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Hydrangea with brown leaves

Hi,

I put a climbing hydrangea into a small bed, down the side of my house, last September. The leaves have gone brown and crispy and I am not sure about why and what I should do with it now? I assume that I should remove the affected leaves but is there something else that it needs? I will shortly give it a feed and some mulch (once I have googled which ones it needs!) but it is in a bit of a wind tunnel down there, so is this likely to have caused it? Any advice much appreciated, thanks!

ps. not 100% sure that it is a hydrangea, as we have lost the tag!


Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    The damaged leaves have probably been nipped by frost at some stage.
    Nothing to worry about.
    I'd leave them for the time being and remove them when it starts growing well again shortly.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Don't feed it just now either. The important thing is to make sure it isn't short of water as it'll take the rest of this year to establish properly. Once it's roots are down well, it'll cope with wind and everything else. 
    In a wind tunnel it'll certainly take longer to establish - wind dries out foliage every bit as much as sun. 
    It's not the best choice for against a fence though. They want to be very large plants which cover houses walls easily when happy.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Thank you both! I was wondering about the spot….. we have a window that looks out onto the boring fence, so I wanted something to grow up the fence to soften the view. I cannot attach anything to the fence, as it is the neighbours. I will keep an eye on it and hope that it starts to feel happier there!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    But it'll attach itself to the fence, so that will be a problem too if it isn't yours.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited April 2023
    I just looked at your pic again - if it's a climbing hydrangea, it's possibly H. seemannii as it has different foliage from the usual petiolaris types. They're also a bit more free standing.
    Not so hardy though which is why I've never grown it. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • I think that you are right about the type….I have just read up about it and it does sound a bit unsuitable for where we have put it! I think that I might find a better spot for it, and put something else there…goodness knows what though!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I think you'd be better with a freestanding shrub. A small tree might work, but without knowing more about the site and surroundings, and the amount of space you have, it's very difficult to make suggestions.

    If you want a climber, it would be safer to put a trellis in front of the fence - a couple of posts 6 feet apart or similar, and then a suitable climber. There are plenty of choices, but not all are evergreen, and some won't like the windy conditions, so you'd have to think about a bit of protection initially, until they were established well.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • It is a very small spot, probably 60cm x 20cm and there is quite a bit on concrete below the bark, holding the edges in place. It seemed like a good idea at the time that the paving was done but probably quite an unfriendly spot for a plant! Maybe I will try the trellis and perhaps some ivy but make sure that it does not abscond from the trellis….anything to avoid looking at a solid block of fence through the window!
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