Hi,

About 2 weeks ago, I planted 3 endless summer hydrangeas. They receive some indirect sun in the morning, and direct sun in the late afternoon. They are slowly wilting and dropping. I even noticed some blooms turning brown. Last night I kept the hose on them for a good few minutes. All water was obsorbed and no pooling. I do have pretty hard clay soil, and I filled the hole with some bumper crop soil before planting. Please help, as I don't want them to die, and don't know much about planting. Not sure what to do at this point.

Thanks

Welcome to the site, if you go to your profile you can add your general location which helps.
Endless Summer requires a lot of water in hot weather, plus you have just transplanted them, sounds normal just keep them well watered.

When you first plant the root system has not had time to develop and requires frequent watering. Hydrangeas also need to be planted in soil with good drainage. One other point might be heat from the dark mulch and direct sunlight. If the plant is getting a lot of sunlight I would consider moving it to a shaded spot (dappled if possible).

Thanks for the responses. I am in NJ (Zone 7). They really only get direct sunlight late in the day 4pm on. The entire morning is just little rays through the trees above. Ok, I will continue to water. Sad to see them go from nice and strong with large blooms to drooping and shriveled.... I just want to keep them alive so they can 1 day flourish.

Hi-

I live in Plano, Texas. We just planted 10 Endless Summer Hydrangea Plants less than a week ago. We have clay type soil. The soil was prepped. All but one of the plants are wilted and drooping. What can I do? How of ten should i be watering them?

Hydrangea macrophyllas should be planted in morning sun (until 10-11am) or dappled sun over here so first make sure that it does not get afternoon or evening sun.

I would expect some wilting of leaves when heat stressed. Head stress takes many forms but examples of that: when temperatures typically reach or exceed 85F; when it is windy; when the plant needs soil moisture; when the plant is young and the root system is small; when the plant gets too much sunlight.

You cannot help it when temps are hot but you can at least provide 2-4" of year around organic mulch (no rocks) past the drip line to protect roots from temperature extremes and maintain the soil as evenly moist as you can with no/few periods of dry soil, then wet, then dry again, etc. Consistently moist -not wet/soggy soil is what you should aim for.

To see if they need water, insert a finger in several spots in the soil to a depth of 4" and water if it feels dry or almost dry. Hydrangea roots are shallow, tiny and fibrous. They only grow down about 4" so make sure that this area does not dry out. Always water the soil early in the mornings (6-8am or so) and never the leaves to minimize the chances of getting leaf fungal infections like powdery mildew or cercospora leaf spots. Start watering near the crown (where all the stems originate from) and move outwards in all directions. If you do not know much to water (see below), start with 1-2 gallons of water per plant in cool times of the year and use the finger method to water when the soil is dry and to determine if they need even more water. If your soil drains too well (sandy soils, not clay), you will need to water more than that.

To see if you watered enough, insert a finger in several spots in the soil to a depth of 8" some time after watering. If the soil feels dry, use more water. As a reference, you should be watering several gallons of water per plant assuming the plants are new and of plant nursery size.

To see if you are watering too much (do not make a habit of this as the roots can develop root rot if exposed to too much water for long enough periods), get some water in between two fingers and press to see if you see water droplets forming. If you see some droplets, consider skipping waterings that day or watering less. This works best if you water as usual and then wait a while for the water to drain before checking the soil.

If the area is windy, the options would be to (a) live with the windy conditions and see if the plants improve their performance when the root system is larger, (b) transplant elsewhere or (c) get a wind block of some sort. If you hear that the weather will be windy, feel free to water deeply the previous night.

If the plants are getting too much sunlight, consider transplanting them elsewhere or temporarily providing some form of additional shade during their first few summers. Hydrangea leaves will fry during the hot summer months (May through September) if they get direct sun much after 10-11am (they can receive more sun during cooler times of the year though; potted ones, for example, can get full sun in early Spring. Minimize afternoon or evening sun as much as possible. Temporary shade can be provided using outside chairs, umbrellas, etc. In their first summer(s), the root system and the leaves are not used to direct sunlight that much so, providing this kind of extra shade helps. In future years, the leaves will wilt less as the plants become established and the root system gets larger. But I always expect some wilting above 85F.

Wilting of the leaves occurs when the plant loses moisture through the leaves faster than they can absorb water through the roots. Some supplemental water helps but make sure you minimize over-watering if you can.
In the month of May, temperatures will typically start to reach 85F or higher so increase the amount of water from "Spring watering levels" to "Summer watering levels". When temperatures typically reach/exceed the 95F-100F++, hand water to provide additional moisture if needed. When temperatures typically stay below 95F, discontinue the optional hand watering. When temperatures typically stay below 85F, decrease the amount of water from "Summer watering levels" to "Spring watering levels". Once the plants go dormant and the leaves/brown have turned brown in the Fall (around November-December), reduce the amount of water further and consider watering once a week or once every two weeks depending on local rains. Continue watering during dry winters but temporarily stop when temperatures are below freezing (you can water at warmer times of the day if the soil is dry). Resume "Spring watering levels" when you observe leaf out. That can happen anywhere from March-April.

