favour a shadier spot but I wouldn't move it just now, I'd continue watering (lots and less often rather than little and often) to see if it settles down, unless it's safely back into a pot to place somewhere shadier.  You'll notice different contributors have different approaches, these are mine.
  • luis_prluis_pr Posts: 123
    edited July 2021
    Companies like to do the same thing on both sides of the pond. Yes, surprise, they do the same thing here too, @Fairygirl !  :) The plants are forced to bloom early so they can be on sale for Easter too. You can buy these early bloomers at florists and grocery stores. I have received these as presents and even purchased one with an unusual bloom form that was blooming early too. Planted it outside and still have it. Not terribly winter hardy compared to named cultivars from plant nurseries though. Oddly, some of the "regular" plant nurseries and garden centers also offer a limited supply of named hydrangea cultivars (but usually it is always Merritt's Supreme) that have been made to bloom early for Easter. Later on, they put for sale the regular stock of hydrangeas. But the blooms still go through the series of color changes, ending in brown. The blooms do not turn directly brown unless the plant lacks enough moisture.
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