Do not fertilize now as the plants probably have those round fertilizer pellets and we are at the end of the growing season. Once established in a few years, they can feed off the decomposing mulch only but you have to maintain 2-4" of organic mulch at all times of the year. After your average date of last frost (around the start of April), you can give each plant a single cup of organic compost, composted manure, cottonseed meal or you can use a general purpose, slow release, chemical fertilizer with a NPK Ratio near 10-10-10. You can use coffee grounds, liquid seaweed or liquid fish throughout the growing season but stop all fertilizers about three months before your average date of first frost in the 2nd week of November or so (so stop around mid-August).

Hydrangea macrophyllas should already have invisible flower buds inside the ends of their stems. These will open in the Spring 2021 and resemble tiny broccoli heads. Our mild winters can sometimes make the plants break dormancy early so, to protect the flower buds and the stems from getting zapped by freezes/frosts, you may need to winter protect and water deeply when frosts/freezes are announced. Stems that die will not bloom but ES will produce a second wave of blooms later on from new growth that starts growing in Spring 2021.

Pruning is something that is not needed with hydrangeas if planted where they can attain their estimated size at maturity. While you can deadhead (not the same thing as pruning) any spent blooms at any time, pruning hydrangea macrophyllas is better done after they have bloomed. Stems that do not leaf out by the end of May can be cut all the way down. Stems that are partly green and dry can be cut down to healthy tissue.

Does this help you?
Luis

Nickname for these around my area is "Endless Bummer". They need shade or they wilt down everyday. If they don't have sun they won't bloom. My next door neighbor has one and in the last 8 years it's only bloomed one time. I ripped mine out (also never bloomed) and replaced them with Ruby Slippers, Lime Light, and Quick Fire.

Hello,

I am having a similar issue with my newly planted hydrangea, a Proven Winners variety named 'Wee Bit Grumpy.' I am in Zone 6b in the Shenandoah Valley of the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. We have well-draining silty soil with some mixed-in rocks and clay, which I amended with organic compost at a 1:1 ratio at the time of planting. I also mixed in 1 cup of Espoma Bio-tone Starter Plus (which I use on all of my plants,) along with 1/2 cup of Espoma Garden Lime and 1/2 cup of Espoma Soil Acidifier to aim for a neutral pH (our native soil is acidic.)

The hydrangea receives Dappled/Part-to-Full Shade throughout the entire day in my backyard filled with deciduous trees. The hydrangea is also located on a slope that declines towards a gulley with a natural stream flowing through. According to my research on Hydrangeas, this seems to be an ideal location, given that they naturally grow in wooded areas with Dappled shade and on slopes.

About three days after planting, I started to notice that some of the leaves had a maroon/burgundy tint, and some were turning brown and crunchy. Some of the stems were beginning to flop and get weak, too. I ruled out a few factors that could have caused this to happen; Too much sun, not enough water, fungal disease, etc. However, one article I read stated that hydrangeas planted in soil that is too acidic or alkaline may begin to show leaves with a maroon/burgundy tint. This could be why my hydrangea was having problems, but I used equal parts soil acidifier and garden lime to reach a neutral pH, so that may not be why. Another article stated that using too much fertilizer, (in my case Espoma Bio-tone Starter Plus,) may cause hydrangea stems to get floppy and cause the leaves to wilt. I think this may be the reason why my hydrangea is having problems.

Now, back to your hydrangea. Did you apply fertilizer when you planted your hydrangeas like I did? If so, that could be the reason why your hydrangea is wilting. Especially if you applied too much of it.

Please let me know if this helps.

Thanks,
The Creek Kid

Sometimes newly planted things just behave that way until they settle in. Just give it plenty of water the first year or so. They will lose leaves or have discolored leaves sometimes after planting. The wilting for me was occurring after the plant was well established, and my neighbors did it as well. I have only had trouble with the wilting though on the macrophylla ones. Then when they kept getting froze off and no blooms year after year is when I got rid of mine.

If you want to see a video of planting those type hydrangeas and the fertilizer used ect, go to you tube and search for "Garden Answer hydrangea" and you will find some nice videos. I watch all her videos.

Hello, Nicholas. You did not include pictures of these symptoms or specify exactly when you planted, what your soil pH is or what is your city so it is difficult to research environmental factors and diagnose problems like the maroon/burgundy tint. Some general reasons: overnight lows from 42°F and lower may have been favorable for the development of patchy frost, causing leaf injuries that result in leaf discoloration (various shades of dark greens, oranges, yellows, burgundies, browns); injury to the tiny roots when planting or if applying sulfur-containing chemical agents; nutrient deficiency (not likely in your case); etc.

Sunburn is not likely in your scenario. It occurs when the plant gets too much direct sun or is not acclimated to getting much sun at the greenhouse and the leaves start to turn all yellow, including the leaf veins. However, with sunburn, the leaves inside the shrub are asymptomatic and always dark green; only the leaves in direct contact with the sun turn all yellow, including the leaf veins.

There are some fungal diseases that create leaf color changes but it sounds like the leaf discoloration happened too fast so, unless conditions were really favorable and with no pictures, I would also assume another causal agent like patchy frost or root injury.

Your cultivar is a regular Big Leaf Hydrangea that only gets a few feet tall. Being a small specimen and having been planted recently, it is not established in the garden and its root system is still quite small. The root system of hydrangea macrophyllas is typically shallow, very small, fibrous and only around 4" deep only. The foliage should normally be dark green but when new, it can be sensitive to sudden direct sun exposures and should be slowly acclimated to your garden from full shade (or close to what greenhouses may have) to part shade but in slowly increasing amounts. Try not to disturb the roots -as much as you can- when planting or transplanting.

I was not quite sure why you amended with equal parts of the garden lime and the soil acidifier. Hydrangeas prefer well-draining, acidic soil (soil pH between 4.5 to 7) but they tolerate some alkalinity so feel free to discontinue those amendments unless you observe that the leaves are turning light green or light yellow AND the leaf veins are also turning dark green. If you do detect those symptoms, add some soil acidifier only. A soil test can accurately tell you what your soil pH is. You can also purchase soil pH kits from garden centers and plant nurseries. Garden lime promotes higher soil pH and alkalinity but applying a soil acidifier will basically cancel the garden lime amendment.

Direct morning sun-only exposure (until 12pm) will help some with wilting if warm/hot but definitely expect some wilting episodes during the warm periods of the year (above 85°F) with a new specimen (older specimens too but expect less episodes). The big leaves lose leaf moisture faster than the roots can absorb more soil moisture thereby causing a wilted/droopy look. However, once the environmental conditions improve at night, the leaves should perk up and remain that way until they get heat stressed again.

Lack of water or lack of sufficient water will also cause wilting symptoms, especially in very high, water draining soils. The leaves, blooms and-or the stems can all-some be affected by wilting. If the lack of water continues for a while, the leaf edges will tend to brown out and then the leaves will continue browning from the edges inwards. At some point in mid-to-late spring (temps regularly above 85°F), some locations will require increasing watering amounts from spring watering levels to summer watering levels. This increase in the amount of water plus year-around 2-4" of mulch helps the shallow roots when they dry out but again… always expect to see wilting episodes during the worst of the summers. When wilting, check temperatures and the soil moisture: if you insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 4" or so and the soil feels dry or almost dry, water the plant deeply, enough so the soil becomes moist from a depth of 4-8" or so. If the soil is moist or soggy already, skip watering; the wilting is probably due to warm conditions; re-check in the morning (6-8am). Use the finger method daily in the mornings on a regular basis to check the soil moisture.

You should also avoid over-fertilizing or overwatering as soggy/wet soil makes it difficult to absorb oxygen and can also cause wilting. Wilting that occurs 24/7, even after a night of respite with watering, might indicate that the soil is either kept too hot (using rock mulch) or the plant has developed root rot. Hydrangeas are not heavy feeder plants like roses are. Feel free to fertilize using a cup of cottonseed meal, organic compost or composted manure. You can also use a general purpose, balanced, chemical fertilizer with a NPK Ratio of around 10-10-10 starting after your average date of last frost and stopping three months before your average date of first frost. You can also sprinkle coffee grounds or apply liquid seaweed or liquid fish to provide minor nutrients. Feel free to stop/reduce all fertilizers once the plant has become established if your soil has no mineral deficiencies or toxicities.

Hello,

Thank you for your answers.

An update on the hydrangea: I picked off the wilted, discolored leaves and left it be for a while. It is starting to put on some new growth, which so far looks green and healthy.

About soil pH: I have never tested the soil pH (which I regret not doing, since that may be the problem I am facing,) but online sources (SoilWeb) show that the soil pH is around 5.5, which is acidic. I live in the small town of Kearneysville, West Virginia.

The strange thing is, I have two other hydrangeas that were planted with only soil acidifier and only garden lime, and they are thriving and healthy. The one planted with only soil acidifier, 'Let's Dance Blue Jangles' is actually producing a bloom right now. The other hydrangea planted with only garden lime, 'Wee Bit Giddy' is very healthy and producing new growth, but no blooms yet. So, it may not be about soil pH.

The only other possibility, from you your answers and from what I have ruled out, is that I may have over-fertilized the hydrangea. As I said, I used Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus when I planted the hydrangea, mixing one cup into the backfilling soil as recommended on the back of the bag. The next time I plant a new perennial, I will use less Bio-tone and see what happens. So far, Bio-tone is the only amendment/fertilizer that I have used for the hydrangea, which I use for all of my new plantings.

When I get a chance, I will submit a picture of the 'Wee Bit Grumpy' hydrangea as you requested.

Thank you so much to everybody who helped me out and answered my questions. I appreciate it so much.

Thank you,
Nicholas Cole

Good news at least.No soil pH amendments are needed at that level for hydrangeas.